Luke 5:33–39

Read the passage.

It’s kind of funny that today I read a post on Crossway called The Son of Man Came Eating and Drinking.

This conversation is a continuation of the one started when the Pharisees and scribes grumble at Jesus for eating and drinking with sinners. He replies with a “Yeah, that’s why I’m here,” so they try to compare Him and His disciples to the practices of others: “John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but yours eat and drink.” The implication is that they eat and drink too much, and are not as holy as those other men’s disciples.

Jesus answers with a statement that probably made no sense to them at the time. He compares Himself with a bridgroom and His disciples as the wedding guests. Weddings were big occasions in the first century, where everyone was expected to eat, drink, and be merry, because it was such a joyous occasion. But Jesus also alludes to the fact that He won’t be present with His disciples forever, referring to His death on the cross.

And then there’s this parable that seems to come out of left field. To be completely honest, I don’t know what to make of it. I’ve heard sermons on it, read articles, and they sounded good at the time, but I can’t figure out what the application is or how it fits into the context. I understand the physical mechanisms described, but I can’t connect them to the spiritual reality that Jesus is actually talking about. (Because that’s what parables do: take an easily understood, earthly story and show how that reflects spiritual matters.)

Your word is true, good, and beautiful even when we don’t understand it.