‘THE OLD IS BETTER’ / LUKE 5:39

(KJV) Luke 5:39

No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

The word translated “better” (Greek chrestos) may be more literally translated “suitable,” with the meaning that it is “good enough.” The point is that when people become comfortable with what they have, they do not desire something better. Many of the Jews and their leaders rejected the “new wine” of Christ’s message because they felt that the ‘old wine” (the traditions of first-century Judaism) was good enough. Jesus uses the wine metaphor, or symbolic comparison, by suggesting that those who are accustomed to drinking fermented wine acquire a desire for it and do not want unfermented wine. He recognizes the habit-forming, addictive effect of alcoholic beverages. It is not Jesus, but rather the one drinking the “old wine,” who thinks “the old is better.” But literal wine is not the issue here. Jesus was describing the resistance of some people to change their religious traditions and accept the way God and His Son, Christ Jesus, desires for us to live. 

1. We must not interpret this verse to mean that the “old wine” (man-made religious beliefs and traditions) is better than the “new wine” (the message of forgiveness and new life through faith in Christ). This is the opposite of what the parable teaches. Jesus is saying that the Pharisees have settled for less than God’s desire for them. By doing so, the Pharisees and their followers will not even recognize the truth and benefits of the new way because they feel that “the old” is good enough. Only the “new wine” (the life-giving message of Christ) would bring the salvation that all of humankind needs.
2. The Pharisees completely overlooked the true purpose of God’s law and how it is fulfilled through Christ and His message. They were refusing to accept the fresh revelation of God and insisted upon holding on to traditions’ altered (fermented, like the old wine) messages. Yet those who receive Jesus and His fresh, new message find that it is better than their old sinful way of life.

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1. EAT AND DRINK WITH … ‘SINNERS’ / LUKE 5:30
2. SON OF MAN / LUKE 5:24
3. JESUS KNEW WHAT THEY WERE THINKING / LUKE 5:22
4. CARRYING A PARALYTIC / LUKE 5:8
5. THE POWER OF THE LORD WAS PRESENT / LUKE 5:17
6. PRAYERS OF JESUS / LUKE 5:16
7. YOU WILL CATCH MEN / LUKE 5:9-10
8. AN EVIL SPIRIT / LUKE 4:33-35
9. HIS MESSAGE HAD AUTHORITY / LUKE 4:32
10. HE HAS ANOINTED ME / LUKE 4:18-19
11. THE DEVIL / LUKE 4:9
12. THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD / LUKE 4:5
13. DOES NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE / LUKE 4:4
14. JESUS, FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT / LUKE 4:1-2
15. HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDED ON HIM / LUKE 3:22
16. HE WILL BURN UP THE CHAFF / LUKE 3:17
17. BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / LUKE 3:16
18. FRUIT IN KEEPING WITH REPENTANCE / LUKE 3:8
19. CAESAR … PILATE … HEROD / LUKE 3:1-2
20. JESUS GREW IN WISDOM / LUKE 2:52
21. I HAD TO BE IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE / LUKE 2:49-51
22. THE CHILD GREW / LUKE 2:40
23. ANNA … WORHIPED / LUKE 2:36-38
24. A SWORD WILL PIERCE YOUR OWN SOUL / LUKE 2:35
25. RIGHTEOUS AND DEVOUT – WAITING FOR THE CONSOLATION / LUKE 2:25-32
26. A PAIR OF DOVES / LUKE 2:24
27. PRESENT HIM TO THE LORD / LUKE 2:22-23
28. A SAVIOR … CHRIST THE LORD / LUKE 2:11
29. A MANGER / LUKE 2:6-7
30. HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS / LUKE 1:68-75
31. FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / LUKE 1:67
32. GOD MY SAVIOR / LUKE 1:46-47
33. AS YOU HAVE SAID / LUKE 1:38
34. THE HOLY ONE / LUKE 1:34-35
35. HIS FATHER DAVID / LUKE 1:32-33
36. YOU WHO ARE HIGHLY FAVORED / LUKE 1:28
37. PLEDGED TO BE MARRIED / LUKE 1:26-27
38. SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH – THE FATHERS TO THEIR CHILDREN / LUKE 1:17
39. FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT – WINE … FERMENTED DRINK / LUKE 1:15
40. DIVISION OF ABIJAH … DESCENDANT OF AARON / LUKE 1:5
41. BEATEN WITH FEW BLOWS / LUKE 12:47-48
42. YOUR ENEMIES … ENCIRCLE YOU /LUKE 19:43
43. SAW THE CITY, HE WEPT / LUKE 19:41
44. THIS WOMAN … SATAN HAS KEPT BOUND / LUKE 13:16
45. HIS HEART / LUKE 6:45
46. THE LORD’S GREAT SORROW / LUKE 13:34
47. THE WISE … LITTLE CHILDREN / LUKE 10:21
48. DO NOT REJOICE / LUKE 10:20
49. SNAKES AND SCORPINS / LUKE 10:19
50. GUIDED BY GRACE HOME

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog post! May the words inspire and uplift all who read them. Your support and interest mean the world to me, and I’m grateful for every moment you spend here. Stay tuned for more, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!” Blessings, Margarita & Stace

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Summary

Article Name

'THE OLD IS BETTER' / LUKE 5:39

Description

The word translated “better” (Greek chrestos) may be more literally translated “suitable,” with the meaning that it is “good enough.”

Author

Margarita Crews

Publisher Name

Guided By Grace

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