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New Wine in Old
Wineskins
Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37–38
Introduction
Open the Gospels and you will find Jesus in the middle of a
conversation about fasting at a banquet in Levi’s house. The Lord
has just called a tax collector to follow Him, and the table is full
of people whom the religious elite would never invite. Into that
scene Jesus tells a picture-story about wine and wineskins. With a
few sentences He shows why His kingdom cannot be contained inside
old, rigid containers. He is ushering in the promised new covenant,
and it requires new, Spirit-softened hearts.
Setting the
Parable
Matthew, Mark, and Luke place this teaching alongside the question,
“Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples
do not?” (cf. Matthew 9:14; Mark 2:18; Luke 5:33). Jesus answers
with three images: a wedding feast with the bridegroom present, a
new patch on an old garment, and new wine in old wineskins. The
images build a single truth: the arrival of the Messiah brings a new
era, and the forms that once fit will tear and burst if we try to
force His life into them.
What Wine
and Wineskins Meant to Jesus’ Hearers
In the first century, new wine was poured into fresh goatskin
bottles. As the wine fermented, it expanded. A fresh skins’ fibers
could stretch and flex; a brittle, age-stiffened skin would crack
under that same pressure. Everyone listening knew the outcome. New
wine demands a container with life and give. Jesus is saying: “The
life I bring will expand; it cannot be squeezed into lifeless
forms.”
The Lord’s
Point
Jesus is not tinkering at the edges of religion. He is fulfilling
the prophets—bringing the new covenant written on hearts (Jeremiah
31:31–34), giving a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26), and
serving as Mediator of a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6–13). The “new
wine” is His gospel, His Spirit, His kingdom life. The “wineskins”
are the structures and dispositions that carry that life—hearts,
habits, communities, and expectations. When people try to pour
Jesus’ life into unchanged hearts or use His message to prop up
empty tradition, the result is loss on both sides: the wineskin
bursts and the wine spills. God intends preservation and
increase—wine preserved and wineskins kept (Luke 5:38).
Why Many
Prefer the Old
Luke adds a line that feels painfully honest: “No one after drinking
old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good’” (Luke 5:39).
Familiar paths feel safe. Old habits, inherited traditions, and
long-held assumptions quiet the conscience because they require no
change. Yet the kingdom presses forward. The Bridegroom is present.
The Spirit moves. Those who cling to the familiar can miss the feast
that is set before them.
Marks of a
New-Wineskin Heart
A heart ready for Jesus’ new wine shows certain graces. It stays
tender and teachable under Scripture, eager to understand and obey
all that Christ commands (Ephesians 5:17; Matthew 28:20). It
welcomes the Spirit’s transforming work—putting off the old self and
putting on the new (Ephesians 4:22–24), serving in the new way of
the Spirit (Romans 7:6), and walking as a new creation (2
Corinthians 5:17). It practices joyful discipline—fasting, prayer,
generosity—without turning practices into barriers for others (Mark
2:18–22; Colossians 2:16–17). It shows holy flexibility in methods
while holding the message with both hands (1 Corinthians 9:22;
Colossians 3:17). It prizes grace over reputation, because Jesus
keeps calling unexpected people to the table (Matthew 9:9–13).
Congregational Implications
Churches can become brittle. Schedules, styles, and customs slowly
harden until the smallest change feels like a threat. The gospel
continues to ferment—saving sinners, sanctifying saints, pushing us
into prayerful risk for souls. When a congregation keeps the message
pure and lets the forms remain supple, the wine is preserved and the
skin endures. When forms are elevated above Christ’s mission, the
pressure builds. The Lord is kind to warn us. He invites every
congregation to be a living vessel for His living word.
Personal
Decisions
Many try to stitch a few Christian practices onto an old life: a
Sunday hour, a verse on the wall, a habit or two. The Lord calls for
more—repentance, baptism into His death and resurrection, and daily
surrender to His reign (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4). He pours new wine
when we bring Him a yielded heart. If your soul has grown stiff with
self-reliance, tradition for tradition’s sake, or fear of change,
ask God to soften you. He delights to do it.
Conclusion
At Levi’s table Jesus announced that the long-awaited day had
arrived. He still speaks: the King is here; the kingdom is at hand.
He gives new wine. Offer Him a heart that can receive it—fresh,
yielded, and ready to stretch—and watch His life expand through you.
Exhaustive
Sermon Outline
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Title: New
Wine in Old Wineskins (Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37–38)
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Introduction
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Setting of
the parable
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First-century picture explained
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The
theological center
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New
covenant promised and inaugurated (Jer 31:31–34; Ezek 36:26;
Heb 8)
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Gospel/Spirit/kingdom life as “new wine”; hearts and habits
as “wineskins”
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God aims
for preservation and growth—wine kept, skins kept (Luke
5:38)
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Why the old
feels safer (Luke 5:39)
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Marks of a
new-wineskin heart
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Teachable under Scripture (Eph 5:17)
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Transformed by the Spirit (Rom 7:6; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:22–24)
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Disciplined without weaponizing traditions (Col 2:16–17;
Mark 2:18–22)
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Flexible
methods, fixed message (1 Cor 9:22; Col 3:17)
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Grace
for unexpected guests (Matt 9:9–13)
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Congregational implications
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Personal
decisions
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Conclusion
Call to
Action
Bring your heart to God and ask Him to make it new—soft, teachable,
and ready for the life of Christ. If you need to obey the gospel,
repent and be baptized into Christ today. If you have grown rigid,
confess it, seek renewal in the Spirit, and re-enter the Lord’s
mission with joy.
Scripture
Reference List
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Matthew
9:14–17; Mark 2:18–22; Luke 5:33–39 — Context and wording of the
parable; wedding, patch, wineskins; the added insight that many
prefer the old
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Jeremiah
31:31–34 — Promise of a new covenant written on hearts;
background for Jesus’ “new wine”
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Ezekiel
36:26 — Promise of a new heart and new spirit; the inner change
that can carry the gospel’s life
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Hebrews
8:6–13 — Christ mediates a better covenant; the old becomes
obsolete as the new arrives
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Ephesians
5:17 — Call to understand the Lord’s will; marks of a teachable
heart
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Romans 7:6 —
Serving in the new way of the Spirit; life that expands from
within
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2
Corinthians 5:17 — New creation language; the person who can
carry new wine
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Ephesians
4:22–24 — Putting off the old self and putting on the new;
practical renewal
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Colossians
2:16–17 — Shadows and substance; practices must not eclipse
Christ
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1
Corinthians 9:22 — Holy flexibility to win souls; methods that
stay supple
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Colossians
3:17 — Do all in the name of the Lord; Christ’s authority shapes
our forms
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Matthew
9:9–13 — Jesus calls Levi and eats with sinners; grace at the
table of the King
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Acts 2:38 —
Repentance and baptism; entering the life Christ gives
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Romans 6:3–4
— Burial and resurrection with Christ in baptism; walking in
newness of life
Prepared by David Hersey of the church of Christ at
Granby, MO |
The
church of Christ
