Mark 2:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

NIV: And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.'

NASB: And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.'

CSB: And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins."

NLT: And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.'

KJV: And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

NKJV: And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Jesus uses another metaphor, that of new wine and old skins, to illustrate why He does not lead His disciples to follow the religion of the Pharisees, specifically in fasting.

Old wineskins, like the Pharisees' rules, are brittle and inflexible. When filled with "new wine," the skins are likely to break apart. The wine would then spill out and be wasted. In the same way, the freedom of a grace-filled life cannot fit in the legalistic rules the Pharisees impose on their followers. Galatians 5:1 says, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

The Pharisees to whom Jesus is referring believe it is most honorable to obey because the order is commanded. To obey because you want to do the thing that was commanded is no sacrifice, and therefore has no honor. Christianity teaches differently: that God will change our hearts to want to do what He wants us to do (Philippians 2:13). This is how we love God (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3). To try to fit Jesus' teachings of love and freedom into the Pharisaical legalism (or even its modern-day equivalences) would have resulted in a burst tradition and pieces of love and freedom spilled out all over the floor.

A particular misuse of this verse justifies a word of warning. Many modern charismatic teachers use this passage in relation to a new movement of God's Spirit within a person or the church. This verse has nothing to do with such activity and is used out of context when applied to these situations. Jesus uses these words to focus His audience on His role as the Messiah and His followers as those who serve according to His will. There is no legitimate working of the Holy Spirit that will burst Jesus' church.

Mark 2:18–22 contains the third of four altercations Jesus has with questioners and critics in this chapter. This incident focuses on the tradition of fasting, and is also found in Luke 5:33–39. The Pharisees and John the Baptist's disciples fast on a regular basis, but Jesus' disciples don't. The scribes—religious scholars that belong to the Pharisee sect—have imposed fasts on the people that God did not ordain. Jesus is not opposed to fasting (Luke 4:1–2; Matthew 6:16–18), but only in the proper context. While He is there, His disciples should celebrate, not mourn. Making a public spectacle to brag about how pious you are is not the proper context.

Mark chapter 2 follows the typical style of Mark's gospel with a rapid succession of stories. Jesus heals a man who cannot walk, but only after declaring the man's sins to have been forgiven. Jesus then calls Levi, one of the publically-reviled tax collectors, as a disciple and is seen eating with those the Pharisees view as ''sinners.'' Jesus then answers a challenge about fasting and defends His disciples when they violate the Pharisees' views on keeping the Sabbath. All of these events are met with some resistance from Jesus' critics. He responds in each case with a spiritual, reasonable defense.

In Mark chapter 1, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist then led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit where He was tempted by Satan. He also taught and healed in Capernaum and throughout Galilee. In chapter 2, having returned to Capernaum, Jesus displays authority over four particular areas: the forgiveness of sins, social traditions, extra-biblical religious traditions, and the Sabbath. In response, the Pharisees—legalistic religious leaders—escalate their antagonism toward Him, culminating in a direct condemnation of His teachings. This sets the scene for Mark 3:6 when the religious and national leadership first get the idea to destroy Jesus.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.