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Home Matthew 9:14-17 NRSVue

Matthew 9:14-17 NRSVue

14Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15And Jesus said to them, “The wedding attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. 17Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are ruined, but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”

Some thoughts on this scripture

Reflection
John’s disciples, like the older brother of the Prodigal Son, have a grievance, and Jesus’ answer sparkles in an unexpected way: /I am the bridegroom, and the party will not last for ever./ He picks up a hint of self-righteousness in their question, but he does not linger on it, just uses a metaphor. They went off wondering, as I wonder sometimes: Am I an old wineskin? Lord, renew me, fill me with your new wine.

Reflection
There are rich overtones in the words used here: a /patch/ is pleroma (fullness); and a /tear/ is schism (schism). What is Jesus teaching? The treasures of Judaism are not to be torn away in a schism, but rather to be preserved in the fullness of Jesus' teaching. We must preserve both the old and the new wine.

Reflection
Prayer renews us, as does any activity of faith. It can be like the new wine in fresh wineskins. It's like the joy of meeting a friend after a long time, or indeed meeting the friends we meet daily. If prayer is not refreshing and renewing our spirits, maybe we pray the wrong way. If we find the way to pray that enlivens us and brings us the quiet joy of God, we have found the treasure of faith.

Reflection
Jesus speaks here of the continuity of his message with the religious beliefs of the people. He respects their beliefs and practices but knows that something new and deeper is needed. He freshens their understanding of God's dealings with them over centuries and then gives his own new message. The map of our faith lives is made up of all that has happened in our lives and in our faith. Faith is always developing and dynamic, new truths building on the truths of the past.

Reflection
Do I sometimes hang on to things that I would be better letting go ofs: old, treasured and worn out ideas and attitudes can come between me and being fully in the presence of Jesus?

Reflection
If I find myself to be aware that Jesus is with me, I pray for the new heart I need to receive his spirit; if I am less aware that ‘the bridegroom is with me’, I am invited to create a little more space – to ‘fast’, to review my habits, to prepare a new wineskin.