And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink."Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days." And he also told them a parable. "No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. (And) no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'" (Lk5:33-39)
The disciples of Jesus are different and distinct from the disciples of others. Disciples were taught by their masters to practice certain traditions and say their prayers. Each group had its own prayers and moments of prayers. Each group also had its own religious practices particularly the practice of fasting. Because fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are the religious practices.
The disciples of Jesus were, instead, eating and drinking. This could not fall into religious pious activities. Eating and drinking were considered to be civil (social) practices and not religious. The argument was that the disciples of Jesus were not religious in their life of practices. Could we say that Jesus was not founding a religious rather he came to inaugurate the kingdom.
They days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from among them then they will begin to fast. As long as Jesus with them then there is the kingdom. When Jesus disappears from them then there is the religion and the religious practices along with it. Jesus presence is the newness. This newness cannot be merged with the old and the old practices. It is the presence of Jesus that makes the difference.
