Matthew 9:17
Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The surprising emphasis here is on "preserved." Jesus isn't just saying old skins break; He's showing how new wine poured into fresh skins preserves both. This highlights that the newness He brings isn't just a replacement, but a life-giving force that sustains and protects, unlike the destructive incompatibility of old traditions with His fresh work.
Jesus is responding to criticism from John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees about why his followers aren't fasting. He uses the analogy of mending an old garment with new cloth and putting new wine into old wineskins to explain that his new teachings and the joyous presence of the Messiah can't simply be patched onto the old religious systems. This illustration emphasizes that the Kingdom of God represented a radical newness that wouldn't fit within the rigid structures of the established religious practices.
Ever tried to cram something new and exciting into an old, rigid way of thinking? Jesus uses a vivid image to show why this almost never works.
Jesus uses the practical example of winemaking. New wine, full of life and fermentation, needs the flexibility of fresh, supple leather skins. Old, dried-out skins are brittle. They can't expand with the wine's natural pressure, and they will inevitably burst, spilling the precious wine and ruining the skins themselves.
This isn't just about ancient winemaking; it's a powerful metaphor for how we approach new realities, new spiritual insights, or even new people. When we try to force them into old, hardened, inflexible structures (our perspectives, traditions, or expectations), the result is breakage. The 'wine'—the newness, the life, the truth—is lost, and the 'skins'—our old ways of thinking or our established systems—are destroyed in the process.
Jesus doesn't just point out what doesn't work; he shows us the path to preservation. It's all about finding the right fit.
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The key to preservation, Jesus says, is matching the 'new wine' with 'fresh wineskins.' This implies a proactive choice to use materials or frameworks that are suitable for the contents.
When new wine is put into new skins:
This speaks volumes about how God's kingdom and His Spirit work. New life in Christ, the fresh outpouring of the Spirit, the evolving understanding of His Word—these require corresponding openness and adaptability in us. It means embracing new growth, new challenges, and new ways of living out our faith, rather than clinging rigidly to outdated modes that can't sustain the vitality God offers.
Understand the original words
oinos · Greek Noun
Wine symbolizes vitality, the joy of the Messianic age, and the transformative power of the Spirit. New wine represents the radical, expansive nature of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God that cannot be contained within the rigid structures of legalism.
askos · Greek Noun
Wineskins were animal skins used to hold wine; they symbolize the forms, traditions, or structures that contain religious life. Old skins, having lost their elasticity, represent the inability of the old religious establishment to accommodate the life and movement of the Gospel.
This parable powerfully illustrates the radical newness of Jesus' message and the Kingdom of God. It wasn't meant to be patched onto the brittle, old religious systems of the Pharisees or even John the Baptist's disciples, but required entirely new ways of living and thinking, preserved by God's own Spirit.
c. 2nd century BC - 1st century AD
Widespread Use of Animal Skin Wineskins
In the ancient Near East, pliable animal skins (like goat or sheep) were commonly used to store and transport wine. These 'bottles' were often made by sewing together parts of the animal's hide, leaving the hair side inward. With age and use, these skins became brittle and prone to cracking.
c. 27 BC - AD 6
Life and Ministry of John the Baptist
John the Baptist, a figure of austere piety, called people to repentance and prepared the way for the Messiah. His disciples observed rigorous fasting practices, reflecting his ascetic lifestyle and the gravity of his message.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Galilean Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry, gathering disciples and teaching a message of God's kingdom. His approach is often characterized by joy and celebration, contrasting with the fasting traditions of John's disciples and the Pharisees.
c. AD 28— this verse
Jesus' Disciples Questioned About Fasting
Disciples of John and Pharisees approach Jesus' disciples, questioning why they don't fast like them. This leads Jesus to explain the inappropriateness of imposing his new, joyous message and discipleship on the rigid, old religious frameworks.
c. AD 30
Pentecost and the Coming of the Holy Spirit
After Jesus' ascension, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon his followers at Pentecost. This event marks a new era of spiritual empowerment, symbolized by the 'new wine' of the Spirit, which requires a new 'wineskin' of transformed lives and community.
This passage is the parallel account in Mark's Gospel, which also uses the metaphor of new wine and old wineskins to explain why Jesus' disciples didn't fast like the Pharisees and John's disciples. It emphasizes the incompatibility of new spiritual realities with old religious systems.
Luke 5:37-38Luke's version of this teaching includes the additional point that 'No one drinks old wine and immediately wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’' This highlights the natural human tendency to prefer the familiar, even when the new is superior, and the challenge of introducing radical change.
Galatians 3:25Paul speaks about how faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. This connects to the idea that the new covenant in Christ (the new wine) cannot be contained or harmonized with the old covenant system (the old wineskins) because they represent fundamentally different relationships with God.
Hebrews 8:13This verse explicitly states that by calling the new covenant 'new,' Christ makes the first covenant obsolete. This directly supports the analogy, showing that the 'new wine' of the new covenant inherently cannot fit into the 'old wineskins' of the former covenant; one makes the other irrelevant.
This passage, which includes the comparison of new cloth on an old garment, offers a complementary metaphor. Both illustrations underscore that new divine realities (Jesus' ministry, the new covenant) cannot be appended to or forced into existing religious structures and expectations without causing destruction.
vincentMatthew 9:17: "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved."
Bottles (ἀσκούς)Rev., rightly, wine-skin,, though our word bottle originally carried the true meaning, being a bottle of leather. In Spanish, bota means a leather bottle, a boot, and a butt. In Spain wine is still brought to market in pig-skins. In the East, goat-skins are commonly used, with the…
barnesMatthew 9:17: "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved."
Neither do men put new wine ... - The third illustration was taken from wine put into bottles. Bottles, in Eastern nations, were made, and are still made, of skins of beasts. Generally the skin was taken entire from a sheep or a goat, and, properly prepared, was filled with wine or water. Such bott…
The surprising emphasis here is on "preserved." Jesus isn't just saying old skins break; He's showing how new wine poured into fresh skins preserves both. This highlights that the newness He brings isn't just a replacement, but a life-giving force that sustains and protects, unlike the destructive incompatibility of old traditions with His fresh work.
Jesus is responding to criticism from John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees about why his followers aren't fasting. He uses the analogy of mending an old garment with new cloth and putting new wine into old wineskins to explain that his new teachings and the joyous presence of the Messiah can't simply be patched onto the old religious systems. This illustration emphasizes that the Kingdom of God represented a radical newness that wouldn't fit within the rigid structures of the established religious practices.
Jesus is responding to criticism from John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees about why his followers aren't fasting. He uses the analogy of mending an old garment with new cloth and putting new wine into old wineskins to explain that his new teachings and the joyous presence of the Messiah can't simply be patched onto the old religious systems. This illustration emphasizes that the Kingdom of God represented a radical newness that wouldn't fit within the rigid structures of the established religious practices.
"Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”" — The surprising emphasis here is on "preserved." Jesus isn't just saying old skins break; He's showing how new wine poured into fresh skins preserves both. This highlights that the newness He brin…
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