10-06-2025, 02:20 PM
One day, John’s disciples came to Jesus with a sincere question.
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?” (Matthew 9:14)
They couldn’t understand why Jesus’ followers didn’t follow the same religious rules. To them, fasting was a serious act of devotion - something every “holy” person should do.
But Jesus answered:
“Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?”
He was talking about Himself - the Bridegroom.
He was saying: “Why should my friends fast when I’m right here with them? This is not a time for mourning - it’s a time for joy.”
Then Jesus added something deeper - two short parables:
1. “No one puts a new patch on an old garment.”
2. “No one pours new wine into old wineskins.” (Matthew 9:16-17)
At first, it sounds like He changed the topic. But He didn’t. He was explaining why His way of life couldn’t fit into the old religious system.
The Old Garment and the New Patch
An old cloth is already stretched and weak. If you sew a new piece of cloth on it, the first time you wash it, the new patch will shrink and tear the old cloth even more.
Jesus was saying:
“I didn’t come to patch up the old ways. I came to make something completely new.”
You can’t take a little bit of Jesus and stick Him onto your old lifestyle or religious mindset. It won’t work - it’ll tear apart.
You either stay old, or you become new. There’s no in-between.
The New Wine and the Old Wineskin
In Bible times, people used animal skins to store wine. When the wine was new, it was still fermenting and releasing gas, so the skin had to be new and flexible.
If you poured it into an old, dry wineskin, it would burst. Both the wine and the skin would be lost.
The new wine represents the life and Spirit of God.
The old wineskin represents old traditions, mindsets, and self-made religion.
Jesus was saying:
“My message - this new life of the Spirit, can’t fit into your old, rigid systems.”
You can’t experience God’s power while holding onto the old ways of fear, guilt, or routine religion. The Holy Spirit needs a new heart — soft, teachable, and ready to stretch.
? Why Jesus Said “The Old Wine Is Better” (Luke 5:39)
“And no one, after drinking old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
This part shows how human nature resists change.
People who’ve been drinking old wine - those used to old traditions and systems — rarely want new wine right away.
The old feels familiar. It’s what they know.
Spiritually, it means many prefer their old religious comfort zone over the new move of God.
It’s easier to follow rules than to let the Holy Spirit transform your heart.
Jesus was gently warning us:
“Don’t let your love for the old make you blind to what God is doing now.”
The Pharisees and even John’s disciples thought they were protecting tradition — but in truth, they were resisting transformation.
Sometimes the hardest part of walking with God isn’t learning new things — it’s unlearning the old ones.
But once you taste the new wine of His Spirit, you’ll never want to go back.
“Behold, I make all things new.” — Revelation 21:5
So the question is:
Are you still holding onto an old wineskin — or have you become new inside?
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?” (Matthew 9:14)
They couldn’t understand why Jesus’ followers didn’t follow the same religious rules. To them, fasting was a serious act of devotion - something every “holy” person should do.
But Jesus answered:
“Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?”
He was talking about Himself - the Bridegroom.
He was saying: “Why should my friends fast when I’m right here with them? This is not a time for mourning - it’s a time for joy.”
Then Jesus added something deeper - two short parables:
1. “No one puts a new patch on an old garment.”
2. “No one pours new wine into old wineskins.” (Matthew 9:16-17)
At first, it sounds like He changed the topic. But He didn’t. He was explaining why His way of life couldn’t fit into the old religious system.
The Old Garment and the New Patch
An old cloth is already stretched and weak. If you sew a new piece of cloth on it, the first time you wash it, the new patch will shrink and tear the old cloth even more.
Jesus was saying:
“I didn’t come to patch up the old ways. I came to make something completely new.”
You can’t take a little bit of Jesus and stick Him onto your old lifestyle or religious mindset. It won’t work - it’ll tear apart.
You either stay old, or you become new. There’s no in-between.
The New Wine and the Old Wineskin
In Bible times, people used animal skins to store wine. When the wine was new, it was still fermenting and releasing gas, so the skin had to be new and flexible.
If you poured it into an old, dry wineskin, it would burst. Both the wine and the skin would be lost.
The new wine represents the life and Spirit of God.
The old wineskin represents old traditions, mindsets, and self-made religion.
Jesus was saying:
“My message - this new life of the Spirit, can’t fit into your old, rigid systems.”
You can’t experience God’s power while holding onto the old ways of fear, guilt, or routine religion. The Holy Spirit needs a new heart — soft, teachable, and ready to stretch.
? Why Jesus Said “The Old Wine Is Better” (Luke 5:39)
“And no one, after drinking old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
This part shows how human nature resists change.
People who’ve been drinking old wine - those used to old traditions and systems — rarely want new wine right away.
The old feels familiar. It’s what they know.
Spiritually, it means many prefer their old religious comfort zone over the new move of God.
It’s easier to follow rules than to let the Holy Spirit transform your heart.
Jesus was gently warning us:
“Don’t let your love for the old make you blind to what God is doing now.”
The Pharisees and even John’s disciples thought they were protecting tradition — but in truth, they were resisting transformation.
Sometimes the hardest part of walking with God isn’t learning new things — it’s unlearning the old ones.
But once you taste the new wine of His Spirit, you’ll never want to go back.
“Behold, I make all things new.” — Revelation 21:5
So the question is:
Are you still holding onto an old wineskin — or have you become new inside?