Matthew 9:14-17 14Then the disciples of John came to him saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15And Jesus said to them, “Are the sons of the wedding chamber not able to mourn while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. But if indeed it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into new wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
The challenges to Jesus’ authority as Messiah begin to increase as Matthew’s account progresses. John the Baptist had his own disciples, of whom not all migrated to become Jesus’ disciples. Some of them came to Jesus with a question with an accusatory implication. Apparently, these disciples and the Pharisees shared the common practice of fasting as a sign of their religious commitment.
Jesus’ response gave John’s disciples the opportunity to rethink their question and presuppositions about him. They could choose to access the new message that he brought, and thereby, become part of God’s kingdom, or they could go the route of the Pharisees in the legalistic self-righteousness. The kingdom of God is not about religious practices but about faith and commitment. Fasting is still important, as Jesus taught in 6:16-18, but it should be done behind the scenes as a sign of faith in God and not for others to see. John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting for the wrong reasons and in the wrong ways.
The Messiah was in their midst. Jesus uses three illustrations to challenge John’s disciples to think in new ways and not be stuck in their old legalistic practices. The first image of a wedding feast and the joy of having the bridegroom present implies that this was a time for the people to gather around Jesus and experience his powerful presence because he would soon be gone. This generation was blessed to have the Messiah physically present with them, but sadly, many people missed this blessing.
The second image reminds me of the patches my mother sewed into my pants as a boy. Jeans especially shrink when first washed, so if a patch is sewed into them, then the stitching may stretch. A brand new pair of jeans would be the best option. Jesus brought the newness of God’s kingdom. The old ways would not fit but needed to be replaced by Jesus, who brought the people back to the heart of God’s purposes and cleared up the confusion about how people had misinterpreted those purposes over time.
The last image of wine skins would easily be understood by people of that time who would store their wines in skins as a way of preservation. Wine ferments over time, which means there are gases that expand, requiring some flexibility or venting in their storage. This last image repeats the key idea that Jesus was bringing something new that could not be put into a skin, box, or paradigm of Judaism and its legalistic practices such as fasting. A new day had come, one of joy and freedom, still deeply religious but in the sincere way of faith.
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