The Parables of Jesus – Part 2, New Cloth and New Wine The parables of the new cloth and new wine are actually found in three of the Gospels, Matthew 9:16,17, Mark 2:21,22 and Luke 5:36-39. The verses that precede them establishing the context are essentially the same in each occurrence. I’m going to use Matthew’s account, then look at the one in Luke that includes an additional remark made by Jesus at the end of the parable that isn’t found in Matthew or Mark. First, let’s establish the context. And let me remind you that it is always a good idea in dealing with the Scriptures to establish what comes before or after a passage to help in understanding the intent or meaning of the passage. This is what is meant by 'context'.

Matthew 9:14-15 establishes the context of Jesus’ parables of the new cloth and the new wine. This is what it says. 'Then the disciples of John (the Baptist) came to Jesus asking, why is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t? Then Jesus answered, Can the wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is still with them?

The time will come when the bridegroom is taken away, then they will fast.' I said earlier that the verses preceding these parables are essentially the same. There is, however, a slight difference. In Matthew’s account, the disciples of John ask Jesus the question seen above and include the Pharisees in their query; in Mark, it appears the disciples of John and the Pharisees together come to Jesus with the question; and in Luke, the text suggests the question is part of a conversation Jesus has with the Pharisees, who include the disciples of John. What is clear in all three texts is that both the disciples of John and the Pharisees were involved in this incident and both questioned Jesus. It is further clear that both had compared themselves to Jesus’ disciples and had come to the inescapable conclusion that Jesus’ disciples were just not measuring up to the high standards of their religion. They had recognized the fact that Jesus and His disciples didn’t do the things they did to put their self-righteousness on public display (see what Jesus had to say about such activity in Matthew 6:1-18).

New Wine in Old Wineskins. He told them this parable: 'No one tears a patch from a new garment. Winemaking and Wineskins. The image of wineskins that Jesus uses. What is the meaning of the parables of fasting at the wedding feast. And the wineskins? In the first parable, if you put a new patch on an old garment. New Wine into Old Wineskins is a parable of Jesus. So that using new cloth to patch older clothing would result in a tear as it began to shrink.

The Parables of Jesus – Part 2. 'And no one puts a patch of unfinished cloth on an old. The parable of the new wineskins follows in Matthew 9:17.

What we have to notice in this is that the disciples of John had apparently come under the influence of the Pharisee’s religious rules in the absence of John’s leadership, as he had, by now, been put in prison by Herod as a result of his public insults regarding Herod’s marriage to his sister-in-law, Herodias ( Matthew 14:3-4). They had quickly forgotten the substance of John’s message of repentance and his rejection of religious self-righteousness ( Matthew 3:1-12). Here, the disciples of John join the Pharisees in what amounts to a frivolous attempt to discredit Jesus. The implication is 'we keep the rules and are therefore righteous, so why don’t You and Your disciples keep the rules?' Now I can understand the Pharisees saying this, but I’m disappointed the disciples of John allowed themselves to get caught up in it. Commodore4eva Download Chrome.

This is a great illustration of what can happen to people who start out in a sincere quest to know God, but then get derailed by the pressures to join the religious crowd. Even John the Baptist, after Herod had put him in prison, began to have doubts about Jesus when reports of Jesus’ activities failed to meet his expectations ( Matthew 11:1-6). And now would be an appropriate time to mention what Jesus means in Matthew 5:17 when He says, 'Don’t think that I’ve come to do away with the Law or the Prophets, I’m not here to do away with them but to perform perfect obedience to them'. The key words in this statement are kataluo, translated 'destroy' in many translations, 'do away with', above; and pleroo, usually translated 'fulfill', but in this context means 'to perform'. Microsoft Office 2003 Norwegian Air. If you follow the text in Matthew 5 Jesus continues His sermon pointing out in detail how the Pharisees had perverted the Law with their own rules that, in effect, had nullified the spiritual principles God had established. When you read the rest of this chapter, you find Jesus making the statement 'You’ve heard it said.

But I say' six different times. What He’s really saying is 'The Pharisees say. But God says'. Brought forward to our time, what He's saying is 'religion teaches. But the truth is'.