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MARK 2:22 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Mark 2:21Mark 2:23
“And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.”
And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins — the wineskin parable completes the pair. New wine (still fermenting and expanding) in old wineskins (dried out and inflexible) will burst the skins as the gas expands — destroying both the container and the wine. New wine requires new wineskins that can expand with it. The kingdom Jesus brings is the new wine: it cannot be contained within the forms of the old order, no matter how venerable those forms are. The Pharisees' fasting practices are old wineskins; they are not wrong in themselves but they cannot contain the kingdom's new reality.

Church Fathers on Mark 2:22

For the disciples of John being in an imperfect state, continued in Jewish customs.

Theophylact · 11th century

But it may be thought that He added Pharisees, because they joined with the disciples of John in saying this to the Lord, whilst Matthew relates that the disciples of John alone said it: but the words which follow father shew that those who said it spoke not of themselves, but of others.

Augustine · 4th century · de Con. Evan., ii, 27

But John did not drink wine and strong drink, because he who has no power by nature, obtains more merit by abstinence. But why should the Lord, to whom it naturally belonged to forgive sins, shun those whom he could make more pure, than those who fast? But Christ also fasted, lest He should break the precept, 'He ate with sinners,' that thou mightest see His grace, and acknowledge His power.

Bede · 8th century
Read all 10 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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