Jesus told this parable: "No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is
new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled
and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins,
and so both are preserved." (Mat 9:16–17, Mark 2:21–22, Luk 5:36–39).
When new wine is put into new wine skins, the wine produces gas
and the new wine skins expands (Job 32:19). Since only new skins expands, you can't use old skins for new wine. The same goes for fabric, only new fabric shrinks.
If one fast for the wrong reason or at the wrong occasion (e.g. at weddings),
it would only be done to gain attention and admiration (Mat 9:14–15,
Mark 2:18–20, Luk 5:33–35). It can be compared to pouring new wine into old wine bags or sewing a new patch of unshrunk fabric onto an old, well-washed garment.
However, the main meaning of this parable is that we can't merge the Old Covenant that has the Mosaic Laws, with the New Covenant that Jesus has introduced
(Heb 8:8–13, Jer 31:31–34, Rom 7:6, 2 Cor 3:6), see Jesus and the Law.
We can’t fit Jesus' new life into the old forms. This explains why Jesus didn't start
a reform movement within Judaism. Jesus formed a new institution – the church – that brought together Jews and Gentiles into a whole new body (Eph 2:16).
Jesus reminds us that what is old and stagnant often can't be renewed or reformed. God often looks for new vessels to hold his new work. This reminds us
that the religious establishment of all times doesn't necessarily please Jesus.
Sometimes it is in direct opposition to his work, or at least resisting his work.
No one puts a piece of a new garment on an old one: Patching an old garment
with a piece of a new garment not only disfigures the new garment, but also makes the old garment more tattered than ever, for the new garment must still shrink
and will then tear the old, worn garment to pieces. Equally fatal will be to adapt
Jesus’ principles to the old system. Jesus came to introduce something new,
not to patch up something old. This is what salvation is all about. In doing this,
Jesus doesn't destroy the old (Law), but he fulfills it, just as an acorn is fulfilled
when it grows into an oak. There is a sense in which the acorn is gone,
but its purpose is fulfilled in greatness.
For information on other parables, see Jesus' Parables.
