This interpretation of the incompatibility of the "New" and the "Old" may date back to Marcion and has also been used as an argument by later reformers within the Church. Verse 39 Jesus proceeds to declare that the old wine is usually preferred to new wine"the old [wine] is better"a comment not found in the other two synoptic gospels. This verse gives rise to some difficulty in interpretation. If Jesus is teaching a separation from Judaism, would he say that the old is better? A number of explanations have been given. One view holds that the line does not belong here and should be disregarded or removed, a view taken by Marcion. Another view proposes that Jesus is just pointing out that old and familiar patterns are hard to shed. Another explanation suggests that Jesus is trying to save the Old, and the New refers to the teachings of his critics. Other explanations retranslate the Greek original words differently in an attempt to make sense of the statement. A different approach is the proposal not to assume that Jesus is talking about "old" and "new" religious teachings, but about his ways of choosing disciples. So Jesus uses new methods (new clothes) to provide new men (wineskins) with a new message (wine). He does not reject the "Old", but the "Old" is limited and not accessible to everybody. As he starts his ministry he demonstrates that his reach is inclusive, thus he finds the sinners, the rejected, the poor and the sick. The interpretation favored by John Calvin looks at old garments and old wineskins as representations of Jesus's disciples. In his Commentary on Matthew, Mark, and Luke he explains that the new wine and unshrunk cloth represent the practice of fasting twice a week. Fasting this way would be burdensome to the new disciples, and would be more than they could bear. See also Fish Tax collector Wine References Notes Citations Sources External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) Luke 05 Sea of Galilee