Matt 9:14-17 New Wine

Facts:

1.	Who came and asked Jesus a question in verse 14?

a.	John's Disciples

2.	What do they want to know?

a.	Why Jesus' disciples don't fast while they and the pharisees do.

3.	How true is their assertion (that Jesus' disciples don't fast) true? How do we know?

a.	Very true at present. Jesus does not deny it, instead he explains why.

4.	What three metaphors does he use?

a.	He is a bridegroom and he is with his guests so it's not appropriate for the guests to fast and mourn

b.	Just like it is not appropriate to sew new fabric on an old garment

c.	Nor to put new wine in old wineskins

Facts:

1.	Jesus explains the situation by saying that some things don't belong together. Make a 2 column list of things that don't go together in vv 14-17 (In Groups)

a.	Fill in fig. 1–leave one blank at bottom

fig. 1 Things that don't belong together
a. Bridegroom present (Jesus)	a. mourning
b. patch of unshrunk cloth	b. old garment
c. new wine	c. old wineskins

2.	Why is it inappropriate to mourn when the bridegroom is present with his guests?

a.	It's a wedding, not a funeral.

3.	What are the major contrasts between the two columns?

a.	New and old (things assoc w/ life, changeability vs. death, inflexibility) flexibility of a newborn vs. rigor mortis

4.	Now Jesus has said that these things don't belong together, but He also tells us what would happen if they were put together. What does Jesus say is the result of combining these things (specifically b. and c. from the chart)?

a.	See fig. 2

fig. 2 Result of combining things that don't go together
b. patch will pull away, making the tear worse
c. skins will burst, wine will run out, skins will be ruined
leave blank at first (bridegroom taken away, guests fast)

5.	So what is the result of combining new and old/life and death/flexibility and inflexibility?

a.	The new is taken away or poured out and the old is destroyed, ruined.

6.	Based on the results, how good of an idea is it to combine the new and old?

a.	Bad idea.

7.	What is the basic personal spiritual significance for us today of this no combining new and old principle? (In groups–keep it short this is preliminary 'cause we've not identified everything.)

a.	My old life can't contain Jesus. It's too inflexible and rigid and he's too alive and changing. It doesn't do any good to patch Jesus on my old garment. It won't make the garment any warmer or more modest. It will actually make the holes worse and I'll be embarrassed.

8.	What is the appropriate thing to do w/ new wine? And result?

a.	Put it in a new wine skin, both the skin and the wine will be preserved.

9.	So how do I get a new wineskin? How do I get rid of the old one? Good questions, but to answer them, we need to finish looking at the passage.

a.	(I need to let Jesus burst my old skins. I need to be broken. This is what happened to the disciples. Their old way of looking at Jesus was put in the grave so that they could receive Jesus back new. Jesus body had to be burst and his blood run out into dead earth in order to burst it open and resurrection take place. The temple curtain had to be torn to reveal a new and living way into the presence of God.) Hos 2:9 "Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her nakedness."

10.	What else in our passage looks like it results from combining new and old, life and death, flexibility and inflexibility? Look for similar language.

a.	Bridegroom taken away, guests fast in v. 15 (put in bottom of fig. 2)

11.	What then might it look like for the bridegroom to be taken, according to our chart?

a.	Wine poured out (Jesus' blood spilled)

12.	From your own understanding of Jesus' life, what two things that don't go together were combined which caused the results above?

a.	Jesus and death, divinity and sinful humanity, Life and death, Jesus and Law . . . etc.

13.	At what event did this happen?

a.	Cross

14.	We've seen what happens to Jesus on the left side, who is affected most by the things described on the right side?

a.	Guests (disciples)

15.	So at the cross what was torn and what was burst and ruined?

a.	The veil

b.	The graves

16.	What's the significance of this? What was Jesus willing to experience, and what was the result?

a.	Jesus was willing to be crushed by coming taking on my sin

b.	And He broke open death by doing so

Applic:

1.	What is speaking most to you from what we've studied?

2.	What do you have to say to God?