Luke 5:37 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.

NIV: And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.

NASB: And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.

CSB: And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, it will spill, and the skins will be ruined.

NLT: And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.

KJV: And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.

NKJV: And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.

Jesus continues His explanation of how His way of salvation—the new covenant—cannot coexist with the rigid traditions that have crept into the Judaism of the time. He has already explained how their religious traditions can't be "fixed" by just including some of what He teaches (Luke 5:36). Here, Jesus says they cannot practice the deeper truths of His way and maintain the appearance of their way. Christianity cannot be contained within a rigid view of Jewish tradition.

A wineskin was made by taking the hide of a sheep or goat, removing the hair, and treating the hide. The holes in the body were sewn up, and the neck was used as the neck of the bladder. When new wine was put in the skin, it expanded as it fermented, stretching the new hide. If the hide was old, it became brittle and could no longer accommodate the expansion of new wine. The hide would crack, thus ruining it, and the wine would spill out, thus wasting it.

In this symbolism, the old skin is the religion practiced by the Pharisees, including added fasts (Luke 5:33). That cannot coexist with the new wine of the new covenant. In the context of Luke 5:33–39, the gospel precludes mournful fasting while the Messiah is present.

Luke 5:33–39 records the second of four arguments Jesus has with religious leaders in between His callings of Levi (Luke 5:27–28) and the last seven disciples (Luke 6:12–16). The Pharisees couldn't understand why repentant sinners were cause for celebration (Luke 5:29–32). Now people can't understand why Jesus' presence is reason to celebrate and not join in the traditional fasts. After this, Luke records two altercations regarding the true nature of the Sabbath (Luke 6:1–11). The story of fasting and the wine and wineskins is also found in Matthew 9:14–17 and Mark 2:18–22.

Luke 5 continues Jesus' Galilean Ministry (Luke 4:14—9:50). The passage alternates calls to discipleship with miracles and teachings which demonstrate what discipleship entails. Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, and their business partners, James and John, to follow Him and make more disciples. Then Jesus makes a man with leprosy ceremonially clean. He forgives the sins of a paralytic. After He calls Levi to follow Him, Jesus celebrates instead of fasting. This draws critical questions from the crowd. The religious leaders consider Jesus' actions blasphemous. His message of forgiveness, faith, and repentance cannot be contained by their tradition.

Jesus has already proved He can expel demons, heal ailments, and reveal the kingdom of God (Luke 4:31–44). In this chapter, He begins to separate His followers from His detractors. This begins with calling the first five disciples and emphasizing faith and repentance over religious tradition. He will drive home the point by treating the Sabbath as a blessing rather than a burden (Luke 6:1–11). After formally inviting the Twelve to follow Him, Jesus will explain to a crowd what discipleship looks like and invite them to build their lives on Him (Luke 6:12–49). In chapter 7, Jesus champions Gentiles and the marginalized.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.