What Did Jesus Mean When He Told the Parable of the Wineskins?

The Parable of the Wineskins is recorded in three of the gospels: Matthew 9:14-17, Mark 2:18-22, and Luke 5:33-39. For this article, we’ll use Luke as our base of exploration.

“And they said to Him, ‘The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.’ And He was also telling them a parable: ‘No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough’” (Luke 5:33-39).

The context is the same across all three gospel accounts. It begins when Jesus heals a paralyzed man, demonstrating His authority to forgive sins. This event astonishes many and greatly disturbs the Pharisees. Immediately after, Jesus continues His selection of the twelve by calling Levi (Matthew) to leave his job as a tax collector and follow Him.

What Is the Context of This Parable?

Excited for others to meet Jesus, Levi hosts a gathering and invites all his friends and fellow tax collectors. The Pharisees are shocked, grumbling at Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” (Luke 5:30). Jesus replies, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).

The Pharisees have a problem with the people this new rabbi seems to prefer. Why is He choosing fishermen and lowly tax collectors instead of the pious and religious scribes and Pharisees? They go on to question the spiritual depth of these rough men by pointing out that they don’t follow the Jewish traditions of public fasting and prayers. How can they be religious scholars following the teachings of a rabbi with such inappropriate behavior?

And immediately after Jesus relates this cryptic parable about patched cloth and old wineskins, Luke tells us the Pharisees still missed the point Jesus was making, as they accused the disciples of breaking the Sabbath by picking grain to eat as they passed through the fields (Luke 6:1-5).

I’ve always heard that comparing patching an old garment with new cloth and pouring new wine into old wineskins is an analogy for the old covenant, which followed the Mosaic laws, versus the new covenant Jesus established through His blood shed on the cross. And indeed, the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ isn’t something meant to “patch up” our old life of works-righteousness.

But in the context of the controversy about His disciples, perhaps Jesus was making a point about the kind of people who would accept His salvation, especially in light of His concluding remark: “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘the old is good enough’” (Luke 5:39). If the old wine is the old covenant, then this seems to suggest it’s preferable. Is this what Jesus was teaching?

3 Things We Must Do to Accept Jesus' Teaching

In response to the criticisms raised against His disciples, Jesus provides three examples to illustrate the attitude needed to accept His teaching and receive salvation by grace.

1. We Must Know We Are Sick

Jesus welcomed the opportunity Matthew provided by opening his home to all his unsaved friends and coworkers. Matthew was just beginning to understand and believe that Jesus could be the promised Messiah. Yet his first act as a disciple was to invite others who needed to meet Him.

Unlike the outwardly pious Pharisees, Matthew’s friends and tax collectors had no illusions about their spiritual state. They did not claim to be righteous; they knew they were sinners. Jesus compared the Pharisees to sick people who thought they were healthy. Those who accept salvation must recognize their spiritual sickness and be willing to come to the Great Physician. Self-righteous people see no need to repent.

2. We Must Exchange Our Old Garments of Works-Righteousness

The old garment that needed patching was not the good and holy laws of God. Paul tells us, “the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12). It was the self-righteous works that the Pharisees thought would earn their salvation. It was the traditions of men that were followed, while the commandments of God were neglected (Mark 7:1-13).

We cannot keep wearing the clothing of our good works and expect to gain salvation. “All our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isaiah 64:6). God doesn’t merely put a “patch of grace” over our old lives. Instead, we trade our old life for the righteous robe of Christ’s righteousness. When Christ saves us, we “laid aside the old self…and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him” (Colossians 3:9-10).

Isaiah says, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10).

3. We Must Be Vessels Willing to Be Filled

The Pharisees rejected Jesus because they were afraid of losing their status and influence as religious leaders. They “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt” (Luke 18:9). They attributed Jesus’ power to Satan (Matthew 12:24).

First, they tried to trap Him with insincere questions (Matthew 22:15; Luke 11:53-54), and then they planned to kill Him (Matthew 26:3-4). Despite clear evidence that He came from God, performed miracles, and spoke with authority and clarity on the Scriptures they knew so well, they determined to get rid of Him. “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation” (John 11:48).

In contrast, the disciples were uneducated men, not immersed in the outwardly righteous acts and traditions of the Pharisees. Certainly, they had been taught God's laws and the ways of the Jewish faith. However, they were not so tied to the old ways that they couldn't accept the new teachings from Jesus. They were open-minded and eager to learn. Their hearts were stirred as they listened to Him speak and saw the miracles He performed. They were not cynical or skeptical, nor so entrenched in their beliefs that they couldn't consider the truths coming from His mouth.

The Pharisees were like the old wineskins, unable to accept Jesus' teachings and satisfied with the old wine of their traditions and religious works. There was no space in their lives for what Jesus offered, nor did they want to be made new. The disciples, on the other hand, were like the new wineskins, open and ready to receive what Jesus offered, and ultimately to be filled with the new wine of the Holy Spirit.

John MacArthur comments on Jesus’ last statement in Luke 5:39:

“The Lord’s final illustration describes the tragedy of those who reject the gospel of grace and cling to their false system of works-righteousness. Jesus likened such people to those who are content with the old wine they have been drinking, and have no desire to taste the new. ‘No one,’ Jesus said, ‘after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’ False religion deadens the spiritual senses. Far enough into the drinking experience, the drinker does not care about the taste of the wine. It is one of the chief ways that the ‘god of this world [blinds] the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God’ (2 Corinthians 4:4). Like wine drinkers sloshing their familiar drink, people stubbornly cling to their comfortable religious traditions, and have little or no interest in the new, fresh saving truth of the gospel.”

What’s Our Takeaway?

Jesus calls those who know they are spiritually sick and in need of healing from their sinful condition. Jesus calls those who acknowledge their need for His righteousness and are willing to cast aside their robes of worldly good works as well as their evil deeds. Jesus calls those who know they need to be filled and will ask to be made new.

What kind of wineskin are you?

Source
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Luke 1-5, John MacArthur, Moody Publishers, 2009, p. 342.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Rostislav_Sedlacek

Author Sheila Alewine is a pastor’s wife, mother, and grandmother of five. She and her husband lead Around The Corner Ministries, which serves to equip Christ-followers to share the gospel where they live, work and play. She has written seven devotionals including Just Pray: God’s Not Done With You Yet, Grace & Glory: 50 Days in the Purpose & Plan of God, and her newest one, Give Me A Faith Like That, as well as Going Around The Corner, a Bible study for small groups who desire to reach their communities for Christ. Their ministry also offers disciple-making resources like One-To-One Disciple-Making in partnership with Multiplication Ministries. Sheila has a passion for God’s Word and shares what God is teaching her on her blog, The Way of The Word. Connect with her on her blog, Facebook, and Instagram.