Luke 5:33-39

Expanded Bible

Jesus Answers a Question^(A)

³³ They said to Jesus, “John’s ·followers [disciples] often fast [^Cgiving up eating for spiritual purposes] and pray, just as the ·Pharisees [or disciples of the Pharisees] do. But your ·followers [disciples] eat and drink all the time.”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the ·friends of the bridegroom [or wedding guests; ^Lchildren of the wedding hall] fast while he is still with them. ³⁵ But the ·time [^Ldays] will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and ·then [^Lin those days] they will fast.”

³⁶ Jesus told them this ·story [parable]: “No one ·takes [tears] cloth off a new ·coat [garment] to cover a hole in an old ·coat [garment]. If he does, he ·ruins [tears] the new ·coat [garment], and the cloth from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ Also, no one pours new wine into old ·leather bags [wineskins]. Otherwise, the new wine will ·break [tear; burst; ^Cbecause the fermenting new wine expands] the ·bags [wineskins], the wine will spill out, and the ·leather bags [wineskins] will be ruined. ³⁸ [^LBut; Rather] New wine must be put into ·new [fresh] ·leather bags [wineskins]. ³⁹ No one after drinking old wine wants new wine, because he says, ‘The old wine is ·better [fine; good].’” [^CThe religious leaders are content with the old ways of Judaism and not interested in the “new wine” (salvation blessings) of the Kingdom.]