Parables of Jesus
New Wine into Old Wineskins
Various
Read: Matthew 9:16-17 Mark 2:21-22 Luke 5:37-39
SeeNew Wine into Old Wineskins is a parable of Jesus that follows the recruitment of Levi as a disciple, and appears to be part of a discussion at a banquet held by him. He stated that "No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old..." and "no man putteth new wine into old bottles."
The two parables relate to the relationship between Jesus' teaching and traditional Judaism. According to some interpretations, Jesus was pitting his own, new way against the old way of the Pharisees and their scribes. This was part of the larger answer Christ is making to the Pharisees about the fact his disciples did not fast twice a week. In the first part of the answer, he illustrates through a marriage, at which it would be ridiculous to fast during the event when you are with the groom. Christ is the groom, so his disciples cannot fast, but only rejoice. It is also suggested that the mentality and oral tradition left by the Pharisees is not in accord with the proper teachings of the law, as Jesus was preaching.
Others see in Luke's version that Christianity has roots in Jewish antiquity, but that Jesus has brought something new that is beyond the rituals and traditions of official Judaism.The metaphors in the two parables were drawn from everyday life at the time. New cloth had not yet shrunk, so that using new cloth to patch older clothing would result in a tear as it began to shrink. Also, old wineskins had already been stretched to the limit and become brittle since wine had fermented inside them. If they were used again there, was a risk they would burst.
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"New Wine into Old Wineskins"
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