Day 16: Harvest Styles (Luke 5:37)

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. (Luke 5:37 NASB) 

When the grapes are ripened, they must be gathered in order for them to become wine. Left in the field, they will either rot or dry up. You might end up with raisins, but you won't get wine that way. Harvesting is essential and not optional. 

There are all kinds of harvesting styles. Some people want to pick as many grapes as possible, as quickly as possible, and pile their gathering basket as high as possible. There is the benefit of gathering many grapes, but the risk of crushing the tender grapes under the weight of the pile. Remember, the grapes will be crushed, but the field is not the place for the crushing. It is essential to protect those young "fresh-picked" grapes so that they can become the rich wine that the vineyard owner planned. 

Some harvest workers only want to pick certain grapes. I overheard a church member talking to a person in another denomination. "Are you still feeding those homeless people?" To the affirmative reply, she answered, "Good, because we don't want them at our church!"  It broke my heart. I thought Jesus wanted homeless people there with us, too! In fact, I'm pretty sure He does!

What we need to understand as the body of Christ is that we are called to be laborers in the harvest. We are called to gather ALL the harvest, not just those who are most to our liking. As laborers, we are to respond with the love of Christ to every person He brings into our life and we are to protect and nurture them so that they can become the mature believer Christ intends. 

Pray today that we can see our loved ones and their friends through the eyes of Christ. Pray that we will respond with the love of Christ in such a way that both our loved ones and those in their circle of influence will be drawn to Him. 

Battle of the Grapes (Luke 5:37)

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. (Luke 5:37 NASB)

A vineyard just before harvest is a beautiful place. The aroma is sweet and rich, the colors varied and bright. On the surface, it seems peaceful and idyllic, but there is a battle for the grapes that requires a closer look.  Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that specifically attacks grapes and causes botrytis bunch rot. As you can surmise from the name, the fungus causes the bunches of grapes to rot, making them a total loss. This particular fungus is almost always on the fruit while on the vine, but it cannot infect the fruit unless the fruit is damaged in some way. A myriad of factors, from insects to a worker bumping the fruit, can cause a small wound. That is all the opportunity the fungus needs to accomplish its mission. It enters the grape, infects the grape, infects the grape, and destroys the grape. Once infected, that grape is a total loss. Once that first grape is infected, the entire bunch will soon become a total loss, as well. 

That sounds familiar, doesn't it?  1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (NASB) The enemy of our soul is just as tenacious as the Botrytis fungus. He, too, hangs about looking for the slightest opportunity to invade, and he is intent on destruction. If he cannot steal the eternal life of the one he attacks, he will steal the joy, hope, and effectiveness of witness. Any destruction will do. 

It is impossible to go through life without an injury of some sort. Our loved ones may have experienced the pain of rejection or betrayal by someone close to them, angry and hurtful words from a loved one, or the damage that can come from their own foolish choices. Regardless of the hurt, it can be used by the enemy of our soul as an opportunity to attack and, if possible, steal their faith from them. There is nothing the enemy can do, however, that our Lord cannot heal. 

Pray today that the damage of the evil one in the lives of our loved ones will be limited and that they will eagerly submit to the loving, healing ministrations of the Great Physician. Pray that healing will come and joy, hope, and faith will be restored. 

Part 3: Variations (Luke 5:37)

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. (Luke 5:37 NASB)

The people of Jesus' day understood the parable intimately because they had either seen wine being made or participated in the making of it. Understanding a little of the process brings fresh light to the words of Jesus, so we are going to spend some time learning about making wine. 

Of course the first ingredient in making wine is grapes, and the variety of grapes have a great deal to do with the flavor and quality of the wine that is produced. In the United States, the name of the wine indicates the type of grape used. For example Chardonnay wine is wine made from a Chardonnay grape. In this country, a wine can be blended with up to 25% of a different variety of grape and still retain it's name. In Europe, however, the name of the wine indicates the region and type of soil where it is grown. 

You may be asking what this has to do with a morning devotion, but it's more pertinent than you might think. The different varieties of grapes produce different types of wine. Red grapes make red wine, white grapes make white wine. The different red or white grapes also make a variation in the types of wine. For example, Zinfandel and Merlot wines both come from red grapes, but the character and color of the wines are vastly different. The location where the grapes are grown (weather, soil) also influence the ultimate outcome of the wine. 

There are different colors, different varieties, different countries of origin but all the grapes can be used to make wine. In that same way, all the different colors, varieties, and nationalities of people may have churches that are vastly different in flavor, but still serve the same Lord. The experience in an African church may be very different from a church in rural Mississippi, but neither of them are any less the body of Christ. Worship styles should not be a point of division, but simply a matter of preference. 

When Jesus talked about the wine in this passage, His only distinction was based on maturity of the wine and nothing else. Perhaps we would do well to see the body of Christ in this way, too. We learned it as children, but it's worth reviewing. 

"Red and yellow, black and white, Jesus loves the little children of the world."

He loves the adults, too, and so should we. 

Today, pray for the eyes of our heart to look for the commonality of Christ in others rather than our differences.  Pray, too, that our loved ones would be drawn to the style of worship that best draws them to Christ, even if it is different from our own.