Patches and Wineskins

The anxious tenor of accusation strikes early in Jesus’s ministry. He is not like other rabbis, nor are his disciples like other disciples. Early on, people accuse them for not fasting. When pressed, Jesus responds with a parable. He says that in the same way you cannot fix an old garment with a new patch without ruining the clothing, so the kingdom of heaven does not fit into the old system. The same is true for new wine in old wineskins. Wine that is still fermenting and expanding will burst an old, brittle container. Jesus’s onlookers don’t understand God’s kingdom, and Jesus doesn’t fit into their system. Something new is happening here. Jesus is that new thing...