New wine

Makestraightpaths.com examines the teachings of the religious group variously known as “the Family,” “The Family International,” the “Children of God,” or the “Family of Love,” and evaluates these teachings from a Christian perspective.

This page is one in a series analysing the Family's position towards the Word of God.

New wine, old bottles

Matt 9:14-17

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 “But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 “Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

NASU (See also Mark 2:16-22 and Luke 5:33-39)

Introduction

The parable of the new and old wineskins spawned several expressions with peculiar meaning for Family members.

The term ‘new wine’ refers to the content of the more radical, controversial or shocking official Family publications. It can also be taken to mean the most recently produced publications, the very latest GNs. There are also special meanings for the terms ‘new bottles’ and ‘old bottles,’ expressions taken from the King James translation of the above passage. ‘New bottles’ are Family members who readily receive the most controversial new teachings, without being shocked. By contrast, ‘old bottles’ is a derogatory term for people who find it hard to accept the new teaching. They may be Family members who resist change, or non-Family Christians who reject Family doctrine. No Family member wants to be accused of being an ‘old bottle,’ all want to be ‘new bottles,’ able to receive the ‘new wine.’ Those who are ‘old bottles’ find that the ‘new wine’ will ‘break their bottle,’ that is, they are so shocked by the nature of the teaching that they find it difficult to accept it or put it into practice.

This page takes a look at the parable of the new and old wineskins in order to determine if the Family application is valid. In other words, is it legitimate to apply Jesus’ words about the new and old wineskins to radical or controversial new teachings?

Matthew 9:14

Matt 9:14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” NIV

John the Baptist was in prison (Matt 4:12), but his followers had not abandoned him. They still followed his teaching – in this case, his teaching about fasting. Later, John would send them to Jesus with a pertinent question (Matt 11:2-6) before his execution (Matt ch.14).

On this occasion, John’s followers came to him, apparently on their own initiative with their own question. This was probably a sincere question: the text does not necessarily imply they were criticising Jesus, and Jesus does not rebuke them in reply. It seems they were confused about the contrast between the way John taught them and the way Jesus taught his disciples.

On the subject of fasting, the NET Bible says, “John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.”

Matthew 9:15

Matt 9:15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. NIV

Interestingly, Jesus answered John’s disciples using an expression that would have struck a resonant note with them. Some time before, John himself had referred to Jesus as the “bridegroom” and himself as the “friend of the bridegroom.”

John 3:29 “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. NASU

John’s disciples would have understood that Jesus was referring to himself as the ‘bridegroom,’ although His reference to His own death would have been largely incomprehensible.

John’s disciples asked about fasting, but Jesus replied that it was not proper for his followers to mourn. In other words, Jesus reminded them that the purpose of fasting was to show grief. Fasting was not intended to be an empty ritual, but rather for a purpose, that is, for mourning. However, this was not the time for His disciples to be mourning, as He, the long-promised Messiah, had arrived. He knew, however, that His disciples would indeed mourn after He left them.

Matthew 9:16-17

Matt 9:16 “No-one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” NIV

Jesus then gives a double parable, or two analogies in quick succession. In both cases, the meaning is that the new is incompatible with the old. Jesus vividly contrasts new cloth with an old garment, and new and old wineskins. When someone attempts to force the new into the old, the functionality is destroyed – the clothes are unwearable and the wineskins no longer hold wine.

However, Jesus is not merely speaking generally about new ideas or new plans or new ways of doing things. He is speaking to John’s disciples in response to their question about fasting, and so these parables or analogies must be taken within that context. In fact, all three recounts of this story in the Gospels (Matthew 9:14-17, Mark 2:16-22 and Luke 5:33-39) agree on this point: The analogy of the new and old wineskins constitutes Jesus’ response to John’s disciples’ question about fasting. Therefore, the meaning must be applicable to what Jesus wanted to say to them.

John’s disciples asked about fasting. Jesus gently pointed out that fasting was not necessary for its own sake, but rather it was to be done when someone was in mourning. John’s disciples were probably fasting to show their commitment to John’s message of repentance. However they also grouped themselves together with the Pharisees: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast,” as contrasted with Jesus’ disciples: “but Your disciples do not fast” (Matt 9:14 NASU). The Pharisees fasted, not out of repentance but to fulfil ceremonial traditions. Judaic religious life was filled with many such ceremonies and traditions, some based on Old Testament law, and others originating from rabbinical teaching.

With this parable, Jesus was stating something extremely shocking: the kingdom of God He came to inaugurate would not be operating within the confines of traditional Judaism. Jesus did not come to destroy the law; He said rather He came to fulfil it (Matt 5:17) and to institute the New Covenant in His blood (Matt 26:28). Believers would then have access to God the Father through Jesus (John 14:6), not through adherence to Judaic law and tradition.

The NET Bible says:

The meaning of the saying new wine into new wineskins is that the presence and teaching of Jesus was something new and signaled the passing of the old. It could not be confined within the old religion of Judaism, but involved the inauguration and consummation of the kingdom of God. (NET Bible footnote to Matt 9:17).

Conclusion

The double parable of the new cloth on the old garment and the new and old wineskins means that the kingdom of God under Jesus’ kingship would not be operating within traditional Judaism.

Christians today find themselves in this parable, probably in the time period mentioned by Christ “when the bridegroom has been taken from them.” They take comfort in Him, knowing that the bridegroom will indeed return. In the meantime, they do not attempt to concoct a blend of Judaism and Christianity, neither do they institute new ceremonies or traditions that do not have special significance for the new covenant relationship between Christ and His people.

There are no special meanings for the individual elements in the parables: it is not as though the new patch represents the kingdom of God and the old garment is Judaism. Rather, the parables graphically illustrate the incompatibility of the new with the old, and as Jesus was replying to John’s disciples, He was speaking of the incompatibility of His kingdom with traditional Judaism. Likewise, there are no specific meanings for the new wine, the old wineskins, or the new wineskins. The parables are to be taken as a whole. To assign specific meaning to the “new wine” or the “old garments” is to force meaning into the text that simply is not there.

Therefore, in regards to the Family’s use of the text, it can be seen that ‘new wine’ does not refer to new teaching in general, and cannot mean radical or controversial new teaching given at some future time. The new and old wineskins do not refer to people. They cannot mean people who either receive or reject new ways of doing things. The Family’s use of these terms is not biblically based and therefore carries no weight of authority.

Further study (external sites)

Why Jesus Doesn’t Conform to Man’s Expectations or Why Does Jesus Feast when Others Fast? by Bob Deffinbaugh

Matthew 9 by David Guzik

Receiving the Sinner/ Refusing the Righteous by John MacArthur

When the Bridegroom Is Taken Away, They Will Fast—With New Wineskins by John Piper

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