t that time John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often, but Your disciples do not fast?”  Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:14-17)

When the Lord says sewing "a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment," what does He mean? To understand this, one must consider the words above.

The old garment means the teaching of the Pharisees; the new cloth means the teaching of Christ. The teaching of Christ does not match that of the Pharisees.

Likewise, the old wineskins represent the old man who accepts the teaching of the Pharisees, while the new wineskins mean the new man who accepts the teaching of Christ.

The new wine means the teaching of Christ. That is to say, Christ does not try to fix the old man; instead, He creates a new man and then puts the new teaching into it.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! " (2 Corinthians 5:17) This happens by the power of God.

God does not fix the old man — He creates a new creature. The old does not merely change; it passes away, and all things become new.

Therefore, when a person becomes a new man in Christ, his views, plans, and behavior tend to change. Things he used to like, he no longer likes; instead, he tends to prefer spiritual things.

When he becomes a new man, he begins to worry about the salvation of his parents, brothers, and sisters. This happens not by human effort or striving, but by the power of God. Only that new man can accept the new teaching of Christ.

Are you still an old wineskin? If so, you will not be able to obey or understand the teaching of Christ — the new wine. Only when you become a new wineskin — the "new man" — can you receive and obey it.

Summary: Jesus' parable of old and new wineskins teaches that God does not patch up the "old man" but creates an entirely new creation. Just as new wine cannot be stored in old skins, Christ's teaching cannot enter a person unchanged by Him. When someone is in Christ, they become a new creature — old things pass away and all become new, wholly by God's power, not human effort. Consequently, their views, plans, and behavior change; spiritual things replace former worldly likes, and care for others' salvation arises. Only as "new wineskins" can we accept and obey Christ's teaching. If you are still an old skin, you cannot truly receive the new wine of Christ — but becoming a new man enables you to.

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