Counting the cost
New Wine in Old Wineskins
Also called The Patch and the Wineskins, New Cloth
You do not patch old cloth with new, or pour new wine into brittle old skins.
What it turns on
Said when asked why his disciples were not fasting. The answer is that something has changed.
21No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made.
22No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.”
World English Bible, public domain. Read the whole chapter →
Told again in other gospels
The same parable, recorded differently. The differences are worth reading, not smoothing over.
Matthew 9:16-17Read it
16No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made.
17Neither do people put new wine into old wine skins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.”
Luke 5:36-39Read it
36He also told a parable to them. “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old.
37No one puts new wine into old wine skins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.
38But new wine must be put into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.
39No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
More on counting the cost
The Wise and Foolish BuildersTwo houses, one on rock and one on sand. The same storm hits both.Counting the CostA man builds a tower without pricing it out. A king marches to war outnumbered.The Barren Fig TreeAn owner wants to cut down a tree that has not fruited in three years. The gardener asks for one more year.The Unworthy ServantsA servant who has done his work does not expect to be thanked for doing his work.