Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 9:16

"And no man putteth a piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment; for that which should fill it up taketh from the garment, and a worse rent is made." — Matthew 9:16 (ASV)

The next illustration is about a piece of unshrunk cloth tightly sewed to old and well-shrunk cloth in order to repair a tear; it will cause a bigger tear. The final one is also a “slice of life” in the ancient world. Skin bottles for carrying various fluids were made by killing the chosen animal, cutting off its head and feet, skinning the carcass, and sewing up the skin, fur side out, to seal off all orifices but one (usually the neck). The skin was tanned with special care to minimize disagreeable taste. In time the skin became hard and brittle. If new wine, still fermenting, were put into such an old skin, the buildup of fermenting gases would split the brittle container and ruin both bottle and wine. New wine was placed only in new wineskins, still pliable and elastic enough to accommodate the pressure.

These illustrations show that the new situation introduced by Jesus could not simply be patched onto old Judaism or poured into the old wineskins of Judaism. New forms would have to accompany the kingdom that Jesus was now inaugurating; to try to domesticate him and incorporate him into the matrix of established Jewish religion and piety would only succeed in ruining both Judaism and Jesus’ teaching.