Reflections in Luke

This week i have had the privilege and joy of true fellowship with someone who has received from God a new hunger for His Word. Often we think of fellowship as the time of social interaction around the coffee pot after a church service. In truth I believe it is a  rare experience when two, or occasionally more people sit together sharing their hearts in mutually edification- a goal expressed by Paul in Romans 1:11-12 "For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you- that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine." This involves prayer, getting in the Word, and mutual trust.
   We have been looking at Luke 5 which this person has been reading. A question was raised about the meaning of old and new garments, and the wine skins at the end of the chapter. I offered several ideas about what to do with unclear passages. First and foremost to ask the Holy Spirit for revelation per John 14:26, 16:13, and 1 Corinthians 2:10-13. Second to see if there are other parallel passages which may offer missing details. We found Matthew 9:14ff which adds an OT quote (Hosea 6:6) "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." Also we found Luke 22:20 which, unique among the gospel accounts of the Lord's Supper says, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." From these clues we interpret the new wineskins as the New Covenant, which Jesus is bringing to replace the Old.
     Earlier in the chapter we examined the healing of a paralyzed man, noting the actions produced by the faith of those who brought the man to Jesus. They came to Him, were not deterred by the crowd, came up with a solution of how to get the man into the presence of Jesus, and disrupted the meeting in their zeal. This is what Jesus called faith. "And when He saw their faith..." ( Luke 5:20) When the man was healed he immediately glorified God as did the whole assembly. How often do we give testimony when God has done something in our lives? Or do we just think it was circumstance or our own effort and fail to give Him the glory that He alone deserves?