Bible
Study
close
Commentary

He taught them many things in parables

The Parable of the Cloth and the Wineskins (Mt 9:16.17)

Published since 08. Sep. 2025
Bible passages:
Mt 9:16.17
Categories:

"No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." (Mt 9:16.17)

The Lord continues the train of thought He had begun with the parable of the “present bridegroom” with a small double parable. The two following images complement each other:

“No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:16-17).

The images as such are clear. If you take a piece of untreated and thus non-shrinkable fabric and sew it tightly to the old, shrunk fabric of a garment to repair a tear, this will only result in a larger tear in the old fabric. The new piece of fabric (literally: "filling piece") will eventually also shrink, that is, become smaller. The old fabric cannot withstand the resulting tension: a new crack appears at the seam.

The second picture is also taken from everyday life at that time, as is the first. In ancient times, sewn-together animal skins were used to store and transport liquids. To avoid any negative effects on flavor, the skins were carefully tanned. Over time, however, the rather misshapen-looking “hoses” became hard and brittle. If new, not yet fully fermented wine were now to be poured into old skins, the gases produced during fermentation would pressurize the brittle container and cause it to burst. The container and its contents would then be lost. New wine could therefore only be put into new containers, whose skins were still elastic enough to absorb the gas pressure.

Change of Households

With the little double parable (cf. Luke 5:36: “But He spoke also a parable unto them”), the Lord Jesus deepens the thought that a change of households was at hand. What is meant by a change of households?

Israel was once under the first covenant – a covenant of works. God wanted to test the people under a law that required corresponding works. He gave His earthly people good commandments, such as none of the nations possessed. But the people broke them as soon as they were given. Thus, the law “for the law made nothing perfect” (Hebrews 7:19,)” (Hebrews 7:19). This was not because of the law – it was holy and righteous and good (Romans 7:12) – but because of the incorrigible wickedness of man.

When Christ came, the end of this epoch, the dispensation of the law, also came with Him. Now that the depravity of man was proven, God wanted to deal with him in unlimited, unconditional grace (and also test him in this way). Even though the necessary foundation for this – the work of atonement of Christ at Calvary – had not yet been laid during His lifetime, the goodness of God turned to tax collectors and sinners even before the cross. They were the special objects of His grace – a grace that would soon transcend the borders of Israel and be extended to all nations. In Christ, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” (Titus 2:11).

The “tax collectors and sinners” were now closer to the kingdom of God than the “Pharisees,” who were blameless under the ceremonial law, despised others, and boasted of their supposed righteousness (Luke 18:9ff). The tax collectors were closer because they acknowledged their wickedness before God, rather than trusting in the flesh. They were the “sick” who needed a physician, and they knew it. Now, to call such sinners to repentance, the Savior of sinners had come – not the strong, who in their self-righteousness did not believe they needed Him. The “strong” relied on the law and thought they could stand before God with it. The tax collectors and sinners, however, resorted to the mercy of God that was offered to them.

Thus, the change from law to grace is already hinted at in the previous passage (Matthew 9:9-13). Without question, the change from the dispensation of the law to the dispensation of grace posed a considerable difficulty for a God-fearing mind. Was it not difficult to realize that God had changed His mind and no longer regarded as the basis of His dealings with man that which had been in force for centuries and had even been instituted by Himself? The answer is that it was never God's intention to reveal Himself fully under the Law in Judaism. Of course, the law had brought a partial revelation of God, but the full revelation of who and what God is could only come through the Son of God. Christ is the image of the invisible God; only He is the perfect expression of His heart and His thoughts.

Incompatibility of Law and Grace

In the two images of our parable, the Lord now shows that it is impossible to mix the principle of grace with the old forms of Judaism. It had to be either law or grace. You could not have both; you could not mix the two. The disciples had to learn that then, and we must learn it today.

The New Patch on the Old Garment

The "old garment" is the Judaism of that time, in the form in which the Pharisees and scribes had brought it through their teachings and practices, their formalism and their false righteousness (Matthew 5:20). Perhaps there were some among the religious leaders who admitted certain shortcomings in their system and were therefore not averse to some improvement or reform. A "new patching" of what Jesus taught and did would not harm their system in their eyes. But the Lord Jesus shows that this is absolutely useless: the new would only tear the old apart even more. It is actually impossible to combine the two systems. You cannot use grace to improve a religious system of Pharisaic character, not even to the slightest extent (cf. "patching"). The external forms or revelations of what Christ brought could not possibly be mixed with the external forms or revelations that characterized Judaism. The "garment" appears to be referring to these external forms or revelations. We must keep in mind that Christianity – or we can also say: the gospel of grace – also produces outwardly visible effects. But this "new garment," which made the effects of grace known, could not possibly be placed on the same level as the legal and sometimes hypocritical forms of Judaism (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16; 23:13ff).

When Christ was on earth, the Jewish system was already like an old, worn-out garment. It was good for nothing more than to be cast away. The attempt to reform it with moral values that Christianity brought would not only, as we have just said, further reveal the corruption of the old system, but it would also corrupt the new one. We will revisit the incompatibility of grace and law in more detail in a moment.

In this context, an interesting difference can be seen between what the Lord says in Matthew about the futility of putting a new patch on an old garment and what He says about it in Luke. While Matthew does not mention the new garment at all – “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment” (Matthew 9:16), Lukesays: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.” (Luke 5:36).

In Matthew, the emphasis is placed on the futility of trying to improve the “old garment,” the Jewish dispensation that was about to disappear, with Christian “patches.” Luke, on the other hand, adds the idea that the "new garment" would also be spoiled if a piece were cut off from it to repair the old one. So if what true Christianity reveals of its essence to the outside world were to be associated with the forms and rites of Judaism – and this has happened in Christianity to this day – then the expressions or revelations that Christianity brings forth would also be destroyed by it. This is what the Lord warns against in the first image.

New Wine in Old Wineskins

The second image expands on the first. There are parallels and contradictions between the two. The old could not be preserved by bringing a small piece of the new into contact with the old. The new could not be preserved by bringing it into contact with the old in its entirety. That is a parallel thought. – The old garment could not be preserved by adding a new patch. The new wine could not be preserved by pouring it into old wineskins. This is a contrasting thought. – What the two images have in common again is the respective climax: by combining the old with the new, both the old and the new are spoiled.

By "new wine," we can understand the truth, the inner strength, and joy of Christianity. The "new wine" could not be contained in the "old wineskins" of the institutions and ceremonies of Judaism. God had tested Israel through the law, but now He sent the gospel of His grace. So it could no longer be about improving the old, but about accepting the new. The new blessing was too great, the failure in the old dispensation too evident. You cannot combine the gospel of grace with Judaism. They are as incompatible as grace and law.

And yet, from the very beginning of Christianity, there has never been a lack of attempts to combine elements of Christianity with elements of Judaism. After all, both were from God, they said to themselves, both the law and grace. Why not combine the best of both systems to create something even better? Well, the Galatians tried it, mixing law with grace, but the Apostle Paul had to rebuke them severely for doing so. Christianity does it today as well.

The result is twofold and pernicious in every way. For one thing, the holy law of God is robbed of its severity and terror by being relegated to a mere expedient for stemming human misconduct. For another, the unconditional grace of God is robbed of its true, beautiful character by the system of works-righteousness by which men seek to earn God's favor.

If one understands the holy demands of God as set forth in the law, they must inevitably be a terror to the unholy man. The law demands righteousness from man without giving him the power to produce it. It relentlessly exposes and condemns his sin without providing him with a means of escape from it. Herein lies the power and benefit of the law, but also its terror (cf. Romans 7:7-13; Galatians 3:10; 1 Timothy 1:8-10).

On the other hand, grace is the most lovely and wonderful thing that can ever happen to a lost sinner. For grace does not demand; it gives. Grace does not deal with man according to what he is but according to what God is. And what is God? Light and love. In His love, He gave the Son to die for us; in His holiness, He punished Him for what we had done.

Now God is righteous when He justifies the one who believes in Jesus (Romans 3:26). Wonderful grace of God! It gives the redeemed a place “in Christ” – a place in the glory of heaven. Having died with Christ, the Christian has also died to the law (Romans 6:8; 7:1-6). But what he lives, he lives to God. As the seal of redemption, he possesses the Holy Spirit, who is also the pledge of his heavenly inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). He possesses all this and much more by pure grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Once one has a little understanding of what the law and what grace are, is it conceivable to mix the two principles without destroying both? Can one imagine a dead religious system like Judaism in those days, and like Christianity today, being associated with the "new wine"? The "old skins of rigid human forms may be suitable for holding the sediment of "old wine"; however, the inherent power of Christianity and its own principles would burst them. When the power of the spirit is present, legal forms only reveal their weakness. Christianity, characterized by human rituals and ceremonies, is actually neither Jewish nor Christian – “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” (Revelation 3:9).

The Predilection for “Old Wine”

How obvious it is that there is a danger of being satisfied with an outward form of godliness without having the inner strength that corresponds to it (2 Timothy 3:5)! Man loves religious forms. He is foolish enough to believe that if he has it, he also has the thing itself. However, if reality is missing, if faith is missing, observing external forms only leads further and further away from Christ. That is the real tragedy. And instead of the grace that leads to repentance, the spirit of legalism and complacency will take hold.

In this context, it is highly remarkable that Luke adds a sentence from the Lord at the end of the parable that is not mentioned by any of the other evangelists: “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ” (Luke 5:39).

The Lord Jesus does not say that the old wine is actually better than the new, but that this is the opinion of men, of the Jews, who rejected the 'new wine' He brought. The revelation of grace, yes, the revelation of Himself, exceeds the comprehension of man to such an extent, is so contrary to his understanding that it only arouses his suspicion and resistance. The sinful nature of man is therefore much more attracted by legal requirements than by what Christ brought. He would rather do something himself than, admitting his powerlessness, accept grace. How vast the multitude of those in Christendom who, after being offered grace in Christ, want to stick to the “old wine,” saying, “The old is better”! That this is the sure way to eternal damnation is not the subject of our parable. Other passages of Scripture show this.

But one more comparison may be drawn in conclusion – the wedding at Cana. There, the Lord performed His first miracle by turning water into wine. “When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” (John 2:9-10).

This event also speaks of two different wines, the “lesser” and the “good.” The “good wine” was the revelation of His wonderful Person; for the account concludes with the words: “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” (John 2:11). And how delightful it is, beloved, whenever the Lord Jesus reveals Himself, whether it be then or now or in the Millennial Kingdom or in eternity – the result is always overflowing joy and perfect glory!

Yes, we know Him now. But one day, and perhaps very soon, He will reveal Himself to us in glory. We will see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). Won't we exclaim in amazement, “You have kept the good wine until now”?

Get in contact
Subscribe to the biblestudy newsletter
Bible
Study
© 2024 thebiblestudy.site