January 21, 2026

Matthew 9:14-17 (HCSB)
A Question about Fasting
14 Then John’s disciples came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse. 17 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Caitlyn Pratt
In these verses, Jesus is being questioned about the disciples’ fasting. He doesn’t give a clear answer, but His response still has such important meaning. Verse 17 He says, “And no one puts new wine into old wine skins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.” What Jesus is saying here is that the old forms of religious practices could not contain the life Jesus brought. Jesus’ life was not about patching old wounds or healing old sins, it was about bringing new mercy and grace. God doesn’t measure you by your ability to maintain old practices, He meets you with compassion and encourages you to embrace your “new wineskin.”