Good Monday morning (9-03-10),

The Bible records a great feast which was attended by Jesus and His disciples, some tax collectors, and other “sinners.” Amazingly, at this same party was a group of Pharisees and experts in religion who were following Jesus around in order to critique Him and His disciples.

This event was hosted by a man name Levi, to whom Jesus earlier that day had extended an invitation to be one of His disciples by saying, “Follow me.” This man, Levi the tax collector, was hated by pious Jews like the Pharisees mostly because of his occupation and relationship with the despised Romans. Tax collectors were notorious as greedy, unethical snitches.

So when Levi was called into the ministry, he was probably not unfamiliar with the taste of wine and gluttony. Apparently he was also very comfortable around his tax collector friends and other sinners since he had invited them to party with him at his house.

Levi (who later wrote the Gospel of Matthew) fit in well with the other handpicked disciples of Jesus. Among them were rough and ready fishermen, hot-headed Jewish nationalists, tax collectors, doubters and pessimists, they were a group comprised mostly of Galileans; Galileans were known to delight in uprisings and often rebelled against the Roman rule.

As the critical Pharisees watched the crowd, including the disciples, cheerfully stuff themselves with food and drink, they asked Jesus why, “The disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but yours eat and drink?”

Of course, in a round-about way, they really were saying that His disciples were acting like common misfits and were not ministry material at all; they probably couldn’t even quote scripture correctly! “If these guys are going to represent you and spend their days following you around, shouldn’t they stop acting like these sinners and start acting more like our disciples?”

Jesus knew those He had called were pretty rough around the edges, and their lifestyles and routines would eventually have to change. These men only knew God through the old wine of legalism, and that would have to change too. Jesus’ insight into this matter explains why He responded to the question of the Pharisees by saying that, “No one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘the old is good enough.’” Luke 5:39

Jesus was telling the Pharisees that as soon as He had called them out of the world, He was not going to place the strict austerities of religion upon His disciples, lest they suffer undo temptation to immediately reject that call. Rather, Jesus showed them, and us, how to train up converts gradually in the disciplines that are eventually required. If great care is not given, the new believer will consider their old ways of living as better, or even worst yet, they just may develop into religious legalists. As one writer put it, Jesus responded by saying “Let them be accustomed awhile to religious exercises, and then they will abound in them as much as you do: but we must not be too hasty with them.”

It takes time to acquire a taste for the Kingdom’s new wine.

The founding fathers (Apostles) of the Church certainly were required by the Holy Spirit to pray, fast, and spend much time learning God’s word and doctrine. As Jesus put it, “The disciple is not above his master: but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.” Disciples who are thoroughly equipped and perfectly joined with Jesus must eventually fast and pray as He did.

Naturally, Levi and the others didn’t need to raise the roof at parties, fuss and fight among themselves, or swing swords at their enemy’s necks. Yet our wise Master knew His newly gathered followers would crumble away if He’d right off the bat required His level of spiritual maturity from them. He knew at first they would have little enthusiasm in submitting to the rigorous demands the cross would eventually expect of them.

That’s right. Those men initially had little if any appetite for the difficult commitment to prayer and fasting which would one day be required of them. I figure watching the hypocritical Pharisees fast and pray was of little help in provoking their interest in the matter either. Jesus patiently spent the next three years training and developing His followers until they acquired a taste for the new wine.

People mostly don’t like change, instead we often say, “The old is better.” However, when it comes to walking in spiritual power, we must all eventually change. We shouldn’t stay babies forever. There is a season for everything, including seasons of growth. If we want to walk in all the promises and authority God has for us, we must all sooner or later grow up in Him.

Fortunately God is patient and is very unlike most of us who are so eager to establish our own illogical benchmarks of growth upon ourselves and others. As we mature, we must take care not to replace the Pharisees by sitting in our own seat of judgment by declaring to God, “Why do these, your disciples, eat and drink, while I fast and pray?”

It takes us time to adjust our perspectives to that of the Gentle Shepherd. It takes time to acclimate, to familiarize with the new order of things. This is called growing up in Him, when the old is replaced by the new, the life giving priorities of the Holy Spirit. But in God’s time; in His way.

Levi and the other disciples grew in God’s love, which gradually replaced their slavish and inflexible ways. The dry wineskin was eventually transformed by the anointing. They were soon enough able to receive all of the upper-room’s glorious outpouring, as their lives eventually became gentle and flexible because of the patient, regenerating power of God’s Spirit.

I’m glad for the ways of God. What beautiful things a little patience produces.

Wayne Witcher

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 1^st Peter 2:1-3