Continuing in the second chapter of the Gospel of Mark, verse 18 introduces the first of three events that seem to be related. Jesus was answering questions (some of which sound more like criticism) and using those situations as opportunities to teach about the bigger picture. After all, Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God (see Mark 1:14-15), and humankind’s correct understanding of that is really important. Jesus was sharing a new way of looking at things: one that was consistent with God’s nature (even when He established a previous covenant with the Jewish people), but a mindset that showed what reality was like at an even deeper level.
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 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.”
Mark 2:18-22 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.2.18-22.NIV
Although we can buy clothes made of “pre-shrunk cotton” today, or those made from fabrics that are shrink-resistant (and wrinkle-resistant, which I appreciate), if you think about natural materials in the first-century Middle East, what you originally bought – or made yourself – would be expected to “settle in” over time. And, while we might not use wineskins today, if you think about filling a sealed container with bread dough before it rises, when the yeast expands you can imagine the lid popping off and having a mess when you return later.
Here, old vs. new seems to have contrasted a “religious” pattern of weekly fasting and pious-looking practices vs. a heart for Jesus. There was an old way of law-keeping and the new way of grace and grateful obedience, and trying to fit the new onto the old wasn’t going to work.
However, even if church members in America don’t often fast on regular days of the week anymore (with a few exceptions during Lent, in some Christian traditions), we can still end up with modern mismatches today. Trying to combine the world’s false philosophies with God’s dramatically different approach just doesn’t work. Neither does trying to place the truth of God on a framework of legalism, which is really mixing true and false religion (including the belief – held by essentially every other faith – that we must earn our own way to God…or to “a god”, like power, purpose, or profit).
This is something about absolutes. Lies mixed with lies are still lies, but absolute truth mixed with anything else is no longer absolute truth. And, where false teachings or even well-meaning “additions” to the gospel have grown up over time, we can’t just “layer on” Jesus’ teachings to an existing foundation of sand. We have to toss out what was wrong, and keep only the truth. In fact, Mark 2:23-28 seems to be related to the same principle, as well as Mark 3:1-6 [ref. Black, p.65].
In the end, don’t try to “mix and match” when it comes to your faith and living out God’s direction for your life.
- Don’t mix God’s truth with ideas from other sources that sound good
- Don’t mix God’s words with something you just made up
- Don’t mix God’s grace with the idea that anyone has to work their way back to Him
- Don’t mix God’s direction with what you think He “should” tell you to do
When I was younger, there was a line of kids’ clothing called “Garanimals”. Each shirt or pants had a little animal on its tag, and when you chose all of your clothes to have the same animal, they were all supposed to color-coordinate. (This is not meant to be an endorsement; just a memory from when I was a kid.)
As adults, some of us probably still wish we had help in picking out what we will wear, but while you can mix and match your clothes (no matter how you make those decisions), we must choose to only build our faith upon truths. Look for God’s “tag” on what you choose to believe, and you’re guaranteed to have integrity in your faith. Believe anything else, and you’re not going to coordinate. And, trust me: a lost world can see the mismatch of hypocrisy a mile away!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for September 14, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Mark, by Allen Black. © 1995 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 