“Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”
Mark 2:21-22 (NAB)
Since antiquity, wine was stored in the carefully prepared skins of animals. A wineskin is made of leather, the most common of which is goatskin. Goatskin was better suited for craftsmen to handle because of its flexibility. It was also harder wearing, increasing the life of the wineskin.
Jesus said in this parable not to put new wine into old wineskins, but I never really understood the reason until now. New wine is still fermenting in the wineskin, which would require the leather to stretch as it ferments. Only a new wineskin could be stretchable enough to handle new wine. It was not wise to use an old used wineskin after it was empty, because it had already been stretched to the max, and wasn’t capable of anymore stretching. If new wine was poured into that old wineskin it would burst or tear under the pressure of fermentation. That is the mystery I never understood before.
Jesus has new wine He wants to pour into us, and we are to be His new flexible wineskins, His containers for what He is fermenting in us. We were meant to stretch, not tear under pressure. To remain stretchable and new, we need to abide in Christ. In other words, He is saying “I am going to do a new thing in your life that will require some stretching, so abide in Me.” The Bible tells us “Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17) This verse seems to go hand in hand with the parable about new wineskins. To abide in Christ is to stay new in Christ, so that we won’t be like old, stretched out wineskins that easily burst. We want to be flexible enough for the new things or the special new wine He wants to pour into us. We may not always understand the new thing He is doing, or why we are going through some strange trials, but He is fermenting His special new wine within us. If we remain flexible for Jesus, trusting that He is doing all things for our good, He helps us to stretch with the plan. The Lamb of God is the source of our new wine, who is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. He is also worthy to work with stretchable containers.
Lord Jesus, thank you for making us the new wineskin containers that you desire, and as your new wine is fermenting within us, give us the grace to remain strong, yet flexible for your glory. Amen