No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,
for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.
The teachings of Jesus could not be viewed as something that merely patched a hole in the Old Testament. Such an application would be to miss the point of his teaching about the necessity of faith, and the importance of the centrality of Jesus himself. Further, it would only make the shortcomings and inadequacies of the Old Testament all the more apparent. Jesus was not merely a patch for an old cloak to rehabilitate it for another few years. He was himself a whole new outfit. Therefore Paul wrote, "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh" (see Romans 13:14). These are the robes washed white in the blood of the lamb (see Romans 7:14) that will not wear out, but will rather allow us to come without spot or blemish or any such thing (see Ephesians 5:27) into the wedding feast (see Matthew 22:11-12).
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
The disciples of John demonstrated that they did not yet understand the importance of the centrality of Jesus. They knew John the Baptist was preparing the way for someone greater than he, perhaps Jesus himself. But Jesus did not fit into any of their preexisting conceptions of holiness. Rather, he seemed to fit quite the opposite mold of prejudice. Ought not those zealous for the Lord cut themselves off entirely from the sinners of the world, and fast to the maximal degree to overcome the weakness of their flesh? Such principles, it must be emphatically stated, were entirely appropriate to an Old Testament perspective on righteousness. They were, as it were, the best that could be done at the time, even though it was insufficient and already apparent that it would not be enough. In the presence of Jesus there was a new dynamism that rendered such old ways of thinking obsolete. It was not that fasting would never be appropriate, nor even that there might not be an occasion to avoid the feasting of sinners, but it could now no longer be decided in advance by the strict logic of the law. It could only be determined by letting Jesus himself lead and following him.
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
Jesus himself was the bridegroom, just as the Lord had described himself as the bridegroom of Israel throughout the Old Testament. The fact that the bridegroom himself had entered his own story changed everything, giving it a new context and a new paradigm.
People do not put new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.
We tend to try to fit Jesus into the wineskins of the world. We have a hard time recognizing him as the divine bridegroom. But he has indeed come as bridegroom for the sake of the bride, to clothe her in righteousness by his gift of grace. If we only look to apply Jesus as a patch to the problems of our lives this will solve nothing. He is meant to be for us an entirely new garment. If we try to imagine him as a mere prophet, wise teaching, healing, or any other creature, however spiritual and powerful, he will again and again burst the wineskins with which we've attempted to contain him.
Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.
Jesus comes to offer us new wine, which means life and joy, just as he offered at the wedding feast of Cana as a preview of coming attractions. Those still sober enough to discern it were able to recognize that this wine better than anything previously available. We too must not be drunk with worldly ways of thinking and acting and thereby miss the new wine Jesus makes available. As Paul wrote, "do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit" (see Ephesians 5:18).
The bridegroom has come. The wedding feast draws nigh. Let us make ready for the new life that awaits us, and settle for nothing less than that joyous celebration. We are the remnant awaiting a restoration that is greater than anything we lost. We are the bride who will finally fully discover her reason for being in the bridegroom.
I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel;
they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities,
Plant vineyards and drink the wine,
set out gardens and eat the fruits.
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