ESOCS Devotional 14 February 2026 – The New Wine
MEMORY VERSE: “No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.” Luke 5:39 KJV
TEXT: LUKE 5:27-END
After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees [e]complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
33 Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”
34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”
36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “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. 37 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. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is [j]better.’ ”
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
Human tendency prefers the familiar and resist change or new ideas, even if they are better. The old wine represents established ways or traditions, while the new wine represents the new covenant and teachings of Jesus, which are not compatible with the old religious systems and traditions of the people. Again, that’s how it is in the church. Jesus had come with a radical new Gospel: empowerment of those on the margins of society, healing the sick, experiencing the fatherhood of God on a daily basis, mending broken hearts, forgiving others. His critique is that the man-made rules of the Pharisees was getting in the way of that with outward displays of piety that didn’t indicate an inward change of heart.
Jesus is calling us to examine our own lives and think about how we relate to God and the Christian faith on a daily basis. For many people, it seems that the Christian faith and church activity are some sort of add-on to a lifestyle that remains fundamentally unchanged. Many people say that they are Christians but without ever really allowing the Gospel message and the Holy Spirit to transform how they behave, what they say, how they relate to others, and how they prioritize their lives. Being a Christian is not defined by coming to a building once a week or singing some hymns, or listening to a sermon, or being involved in a church group. Being a Christian is defined by living in a relationship with God: a transformative relationship in which we submit ourselves to His Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to change us as people, so that we can live out our calling as children of God.
Being a Christian is about submitting to God in every aspect of our being. We don’t always get it right, and we are on a journey into wholeness and holiness. But the intent should be there within us to submit to the power of God at work in our lives.
Reflect on your own spiritual life today, work on your attitudes, recognize that Jesus is always bringing something new, and sometimes this newness requires us to let go of the comfortable, even if it feels “good”. Be willing to surrender your prejudices and expectations to God’s careful hand, allowing Him to fill you with new hope, power, and freedom.
Reflections
- Are you still clinging to your old habits, neglecting the grace of transformation?
Prayer
- Lord Jesus, fill my cup with your new wine.
Further Reading: Isaiah 63:1-6; Jeremiah 10:1-14; 1 Corinthians 4:1-13.
ESOCS Devotional 14 February 2026
