“The Old Is Nice”

● Jesus Christ on one occasion was asked why his disciples did not fast as did the disciples of John the Baptizer and those of the Pharisees. Part of his answer was: “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; but if he does, then the new wine will burst the wineskins, and it will be spilled out and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins. No one that has drunk old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is nice.’”​—Luke 5:37-39.

In thus replying, Jesus Christ was evidently pointing out that his teaching was too powerful and energetic to be confined to the old system of Judaism, which, like old wineskins, lacked vitality and elasticity. As for those who had a taste for the traditional wine or teaching of Judaism, they found Jesus Christ’s teaching objectionable. They turned it down as if it were new wine, preferring the old traditional ways. To them, ‘The old was nice.’