NOTES for Luk 5:33-39
33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? |
34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? |
35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. |
36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. |
37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. |
38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. |
39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. |
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In the Lord Jesus' answer to the question of why His disciples do not fast, unlike John's disciples and the Pharisees, it is essential for us that the Lord does not reject the means of spiritual life mentioned in the question, but neither does He give them decisive importance. His words about the sons of the bridal chamber clearly show that the means occupy a subordinate place in relation to the goal. Translating His example into modern language, one might say that it is pointless to buy a modem if you are already connected and working online. Why should the sons of the bridal chamber fast when the bridegroom is with them? But when the Bridegroom is taken away from them, then those means that help us meet Him again will be absolutely necessary.
Both possible illusions here are characteristic of human psychology: exaggerating the importance of the means of spiritual life in comparison with the goal, and neglecting them. In the first case we create a ritual religion with many petty prescriptions and no visible object of worship. In the second case we soar in thought into the invisible, losing ourselves as subjects of worship. In both cases, a real encounter with God becomes at least difficult. What the Lord speaks of is a difficult path, but unlike the ones described, it is realistic and real.
Readings for 5 September 2025
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