Two parables accompany the to John the Baptist's disciples concerning fasting. Luke recorded them after Levi's meal (PER067), but it seems more appropriate to group them according to Mark's and Matthew's accounts.
These parables explain the . Through these illustrations, the Teacher seeks to clarify his demonstration. He calls into question the rites of Judaism, which form the foundation of these men's education—a perilous undertaking. After all, no one touches the law of Moses!
The message becomes clear: the old garment represents Judaism, while the new garment symbolises Christianity. The radical change proposed here requires giving up the former to adopt the latter.
To make himself clearly understood, Jesus the Messiah offers a second : wine in new wineskins. Here too, no compromise is possible, because everything would risk being lost. The old wineskins of Judaism are replaced by the new ones of Christianity. The wine, symbolising people's new life, must absolutely be poured into new wineskins.
Everyone must therefore make a choice. Jesus the Messiah insists that John the Baptist merely patched an old garment by proclaiming repentance. He, by contrast, offers a new garment or a new wineskin, symbolising a radical change of life that leads people towards a better destiny.
The question is therefore put to these sincere men, still too attached to John the Baptist and Judaism: which Teacher do they wish to follow in future?