Jesus answered them, can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?

Jonah, one of the scribes, listened attentively to Jesus’ response.  He noticed it was a question rather than an answer, and Jesus’ tone was warm and welcoming, not defensive or arrogant.  While walking away from Jesus, Jonah and his companions acknowledged their confusion.  Why is Jesus comparing himself to a bridegroom?   How do old and new wineskins relate to not following the law?  If we violate the law, we risk everything.  Keeping the Covenant is what protects and binds our people to the one true God.

Jonah continued to ponder Jesus’ words.  Is Jesus the bridegroom, and if so, who is the bride?  Is he referring to a different sort of celebration?  Everyone knows mending an old wineskin with new skin or putting new wine in an old skin is foolish.  What is the deeper meaning of anyone drinking old wine not desiring the new?

Jonah wrestled with his questions for several weeks.  He also reflected on what he heard about this itinerant teacher.  Unlike the temple elders, Jesus did not sit in places of honor or surround himself with influential members of society.  His healing and teaching ministry took place in villages, home of his followers, and in the hills outside the towns, and he often ate with sinners. 

Over time Jonah felt he understood better.  He decided Jesus must be an influential teacher or honored guest, and spending time with him should be joyous, not a time for fasting and sorrow.  Jonah concluded; The new wine must be an analogy for the new teachings Jesus is spreading among the ordinary people, and understanding the message requires putting on a “new skin,” or a new way of relating to God.  Clinging to old skin (The Law) because it is familiar and comfortable, like the taste of mature wine, will keep me from enjoying what the new teachings or new wine have to say about God.  Is this what Jesus is saying?  What else is he saying about God? 

Confident that his newfound understanding was “on the right track,” Jonah gathered his few belongings and quietly slipped away from the community of scribes in the middle of the night.  I will find the teacher, Jesus.  I want to hear more about the new wine and how I can put on a new skin. 

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord Ps 37:39