Luke 5:37-38
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This parable highlights how new wine actively ferments and expands, which is why it needs pliable, new skins. Old skins, already brittle and stretched, would actually be destroyed by this energetic process, causing both the wine and the skins to be lost.
Jesus has just called Levi (Matthew), a tax collector, to follow him, and then hosted a large meal for other tax collectors and sinners. This caused the Pharisees and their scribes to grumble and question Jesus' disciples about why he eats and drinks with such people, contrasting it with the fasting practices of John the Baptist's disciples and their own. Jesus responds by explaining that his presence is like a wedding celebration, making fasting inappropriate for now, but that times of mourning will come.
Jesus uses a vivid image to explain why his mission is so revolutionary. It's not just a tweak to the old system; it's something entirely new.
Jesus compares himself to new wine and the existing religious structures (represented by old wineskins) to something that cannot contain it. Ancient wineskins, often made from animal hides, would become dry, brittle, and cracked with age. They could hold wine that was stable, but the fermentation and expansion of new wine would inevitably cause them to burst.
This wasn't just about a messy accident; it was about incompatibility. The old ways, rigid and set in their traditions, couldn't handle the dynamic, transformative power of Jesus' message and presence. To try and force the new into the old would destroy both: the wine would be lost, and the skins ruined.
Why did Jesus choose fishermen and tax collectors to be his first followers, rather than the religious elite?
Jesus wasn't looking for people already steeped in the traditions of the Pharisees or scribes, whose 'old wineskins' were too brittle. Instead, he sought out individuals who were open, teachable, and ready for something completely different. His disciples, like Levi the tax collector, were called to leave their old lives behind and embrace a radical new way of following God.
These 'new wineskins' represented fresh hearts and minds, unburdened by rigid interpretations of the Law. They were capable of containing and spreading the dynamic life of the Gospel. It was about entrusting his fresh, powerful teaching to people who could receive it with genuine openness and pass it on without distortion.
Understand the original words
oinos · Greek Noun
The product of the grape, often used in Scripture to symbolize joy, the Holy Spirit, the life of the new covenant, or the transformative power of God's kingdom.
askos · Greek Noun
A container made of animal hide used to store fermented liquids; metaphorically represents the institutional or religious structures required to hold the dynamic power of the Gospel.
kainos · Greek Adjective
That which has just come into existence or has been recently introduced, often signifying the restoration of God’s covenantal relationship through Christ, which is superior to the old order.
This passage appears in Matthew's Gospel and uses the same imagery of new wine and old wineskins, directly linking it to the newness of Jesus' teaching and the need for new vessels to contain it. It reinforces the idea that Jesus' ministry couldn't be contained within the old religious structures.
Mark 2:22Mark's account also presents this teaching, emphasizing the irreplaceable nature of the wineskins. This highlights that attempts to blend the old religious practices with Jesus' new teachings would lead to the destruction of both, not a synthesis.
Galatians 5:1Paul speaks of standing fast in the liberty Christ has given, warning against being again yoked with the yoke of bondage. This connects to the idea that the 'new wine' of the Gospel freedom cannot be poured into the 'old wineskins' of legalistic or ritualistic observance without breaking them.
Romans 6:4This verse talks about being buried with Christ through baptism into death and raised to walk in newness of life. It illustrates the concept of 'newness' that requires a complete transformation, much like new wine needs new, pliable skins, not old, brittle ones.
clarkeLuke 5:37: "And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish."
The new wine will burst the bottles - These old bottles would not be able to stand the fermentation of the new wine, as the old sewing would be apt to give way. It is scarcely necessary to remark, that the eastern bottles are made of skins; generally those of goats.
vincentLuke 5:37: "And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish."
Bottles (ἀσκοὺς)Rev., wine-skins. See on Matthew 9:17.
This parable highlights how new wine actively ferments and expands, which is why it needs pliable, new skins. Old skins, already brittle and stretched, would actually be destroyed by this energetic process, causing both the wine and the skins to be lost.
Jesus has just called Levi (Matthew), a tax collector, to follow him, and then hosted a large meal for other tax collectors and sinners. This caused the Pharisees and their scribes to grumble and question Jesus' disciples about why he eats and drinks with such people, contrasting it with the fasting practices of John the Baptist's disciples and their own. Jesus responds by explaining that his presence is like a wedding celebration, making fasting inappropriate for now, but that times of mourning will come.
Jesus has just called Levi (Matthew), a tax collector, to follow him, and then hosted a large meal for other tax collectors and sinners. This caused the Pharisees and their scribes to grumble and question Jesus' disciples about why he eats and drinks with such people, contrasting it with the fasting practices of John the Baptist's disciples and their own. Jesus responds by explaining that his presence is like a wedding celebration, making fasting inappropriate for now, but that times of mourning will come.
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"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins." — This parable highlights how new wine actively ferments and expands, which is why it needs pliable, new skins. Old skins, already brittle and stretched, would actually be destroyed by this energet…
