New wine in old wineskins

A great reference to the Bible!

The phrase "new wine in old wineskins" is a metaphorical expression that appears in the New Testament, specifically in Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, and Luke 5:37-38.

In those passages, Jesus is teaching about the kingdom of God and the importance of being open to new spiritual realities. He uses the analogy of old wineskins, which were made from animal hides, to illustrate his point.

The idea is that old wineskins, which were brittle and prone to bursting, were not suitable for holding new wine, which was fresh and full of life. If you tried to put new wine into old wineskins, the pressure of the fermentation process would cause the skins to burst, resulting in a loss of the precious wine.

Jesus is saying that just as new wine requires new wineskins to contain it, so too does the kingdom of God require a new kind of spiritual container to hold its power and life. The old ways of thinking, the old traditions, and the old forms of worship are not sufficient to contain the new wine of the kingdom.

In other words, Jesus is urging his followers to be open to new spiritual experiences, to be willing to let go of old ways of thinking, and to be receptive to the fresh, life-giving power of God's kingdom.

This metaphor has been applied to many areas of life, including personal growth, spiritual transformation, and cultural renewal. It reminds us that we must be willing to adapt, to change, and to evolve in order to accommodate the new wine of life, which is always flowing and always fresh.