Old and New Wine

No one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’” (Luke 5:37-39).

Verses 37, 38-New wine goes in new wine skins because the new skins are from freshly slaughtered animals so they are pliable. An old wine skin loses its elasticity from housing the wine for a duration of time. All the natural oils of the skin are dried up. New wine is still fermenting slowly and producing Co2, so if it is placed in the old skins which lack elasticity, they pop like baloons. The new ones will stretch and accommodate the larger volume.

Verse 39-In context this is pretty clear, new vs. old covenant. Aged wine tastes better, at least until it is too old. It tastes better because the wine that has just finished fermenting has a higher acid and So2 content, so it tastes harsh. When wine is put in wineskins, oxygen slowly osmosis through  the skins and causes a chemical reaction with the acid and So2, which mellows it. Too mellow and the lack of natural preservatives cause the wine to rot. So, it goes bad when it is too old.

Jesus is telling the Pharissees that they are old wine skins and no longer able to bend to the rule under the new covenant which is the new wine. Thier bitterness has caused them to lose thier elasticity. Thier unwillingness to submit to the new covenant will cause thier death, cause them to burst. They believe that the old way is better; the old wine tastes better. Thier old ways, thier understanding of the old covenent was lacking in an understanding of the love of Jesus Christ and this is the lie that they hold onto.