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.” (Matt 9:16–17)
Matthew 9:17, New [Gr. agnaphos] patch…old [Gr. palaios] garment. A brief dive into the Greek words for new and old is instructive and yields some rich treasures that will be lost on most modern persons without a proper explanation.
The word new (as in “new patch”) is the Greek word agnaphos referring to the work of a fuller whose job it was to prepare cloth for garment making by first carding it. So what did a fuller specifically do? The fibers (whether of wool, cotton, flax or some other natural fibrous material) must first be smoothed and aligned by carding with a wire toothed brush thus disentangling the fibers and washed, which prepares the fibers for spinning.
Next, the Greek word for old (as in “old garment”) is palaios meaning “antique, that is, not recent, worn out.” What an apt description of a carnally oriented and spiritually unregenerate person before coming to the Messiah! They are a tangled and uncarded mess spiritually, as well as being old and worn out.
Each of us is like old garments that need patching. In order to receive the new patches of Yeshua’s gospel, our old, carnal man must be carded (disentangled and set in order), washed (baptized) and shrunk in size. That is, we must be divested of our innate pride, humbled and brought down to size at the foot of the cross. Further the carnal and sinful man needs to be shrunk in size and yield to the larger regenerative and transforming power of YHVH’s Spirit. In the next parable of the new and old wineskins, Yeshua alludes to this second work of the Spirit that needs to occur in a new believer after they have been carded. It is only through allowing these processes to occur in our lives that we can qualify to be potential candidates to be the bride of Yeshua (v. 15).
New wine…new wineskins. The analogy of the new wine and new wineskins is similar but different than that of the new patch on the old clothes. Both have to do with regeneration of something that is old, but each parabolic analogy intends a different spiritual truth because each a involves different process that with a different objectives. Sadly the phrase,“New wine into old wineskins…new wine into new wineskins” (the translation as found in most of our English Bibles) is a muddy one a misses the deeper meaning from the Koine Greek, and therefore doesn’t give us the proper understanding of Yeshua’s words. Here is the verse from Matthew 9:17 with the Greek words following in brackets:
Neither do men put new [neos] wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new [neos] wine into new [kainos] bottles, and both are preserved. (KJV
In English, the word new can mean “brand new, never been used before” or it can mean “new to you, although it may have previously belonged to someone else.” It can also mean “renewed, reconditioned new.” In Koine Greek, there are two words for our one word new. They are neos and kainos.
The Greek word neos means “new as in brand new.” The Greek word kainos means “new in the sense that something is renewed or reconditioned,” so it’s not brand new.
Both Mark and Luke in their accounts use kainos in the same way Matthew does in his (Mark 2:22; Luke 5:38).
This verse would have been better translated as:
Neither do men put new [neos] wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new [neos] wine into reconditioned [kainos] bottles, and both are preserved.
Stern captures this meaning in his Complete Jewish Bible where he translates kainos as “freshly prepared wineskins.” J. P. Green in his Bible translates kainos as “fresh.”
Interestingly, Luke adds a statement that the other two Gospel writers (see Matt 9:17 and Mark 2:22) omit:
And no one, having drunk the old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘”The old is better.” (Luke 5:39)
What is the meaning of this? One commentator states that in ancient times, aged wine (i.e., being fully fermented, and thus having a higher alcohol content) was generally preferred over new wine (not fully fermented, thus having a lower alcohol content). He suggests that Yeshua is probably indicating why the religious people were objecting to the joy of Yeshua’s disciples (verse 33): because it was something new (The IVP Bible Background Commentary, p. 203, by Craig Keener). So depending on the context of Yeshua’s usage of the new/old wine analogy, sometimes the new is better, sometimes the old is better.
Also consider this. New wine must be put into newly refurbished leather wineskins. Why is this? Old leather gets dry and cracked like a pair of old leather boots that needs to be oiled occasionally to keep the leather pliable. Similarly, if one is to qualify to be the bride of Yeshua (v. 15), then one must receive the new wine of Yeshua’s teachings, where mercy (i.e., the weightier matters of the Torah [i.e., justice, mercy and faith from Matt 23:23) is more important than sacrifice (i.e., a letter-of-the-law, legalistic obedience to the Torah while missing its heart and spirit). The only way for an old wineskin to be newly refurbished and thus able to contain the new wine is to treated with oil (likely olive oil) to made supple. Similarly, a person (on old wineskin) must be immersed in the Holy Spirit to become the supple or teachably pliable vessel necessary to receive the new wine of Yeshua’s teachings. The evidence that a person has become a newly refurbished wineskin is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in their life. This is something that those who are legalistically bound to a letter-of-the-law obedience religious system will find hard to manifest because of their hard, rigid, exclusivistic, judgmental and unloving view of and demeanor toward others.
Interesting interpretation brother and I can’t argue against it. Hallelu-YAH for your service. I have found a different interpretation to be also as persuading, perhaps more.
Yeshua before He gives this double parable is seated with His disciples at a table of tax collectors and sinners. He is asked by the Pharaseies why He socializes with such people. He, of course, gives the famous reply, “It’s not the healthy who need a phycisian but the sick”. Quoting from memory so if I’m a bit off please forgive me. Anyway, we go on for a little bit and then He gives the double parable, new wine into new or refurbished wineskins and the new patch on a new garment ( can’t get a garment to be refurbished so it shrinks like a new garment.) These parables area actually giving us two personality traits required to be His disciples and which type of teaching can be received in them. First, lets start with the wine and patch. I believe they represent types of teachings. This is pretty self explanatory, new equals new teaching that you have never herd before and old is teaching you have already acquired and enjoy very much. Now for the vessels and garments, these represent character traits or types of people that are able to receive the truth of the gospel and those who cannot. New wine skins are flexible and exspadable, which would be a person who is humble enough to be willing to be taught new understandings and knows there is a billion and one things they do not know or understand while old wine skins are rigid and stiff, which are people who are puffed up with knowledge and pride and think they know everything, sadly therefore, they are no longer teachable. New garments can shrink, which would be a person who is humble enough to be able to let go of what he already thinks is the truth and allow new truth to narrow or focus what they understand as truth. Old garments do not shrink. They would be people who lack the humility to admit what they know may not be true and who will not change their lives for new true teaching when presented with it.
Alright let’s put it all together. The double parable was explaining to the Pharasees why He chose fisherman and tax collectors to be His disciples and not most Pharasees. They, the disciples, were outside the system of religion or the self thought superior dogma of the religious elite. They were humble lay people who had not been completely polluted by corporate religion or denominational dogma. They were humble by being teachable and expadable like new wine skins. When filled with the new wine/ new true teaching they were able to allow that new wine/ new true teaching to sink in and ferment as they meditated on it, and finally held on to it. This would expand their faith understanding. Many Pharasees unfortunately had become puffed up with knowledge and rigid in thought. They had a feeling of supioriorty over the lay person. They loved their seats of honor and they loved their old wine/ old tradition/ old accepted religious dogma. Not only were they unteachable and unable to consider and hold on to the new wine/ new true teaching by a guy like Yeshua, a carpenter from Galilee, but they truly loved and enjoyed their the old wine. I have a friend who absolutely loves being a Lutheran. His family has been Lutheran for generations. They are 100% sold out in love with their dogma and way of doing Church, and will not entertain any new teaching that may go against the Lutheran faith. The Pharisees and my friend’s Lutheran family are essentially saying our old wine is tried and tested over the years and tastes really good to us, so why would I want less strong, less refined, and less flavorful new wine.
The new patch parable also speaks of the character trait humility as being a prerequisite for being a disciple of Yeshua but focuses on a different aspect of it. The disciples would have to be able to shrink themselves and admit that they don’t know everything and also admit what they do know may be wrong and need to be cast aside. They must be able to have their faith narrowed by the truth. The Pharisees where not able to display such humility and could not shrink and do away with their man made traditions and traditional dogmas. They were the elite voice of religion and thought they knew it all. They did not for the most part have the humility to let go of the power.
Anyway, I hope I made sense with this explanation. Have a wonderful Shabbat
Robert
Wow…great insight, which I’ve never heard before, but it makes so much sense! Actually,I like your explanation of the parable better than mine, to be honest. That’s one of the back reasons I have this blog, so I can learn from others who have insights that I haven’t received. What you have here is a real nugget of truth and thanks for sharing it. If you don’t mind, I’ll rewrite it into my own words and begin to share it with others as the opportunity arises. Freely we’ve been given and freely we share. Right? All praise to Yeshua and his Spirit who is the source of the river of life.
Your explanation of the wineskin reminds me of animals who in order to grow have to shed their old skins like snakes, spiders, crabs and so on.
Your explanation and mine illustrate an important point about the Scriptures. They’re deep and expansive. They’re rich like a tapestry with many levels and layers of understanding. They’re like a diamond with many wonderful and beautiful facets. They’re even like a kaleidoscope which when turned yield many glorious pictures. Thanks for helping to illustrate the marvel of YHVH’s word.
Shabbat shalom to all!
I like your comparison with the old garment vs old wine skins, Robert.
However your comparison to what the new wine skins are I find a bit off.
Christ would not fill anyone with the new wine unless repentance through humility exists first.
I therefore believe through scriptural proof and personal experience that the new wine is the anointing baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We need first of all the enlightenment of God through Christ.
This is where it gets touchy, some believe that Christ was grossly butchered for our sins and that his blood cleanses us.
I tend to believe a different way.
Christ broke the curse inflicted upon humanity through the God of this world, Satan.
We can now approach our heavenly father with grace, this is the new Wineskin of our souls/vessels.
Praise YHVH! Absolutely share it with as many as possible! I first learned a version of this understanding of the double parable from FFOZ’s Chronicles of the Messiah. Praise YHVH for their faithful work!
It is so beautiful to me how our Father always paints pictures with words. He is so concrete minded, showing us with pictures – just like little children – what He means. The wise surely will have understanding. Shalom!
I’ve got an interesting thought.
How then can these Wineskin be reconditioned, what could or would you condition it with ?.
When leather becomes dry it’s always rubbed with a penetrating Oil.
I liken the anointing of the Holy Spirit as this spiritual oil.
We need to allow God to rub our souls wholly with this oil before the power of God can dwell as new wine inside us.
What then really is this anointing ?.
2John 2:27 states it clearly.
Christ had to first leave before it could be given to us all and this anointing would teach and comfort us daily.
We therefore need to recondition our spiritual skins/vessel daily.
I’ve seen many spirit filled Christian not applying this anointing oil, they become hard and brittle and just as it says, the wine breaks out, spoiling both them and it.
I am interested in the parable of the new and old wineskins and recently I was wondering if this parable could also be analogous to God replacing the hard heart with a new heart and putting His spirit in a new believer.
New revelation cannot be told to a weak conscience…..
Very interesting explanations concerning the scriptures.