HIGHLIGHT
Mark 2:22 (ESV): 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
EXPLAIN
Both John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. But Jesus’ disciples were not. People then came to Jesus with the question and complaint that his disciples were not fasting. In other words, they were not spiritual enough.
Jesus used the analogy of a wedding. A wedding is not the time to fast. So with Jesus as the figurative bridegroom, it was not appropriate for the disciples to fast.
But one day Jesus would be taken away, and his disciples would fast. But the main principle is in the highlighted text: when God is doing something new, we cannot and must not restrict it to the ways God has worked in the past.
APPLY
The challenge for every generation is to recognize how God wants to move – how God is moving – and accept, follow and cooperate with what he is doing.
The challenge, of course, is that others will charge we are unspiritual. But if we have a close relationship with Christ and are doing our best to follow his leading, we must not restrict ourselves to the old methods when God wants to work in a new way.
RESPOND
Heavenly Father, help me to follow you so closely that I always feel your presence and know your leading Help me to be willing and to trust you when you desire to work in new ways through my life. Amen.