Luke 5:33-39
Jesus Our Special Bridegroom
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.’”
Jesus was a Special Rabbi and Teacher...His Disciples loved Him...They knew He was different...When it was time to fast while Jesus was with them, He explained to others that they could not fast while He was on earth...Jesus, when He would leave earth, was referring to the power of the Holy Spirit He would send them, already visible in his own life and would soon to be poured out on all His disciples according to His teachings and promises...Even Judas knew that there was Something Special about Him...Judas attempted to return the money he had been paid for his betrayal to the chief priests and committed suicide by hanging...When we are committed and love someone such as Jesus we can see some issues that might come up in teaching about Him and what He taught...Jesus is our True Bridegroom...
Believers have faith that they have a relationship with Jesus, but we as man do not always live up to this calling...Unlike man, Jesus is faithful and He desires to achieve this continued LOVING Relationship with us...He is persistent and wants us to knock until the door is opened, to seek Him until He is found, and to continue to ask and He will give to us the Spiritual Things we need...The Old Testament Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Hosea, as well as in Solomon's Song of Songs, God reveals the mystery of His desire for this LOVING relationship man and woman – a relationship so strong and intimate that Jesus describes it as Spousal LOVE: Jesus is our bridegroom to His believers are His bride...
The early teachers were aware that they were to pass on the gospel of Jesus and His teachings...St. Paul told the Corinthians, "My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you...What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”...Is Christ divided?...Was Paul crucified for you?...Were you baptized into the name of Paul?"...St. Paul is telling us that Jesus is the Special One, not man...
Romanian Priest Richard Wurmbrand in his book Midnight Bride wrote about this Specialness of Jesus, “A pastor must be like a matchmaker who persuades a girl to marry someone else...He must be very careful the girl does not fall in love with him, the matchmaker...Likewise, the pastor must be a guide, enabling the believer to reach the Bridegroom...He must ignite a love for the Bridegroom in the hearts of the believers, so that after hearing one of his sermons, the congregation should not say, “How beautifully he has preached,” but “How wonderful Jesus is!”...Remaining attached to the pastor and not passing through him to the Savior, about whom he preaches, can be a deadly danger for the believer."...