WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JULY 05, 2025
TOPIC: THE OLD WINE AND THE NEW WINE
BY T. O. BANSO
“And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5:39 New King James Version).
Relatively, some things get better with age. For instance, all things being equal, the older someone becomes, the wiser and more experienced the person should be in life and his or her field of endeavour. It is often said that you cannot buy experience; you can only gain it.
One of the things that gets better with age is wine. It is said that old wine is better than new in flavor and quality. Jesus Christ quoted this saying or proverb. He said in Luke 5:39, “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better’” (New King James Version).
Jesus’ concern was not really about wine. He spoke a parable after responding to the question of the scribes and the Pharisees: “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” (Luke 5:33 New King James Version). Jesus asked them if they could make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom was with them. He said that the days would come when the bridegroom would be taken away from them and they would fast (verses 34-35).
Jesus then followed up with this parable: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better” (Luke 5:36-39 New King James Version).
By referring to the proverb “The old is better”, Jesus was saying that people believed that the old wine tasted better than the new and, thus, didn’t want to taste the new. In other words, people always like what they are familiar with. Those who are accustomed to the old way don’t eagerly accept the new. Jesus likened the attitude of the scribes and the Pharisees to this.
The enemies of the new move of God could be the protagonists of His previous move. They are used to the old order and will not embrace the new. The new here does not refer to an error being spread as if it is a move of God.
In the Bible, God always talked about the new wine. Throughout the entire Bible, including the New King James Version, American Standard Version, and the New Living Translation, reference is made to the old wine only once. And this is Jesus’ reference to it in Luke 5:39. But the Bible refers many times to the new wine, which, in the Old Testament, is often used to represent earthly prosperity and God’s blessings.
Physically, the old wine is better than the new wine. In the context of this message, Jesus, in Luke 5:39, was alluding to it in a spiritual sense. In the spiritual context, those who preferred the old wine to the new wine were wrong. The scribes and the Pharisees preferred the old wine, which they were used to. The old wine represented the old religious order, while the new wine represented Jesus’ new teachings – the Gospel -and the New Covenant He brought, which the religious leaders rejected.
John 1:11-13 says, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (New King James Version). They were, in a way, saying the old wine was better. They refused to accept His message. They held on to the “established religious practices and traditions of Judaism” (Topical Bible). Jesus came to inaugurate the New Covenant, but the religious leaders held on to the Old Covenant.
God says in Jeremiah 31:31-32, “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord” (New King James Version).
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Mediator of the New Covenant. “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15 New King James Version). But those holding on to the religious practices and traditions of Judaism said the old wine was better. But the Gospel of Jesus is better than the law. The Old Covenant is inferior to the New Covenant. The former prepared the way for the latter. Judaism prepared the way for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The old religious order prepared the way for Jesus’ new way.
Hebrews 8:6 says, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (New King James Version). Also, Hebrews 7:20-22 says, “And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: ‘The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever’’ Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant” (New International Version). The New Covenant is a better covenant established on better promises. Thus, in this case, the new wine is better than the old.
Matthew 9:14-17 says, “Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved’” (New King James Version).
In the passage, John’s disciples, asking the same question that the scribes and the Pharisees had asked, wanted to know why they and the Pharisees fasted often, but Jesus’ disciples did not. Also, Mark 2:18 records that John’s disciples and the Pharisees came to ask the question. Jesus’ statement about the old wine is found only in Luke 5:39, not in any other place in the Bible.
As said earlier, the new wine represents Jesus’ teachings and the New Covenant He brought. Jesus is the author of a better covenant, which He ushered us into with His blood. According to Hebrews 9:17, a testament or covenant is in force only after men are dead; it has no power at all while the testator is still alive. The blood of Jesus is superior to that of animals. Jesus’ teachings are superior to the teachings of Judaism. Under Judaism, the high priest offered the blood of animals to atone for his sins and the people’s sins. But Jesus offered Himself; He gave His life; He shed His blood (Hebrews 9:6-27).
What the law could not do, God did it through Jesus Christ. Romans 8:3-4 says, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (New King James Version).
New wine, new life! Receiving the new wine ushers you into a new life, which the law cannot give. 1 Peter 1:23-24 says, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall” (New International Version).
The Bible says, “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6 New International Version).
The new wine is better than the old wine! What the Gospel of Jesus offers is better than what the law offered, just as the literal wine He miraculously provided at the wedding of Cana in Galilee was described as the good wine. It was better than the wine they had drunk before then (John 2:9-10).
The new wine is better. Stop religion; receive Christ and practise His teachings. Quit the old wine; receive the new wine. Jesus has paid the price. The new wine is free. Isaiah 55:1-2 says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare” (New International Version).
Don’t mix the old wine and the new wine. Faith in Jesus Christ must replace the old religious rituals. Avoid hybridised Christianity, which is not Christianity. Salvation is not by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. New wine must be put in a new wineskin, not in an old wineskin. The new wine is better.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your heart to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There, they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Thank you, Father, for the new wine. Thank you for the New Covenant, a better covenant established on better promises. I will follow the teachings of Jesus and not hold on to old religious rituals. Holy Spirit, help everyone to practise true Christianity, not hybridised Christianity.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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