The Old Is Better

 

  Luke 5:33-39

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

³³ They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? ³⁵ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”

³⁶ He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

In these days when the sacred seems to be not only ignored, but derided ;and debunked, we need to heed the meaning of this parable. The new wine, or the latest fad, is not necessarily the best and certainly does not blend with the old.  Why are we always looking for something different or exciting, something which has not passed the test of time?  Why not give the old wine a decent chance, a savoring taste and discover the goodness that has always been there? A look at our society, our declining values, increasing numbers of suicides, tells us that the "new" (which means the neglect of the old) is not the answer. Let us give the old a chance, resurrect it and discover that it is better.

Bro. Rene

Dear God, bless us with an appreciation of the old wine and help us give it a place of honor at our tables.