In Matthew 9:14–17, Mark 2:18–22, and Luke 5:33–39, questioning voices—John’s disciples (and in Matthew’s account, also the Pharisees)—ask why Jesus’ disciples don’t fast. Jesus replies by comparing his presence to a wedding feast: you don’t mourn or fast while the bridegroom is with you. He then teaches with two images: you don’t patch old garments with new cloth, and you don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. Mark, Matthew, and Luke tell the same basic story with slight differences in wording and emphasis; none of these scenes appears in John’s Gospel.
This passage presses us to see who Jesus is: he is the arrival of something new that calls for new forms. The immediate challenge is blunt—religious piety can become an attempt to preserve the past rather than receive present life. Yet there’s grace here: Jesus’ “no” to old patterns is a “yes” to celebration, healing, and transformation. He doesn’t demean fasting or mourning; he refuses their misuse as shields against change. The weight of the moment is this: either we adapt so the new wine of Christ can expand us, or we risk bursting under our own stubbornness.
Practically today, try one small experiment: instead of defaulting to a religious routine out of obligation, ask, “Is this making me more alive to Jesus or protecting me from him?” If it’s protecting you, trade a ritual for a relational practice—invite someone for a meal, extend forgiveness, or fast in a way that points you toward Christ (not to impress others). Make new room in your life—new wineskins—for the joy and freedom Jesus brings.
Matthew: 9:14-17
When asked why His disciples don't fast, Jesus replies that it's inappropriate while the bridegroom is present, though they will fast when he is taken away. He adds that new teaching cannot simply be patched onto old forms—new cloth ruins an old garment and new wine bursts old wineskins—so the new must have its own fitting structure.
Open VerseMark: 2:18-22
When asked why his disciples don't fast, Jesus replies that wedding guests don't fast while the bridegroom is with them, and he uses that imagery to explain that his presence and message bring a new way of life. He adds that you can't patch an old garment with new cloth or put new wine into old wineskins, illustrating that the new teaching requires new forms and practices.
Open VerseLuke: 5:33-39
Jesus replies that while he is present (like a bridegroom at a wedding) it isn’t a time for fasting, though there will be a time to fast after he is taken away, and he teaches that his new work and teaching cannot simply be forced into old forms—using the metaphors of not patching old garments with new cloth and not putting new wine into old wineskins. He adds that people comfortable with the old often prefer it and resist the new.
Open Verse