Matthew 9:14-17
In this passage, Jesus gives a unique metaphorical teaching to illustrate He is offering something new which involves celebration, since where there is a groom, there is a wedding, and where there is a wedding, there is celebration.
Interpreting this passage in the context of other Scriptures helps me to know the fact that the celebration came at a cost of the ultimate suffering. There is a need to remember Christ’s sacrifice. Second, we can celebrate our eternal life in Christ.
Notice the suggestion of both realities when Jesus performed the first miracle revealed in Scripture. In turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana, Jesus instructed the workers to use containers which were normally used for “ceremonial washing,” as stated in John 2:6. I think Jesus did that on purpose to gently foreshadow the cleansing which would be available by His blood shed on the cross. And even though the party looked like it was going to come to a halt, the miraculous wine opened the door for a new celebration, another gentle foreshadowing.
Jesus would later directly assign wine as a symbol of His blood. During the supper the night before He was crucified, Jesus used the familiar objects of bread and wine to symbolize His body and blood shortly before He was sacrificed. Jesus specifically said His blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sins, and He said His blood was of the New Covenant (see Matthew 26:28).
Regarding the forgiveness of sins, 1 Peter 1:18-19 states redemption was made possible by “the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” Jesus was the Lamb of God who shed His blood as the atonement for the sins of people. Cleansing comes from the death of Jesus, the One who died in our place, taking the punishment we deserved.
Regarding the New Covenant, the shed blood as the sacrificial atonement also was used by Jesus to establish the New Covenant, since the shedding of blood was a necessary action in the Ancient Near East for sealing a covenant. Jewish people were under the Mosaic Covenant, as they had been for over 1400 years. The Messiah rocked the Israelite world, and the rest of the world, by establishing a New Covenant which was available to anyone, and which results in an eternal celebration for anyone who believes in Jesus as his or her Savior and Lord. Such a believer can experience the ultimate celebration in his or her heart, as he or she has been saved from spiritual death forever.
Thus when Jesus speaks of new wine, I think He is speaking of the blood He shed on the cross. And when He speaks of new wineskins, I think He is speaking of the New Covenant. Both involved suffering. Both brought about a possibility for an eternal celebration.
Considering this passage is often avoided in sermons, I address one issue which I think presents a challenge: the passage involves alcohol. Personally, I do not drink alcohol, and I do not advocate drinking alcohol in the least. What I learned in Biology class in college about alcohol is just a starting point of the negative points I could go on and on about. Yet what does the Bible say? The Bible does not prohibit alcohol, however, New Testament Scripture does prohibit getting drunk (see Ephesians 5:18). And New Testament Scripture does set strict standards regarding alcohol consumption for Christian leaders (see I Timothy 3:8).
Wine was a staple in the Middle East in ancient times due to the fact people in ancient times did not have refrigeration there in a region where temperatures are scorching hot. Thus wine was a common beverage, which I read in a Bible encyclopedia in 2015.
Yet I do not think Jesus was promoting alcohol here. Jesus further upgraded wine as a drink to be used for remembering His death on the cross. I also noticed when pondering this passage throughout the week that when Jesus was establishing the Lord’s Supper, He referred to the drink as “the cup.” For example: “Then [Jesus] took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28). He never said wine. Considering this fact and considering the context of wine being used frequently in that culture, I advocate grape juice can be used for the Lord’s Supper. There are various convictions on this subject.
Yet what we should be focused on when partaking of the Lord’s Supper brings us back to the lesson of this passage. When partaking of Communion, we need to remember the sacrifice Christ made, and we are blessed beyond description to celebrate the forgiveness of our sins and celebrate our new life within the New Covenant.
The suffering of Jesus is finished, as Jesus proclaimed on the cross as recorded in John 19:30. Then in due time afterwards, Jesus ascended into heaven. Though Jesus remains in the heart of a believer by the Holy Spirit, He is not with us in full, and we followers of Jesus suffer in this fallen and hurtful world in manners we would not if we were not Christians. Thus there are times when even a follower of Jesus is going to feel lonely, or frustrated, or hurt, or rejected, or abandoned. We Christians sometimes still sin, and we Christians are surrounded by people who sometimes sin and hurt us. Sometimes giving up something I do regularly helps me focus on God. There will likely be occasions when a Christian feels compelled to fast, if not from food then from something else. However such fasting should always be done as a personal choice.
And in spite of the continued challenges for Christians in this world, we followers of Jesus can still celebrate in our hearts, and hopefully in other ways, our new life in Christ. The Holy Spirit is with us now, and one day we will be with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in full for all eternity. Indeed all genuine believers in Jesus will never suffer again as we feast at the wedding supper of the Lamb, as was foretold in Revelation 19:7-9!
Hunter Irvine
