“No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 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.” Matthew 9:16-17
“No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 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. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.” Luke 5:36-39
My Summary & Reflection
In this parable, Jesus is advising against trying to add on something entirely new, to something that is old and worn. He says that a person shouldn’t attach a new piece of cloth to an old garment because it will only cause the tear to be made worse. Similarly, he says that a person shouldn’t put new wine into old bottles because the bottles will break and the wine will run out. Also, in Luke, Jesus says that no one who having drunk old wine, appreciates the new because he thinks that the old is better.
To understand this parable, it is helpful to have some context. Jesus told this parable after receiving criticism from the Pharisees, who were religious leaders in his time, as well as from the disciples of John the Baptist. They wanted to know why Jesus would dine and spend time with sinners. They also wanted to know why the disciples of Jesus did not fast, as did the Pharisees and the disciples of John. Jesus then shares this parable. In it, I believe Jesus was comparing himself to the new cloth and to the new wine, with the old cloth and the old wine, being the religious traditions of the day.
Have you ever heard the expression, cut from a different cloth? That, I think, is what Jesus is saying that he is. He is something new, something that the people haven’t seen before. He’s not John the Baptist nor is he Moses, he is something new and he has a new message for a new generation. As Jesus says when asked about dining with sinners, “they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” He is identifying himself as the healer for the sin-sick soul. He and his message are not an easy add on to the existing traditions, but are in fact something completely new. Jesus, through his life and teachings, created not just an add on to the religion of the day but created a new religion.
He also compares himself to the new wine. In Luke, he also says that the new wine, after having just consumed the old, is generally not appreciated. Similarly, the new message that Jesus was delivering was also not easily appreciated by the religious of the day. If they still have the taste of the old wine on their tongue, it may take some time to find the flavor and appreciate the new. Similarly, if you have studied and believe in an old tradition, anything new or different will seem odd and jarring at first. It is only after a time, that you may come to appreciate what is beautiful about that which is new and different.
Your Reflection
- How difficult do you find it to change, to give up old habits and traditions?
- Have you tried just adding on Christianity to your existing lifestyle? If so, what was the result?