Single lesson
Fasting, New Cloth and New Wineskins
Matthew 9:14–17; Mark 2:18–22; Luke 5:33–39
Jesus was asked why his disciples were not fasting like other groups. In reply, he used one picture from a wedding and two short illustrations to show that his presence changed what was fitting at that time.
Before you teach
Across Matthew, Mark and Luke, people compare Jesus’ disciples with John’s disciples and the Pharisees. They notice different habits about fasting, praying, eating and drinking. Jesus answers the question directly, then explains further with an old garment, new cloth, old wineskins and new wine.
Students will identify that Jesus answered the fasting question by saying his presence made that moment different, and they will explain how the cloth and wineskins illustrations support that point.
Welcome: Spot the question people asked
5 minBegin by asking children to listen for the main question in the reading. Read the three versions aloud and let them hear the repeated concern: John’s disciples and the Pharisees fast, but Jesus’ disciples do not. Briefly explain fasting as going without food for a time. Point out that Luke also mentions praying, eating and drinking.
Matthew 9:14, Mark 2:18, Luke 5:33
Read and explain: The bridegroom picture
7 minRead Jesus’ first answer. He compares the situation to friends at a bridegroom’s wedding. While the bridegroom is with them, fasting or mourning does not fit that moment. Jesus also says days will come when the bridegroom is taken away, and then his disciples will fast. Help children notice both parts of his answer.
Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19, Mark 2:20, Luke 5:34, Luke 5:35
Discuss: New cloth on an old garment
6 minExplain that Jesus then gives an illustration. A patch of unshrunk or new cloth does not solve the problem on an old garment. Instead, it makes a worse tear or does not match. This shows that Jesus is not simply adding a small piece onto what was already there. He is showing that the situation requires a fitting response.
Matthew 9:16, Mark 2:21, Luke 5:36
Make and respond: Reminder card about fresh wineskins
8 minRead the wineskin illustration and let children create a reminder card. They can write a short line such as, “Fresh wineskins for new wine” or, “While the bridegroom is with them”. Explain that in Jesus’ illustration, new wine belongs in fresh wineskins so both are preserved. Luke also adds that people may prefer the old, which can make change harder.
Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, Luke 5:37, Luke 5:38, Luke 5:39
Closing: Say the main teaching clearly
4 minFinish by inviting each child to complete one sentence: “Jesus answered the fasting question by...” Guide them to mention that his presence mattered, and that his illustrations showed the need for a fitting response rather than forcing the new into the old. Close by rereading one key verse together.
Matthew 9:15, Matthew 9:17, Luke 5:38
Questions to explore
What exact question did people ask Jesus about his disciples?
Look for the repeated comparison between Jesus’ disciples, John’s disciples and the Pharisees, and notice that the issue is fasting.
Matthew 9:14, Mark 2:18, Luke 5:33
What reason did Jesus give for why his disciples were not fasting at that time?
Find Jesus’ picture of the bridegroom and his friends, and include the part where he says a different time will come later.
Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19, Mark 2:20, Luke 5:34, Luke 5:35
How do the cloth and wineskins illustrations help explain Jesus’ answer?
Notice that both illustrations show damage when something new is forced into something old, while fresh wineskins preserve both.
Matthew 9:16, Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:21, Mark 2:22, Luke 5:36, Luke 5:38
Make, think or respond
Fresh Wineskins Reminder Card
What you’ll need
- card or paper
- pencils or markers
- Bible
Try it together
- Read Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22 or Luke 5:38 together and choose one short phrase to remember.
- Fold a piece of card in half and write the chosen phrase on the front.
- Inside, draw either a garment patch or a wineskin and write one sentence explaining that Jesus showed his presence changed what was fitting at that time.
- Invite each child to read their card aloud and name the main teaching in their own words.
The card helps children remember Jesus’ own illustrations about new cloth and fresh wineskins, which he used to answer the question about fasting.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, offer two sentence starters on the board: “People asked...” and “Jesus answered...”.
- For older or more confident children, compare Luke 5:39 with the other verses and discuss why some people may prefer what is familiar.
An optional closing prayer
“Lord Jesus, thank you for your words. Please help us listen carefully to what you taught and respond to you in the right way. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Matthew 9
14 Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?”
15 Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made.
17 Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Mark 2
18 John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”
19 Jesus said to them, “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast.
20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made.
22 No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.”
Luke 5
33 They said to him, “Why do John’s disciples often fast and pray, likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?”
34 He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?
35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days.”
36 He also told a parable to them. “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old.
37 No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled and the skins will be destroyed.
38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.
39 No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.