4 When will the disciple fast

Gospel

Luke 5:33-39

When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast

The Pharisees and the scribes said to Jesus, ‘John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees too, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come, the time for the bridegroom to be taken away from them; that will be the time when they will fast.’

He also told them this parable, ‘No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak; if he does, not only will he have torn the new one, but the piece taken from the new will not match the old.

‘And nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost. No; new wine must be put into fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good” he says.’

Reflection

In this passage, Jesus transitions His followers from rigid ritual to a dynamic relationship. He identifies Himself as the Bridegroom, signaling that faith is primarily about presence and joy rather than mere legalistic abstinence. The parables of the new patch and the wineskins warn us against trying to fit the radical grace of the Gospel into old, inflexible mindsets. Christ’s message isn't just an update to old traditions; it is a total renewal. We are invited to shed our "old skins"—our prejudices and stagnant habits—to receive the new wine of the Holy Spirit, embracing the transformative joy of life in Him.

### Reflection Question

In what areas of my life am I resisting the "new wine" of God’s grace because I am too comfortable clinging to the "old wineskins" of my familiar habits or self-righteousness?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Bridegroom of our souls. Grant us the grace to celebrate Your presence and the discipline to fast from all that draws us away from You. Renew our hearts today so they may become fresh wineskins, ready and willing to hold the new wine of Your Spirit. Amen.

Comments

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