The Lord thought this lesson so important that it is given to us in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  Let’s look at the lesson found in Mark 2:18-22, “And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.” 

In this case, some disciples of John the Baptist and some Pharisees came to the Lord with a question about fasting.  Under the Law the people fasted.  In the Old Testament, fasting was often associated with sorrow and grieving.  We read in Esther 4:3, “And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.”  (Read also Psalm 35:13, Joel 2:12, etc.).  But now the grace of God had appeared in the person of the Lord Jesus, and, at this point, grace was soon to take the place of the Law. The Lord Jesus is the bridegroom and there was no need of fasting and mourning while He was with them. 

The Lord refers to the “children of the bridechamber.”  This is not the church.  The church is the bride of Christ. The Apostle Paul speaks of that in 2 Corinthians 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”  Using the term of the “children of the bridegroom” Christ is indicating that He was the bridegroom, as John the Baptist had called him, (John 3:29), and that his disciples were the guests of the wedding feast. It would be very inappropriate for them, and very unreasonable to ask them to fast at such a time of being in the presence of the bridegroom.  While Christ was with His disciples, it was proper for them to rejoice, and not to mourn. The days for mourning and fasting would come when He was taken away from them in His crucifixion. 

The Lord then gives a brief, but significant parable to them. The old garment and the old wineskins are symbolic of Judaism with its laws and ceremonies. The new piece of cloth and the new wine stand for the Gospel. Law and grace must not be mixed…indeed, it CANNOT BE MIXED.  To try to patch the old garment with new cloth would only make the patch weak and it would soon tear.  If the Gospel of grace, the new wine, is put into the old wineskins, Judaism with its laws, the wineskins go to pieces as the fermentation takes place and the new wine is spilled.

The Lord was announcing a new era…a day of grace!  This new era is incompatible with the old era…the day where the Lord ruled by the Law.  They cannot be mixed because they do not belong together.  We are clearly told in Romans 6:14, “…ye are not under the law, but under grace.”  This is such a needed lesson for us today.  If you should find yourself trying to live by the precepts of the Law, or you begin to try to please the Lord by keeping the Law of the Old Testament, remember this precious parable showing us that the Law and grace do not belong together.  The new cloth and the new bottle will not work when someone tries to mix the two with old cloth and old bottles.  We learn in Galatians 5:18, “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”  (CC)  (616.4)