The English words "new wine" in the KJV can refer to either fresh grape juice or wine that is in the process of fermenting, depending on the context. When this wine was consumed for social gatherings, it would be diluted with water. In the case of Matthew 9:17, "new wine" refers to wine that will eventually fully ferment into strong, intoxicating wine. However, this fermented wine served as a means of storage and could be easily transported, but it was typically not consumed undiluted at social gatherings or feasts unless a person intended to commit the sin of drunkenness. When this fermented wine was consumed for social gatherings, it would be diluted with water so that it was only mildly intoxicating. It could also be used to ease pain for those with severe wounds before death and to sanitize water. Matthew 9:17 addresses the storage of this strong wine, which would, in most cases, be diluted for consumption.
In Matthew 9:17 (KJV), Jesus says, "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." Here, He recommends that new wine be placed in new bottles to allow for safe fermentation. This new wine is unfermented and has not yet undergone the process that produces strong wine. Fermentation is what stretches an old bottle to its maximum capacity during the process; an additional round of fermentation would burst an already-stretched wineskin. Therefore, new, unfermented wine needs to go into new wineskins that have not yet been stretched.
The miracle that Jesus performed at the wedding feast, turning water into wine, was remarkable because His wine was unfermented, pure grape juice, without any trace of fermentation. This pure wine symbolizes the purity of His blood, which has the power to cleanse us from sin. In contrast to fermented wine, which symbolizes a process of decay, Jesus’s unfermented wine at the wedding signifies a new purity and life, representing His spotless sacrifice.
However, in the case of the parable of the wineskins, the focus is on the shift in mindset required of the Jewish people, from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. Just as new wine requires fresh wineskins, Jesus’s teaching required a new mindset, open to the New Covenant and the salvation it brings, fulfilling and surpassing the Old Covenant.
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