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.
Parallel Translations
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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.
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Also no man soweth a pece of newe cloth vnto an olde garmet for then taketh he awaye the newe pece from the olde and so is the rent worsse.
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Also no man soweth a piece of newe cloth in an olde garment: for els the newe piece that filled it vp, taketh away somewhat from the olde, and the breach is worse.
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to Mark 2:21 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Matthew 9:16 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.
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
- Isaiah 57:16 For I will not contend forever, neither will I always be angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls whom I have made.
- Psalms 103:13-15 Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him. For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (9 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 21 No man also seweth a piece of new…
21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
Ver. 21. No man soweth] {See Trapp on "Mat 9:16"} {See Trapp on "Mat 9:17"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And no man putteth new wine into old bottles,....…
And no man putteth new wine into old bottles,.... By "old bottles" are meant, the Scribes and Pharisees, the whole, which needed not a physician, and the righteous, Christ came not to call; and by new wine, either the love of God, which is not shed abroad in the hearts of such persons; or the blessings of the new covenant, which are not bestowed upon them; or the Gospel, which brings an account of both, which is not received by carnal men:
else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: the Gospel will only fill them with rage and fury, and they will despise it, and let it go; which will be an aggravation of their sin and misery, and so will prove the savour of death unto death unto them:
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but new wine must be put into new bottles; into the hearts of sinners, who are called to repentance, and are renewed in the Spirit of their minds; are newborn babes, that desire the sincere milk of the word, and wine of the Gospel; in these the love of God is exceeding abundant, and it comes in with full flows into their souls; all grace is made to abound towards them, and the word of Christ richly dwells in them; in whom these things remain and abide, and they themselves are saved with an everlasting salvation; See Gill on Mat 9:17.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 21. No man - seweth] See Clarke on…
Verse 21. No man - seweth] See Clarke on Mt 9:16. No man seweth a piece of unscoured cloth upon an old garment. In the common editions this verse begins with και, and, but this is omitted by almost every MS. and version of note. The construction of the whole verse is various in the MSS. The translation given here, and in Mt 9:16, is intelligible, and speaks for itself.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 21. new cloth] Literally uncarded or unteazled cloth.
21. new cloth] Literally uncarded or unteazled cloth.
else] i. e. if he do, the new piece taketh from the old garment, and makes worse its original rents.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain No man seweth a piece of new cloth the…
No man seweth a piece of new cloth the Greek is (rakouv agnafou) undressed cloth, cloth newly woven, and before it has been dressed by the fulleron an old garment. The latter part of this verse is better rendered, as in the Revised Version, thus: Else that which should fill it up taketh from it, the new from the old; and a worse rent is made. The meaning of the words is this: An old garment, if it be torn, should be mended by a patch of old material; for if a patch of new material is used, its strength or fullness takes away from the old garment to which it is sewn; the old and the new do not agree, the new drags the old and tears it, and so a worse rent is made.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain No man also seweth a piece of new cloth…
Mar_2:21-22
No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment.
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New cloth on an old garment
Gods forces not to be fettered by man. You cannot thrust life into human moulds.
I. Every force has a definite mode of action. Spring does not produce the same results as autumn, nor can young converts yield the same fruits as aged saints.
II. To coerce these forces into human channels is impossible. No one dress will fit all men. If you want to alter mens habits begin by changing their principles.
III. It is only wise and safe to act with God. Learn the methods of the Spirits working and follow them. (D. Davies, M. A.)
The new supplanting the old
A missionary in India writes of a large tree near his home, in whose branches a second top of entirely different species appeared. The old was the bitter nim, the other the sacred fig. And this, on examination, was found to have thrust its root through the decaying heart of the great trunk to the ground. There, like a young giant in the embrace of some huge monster, each was engaged in a struggle for life. If the old could tighten its grasp, the young tree must die. If the young continued to grow it must at last split open and destroy the old. This it seemed already to be doing. So with the good seed of the gospel dropped into the rotten heart of some ancient system or practice. Thrusting its root downward and its branches upward, it is gradually to supplant all else and stand, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding her fruit every month; and the leaves will be for the healing of the nations. (De W. S. Clark.)
New things in Christianity
Christianity sets up a new kingdom-a kingdom within men-a reign over the spiritual in man. The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. It publishes a new law, and gives men a new commandment. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Christianity introduces us into a New Jerusalem, the Jerusalem which is the mother of us all. Everything in the city is new. The Temple is new; it is a spiritual temple; spiritual men are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. What! know ye not that ye are the temple of God? The Altar is new; we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. The Sacrifice is new; it is the offering up of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. The Incense is new; the sacrifice of praise, even the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. The Priesthood is new; we have a great High Priest who is passed into the heavens for us, even Jesus, the Son of God. The Way into the Holiest is new; it is a new and living way consecrated for us. The Worship is new; the hour has come when the character, and not the scene of worship, is everything. The song is new; we sing a new song. The Ritualism is new; for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. God sustains a new relation to us; He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We come to God and say, Doubtless Thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not. Christ is the Mediator of the new covenant. The days have come when God has made a new covenant with man. The Spirit is new; even the Comforter, proceeding from the Father and the Son. The gospel is new; God hath spoken unto us by His Son. The phraseology is new; we preach Christ crucified. The symbolism is new; the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since everything in Christianity is new, we must ourselves be new; we must be born again. There must be the passage from death to life. The life we live in the flesh must be a new life. Old things must pass away; all things must become new. (H. J. Bevis.)
New things in Christianity
I. That the spirit of Christianity is new. It is new wine. Judaism was the body; Christianity is the soul. The one was materialism; the other is spiritualism. The one was the letter; the other is the spirit. The one was a ministration of death; the other a ministration of life. The law came by Moses, but grace and truth by Jesus Christ. We have got beyond the shadow, we have the substance. We behold with unveiled face the glory of the Lord.
II. That the thoughts and words of Christianity are new. New thoughts require new utterances. The people said of Christ, Never man spake like this Man. New things want new words. The everlasting Son has taken our nature and become our brother. The gospel calls this the mystery of godliness. God hath given His Son, that whosoever believeth on Him might have eternal life. Even the gospel seems to want words here, and can only say, God so loved. The gospel takes us by the hand and leads us to the cross; and as we look on the Crucified, it unfolds the record, and bids us read, God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. We want not old forms. We have truth for the understanding; we have love for the heart. We have new thoughts and new words, the utterances of which are as the divinest music to the soul that is seeking a Saviour. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, even the chief.
III. The manifestations of Christianity are new. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. Christianity is from heaven. Gods work is not to be improved by man. Where there is real religion in man, its own manifestations will not be wanting in a Divine life, in all the graces of the Spirit, in godlikeness.
IV. The ritualism of Christianity is new. It has few symbols, but these are most expressive and appropriate. It meets us on the very threshold of life with its washing of water, and water is the universal and undying type of purity. It gives us, as Christians, the memorials of Christs death. The ritualism of your spirit must be left to the moods and feelings of your own heart. You may content yourselves with mere outward acts of reformation, but these are manifestly insufficient. This is but a new piece of cloth on an old garment. This is the worlds attempt to mend human nature. Christianity requires a new heart and a right spirit. You must be a partaker of the Divine nature, a new creature in Christ Jesus, to be a Christian. The inner man must have its new attire. You must put off the old garment and put on the new. You must put on Christ Jesus the Lord, and walk in Him. Do not try to mend the old nature Seek a new one. Old habits will not do for a new spirit, and yet we cling to them, or they cling to us There is often little agreement between our principles and our practice. (H. J. Bevis.)
Legal ceremonies superseded
Paul calls legal ceremonies beggarly rudiments; such are the popish-like a beggars cloak, full of patches. When the debt is paid, it is unjust to keep back the bond: Christ being come, and having discharged all, it is injurious to retain the bond of ceremonies. In the spring we make much of buds and flowers to delight the eye and cheer the sense of smelling; but in autumn, when we receive the fruits to content our taste and appetite, and to nourish us, the other are nothing worth The affianced virgin esteems every token her lover sends her and solaceth her affections with those earnests of his love in his absence: but when she is married, and enjoys himself, there is no regard of the tokens. It was something to have a ceremony or a sacrifice, representing a Saviour; but this made nothing perfect and all the life which those things had was from that Saviour whom now we, have. (T. Adams.)
Old bottles and new wine
Christ gave his replies to Johns disciples and the Pharisees. The first had a temporary application; the other a permanent one.
1. Fasting was a sign of sorrow; but how could these disciples sorrow while Jesus was with them? it was like trying to weep in the midst of a wedding feast. Christians have alternations of experience. Sometimes the Bridegroom is with us; sometimes far away.
2. The other answer sets forth the essential difference between the new dispensation and the impossibility of confining it by the old forms and ceremonies of religion. Now, these bottles represent religious forms, and wine represents religious spirit or life. Consider-
I. The superior energy of Christianity over Judaism. It is new wine. Judaism was wine; but this is newer, and also better. But this is not the point of comparison. The point is, that the gospel has a freshness, expansiveness, and power, beyond what we find in Judaism, so that it is like new, working and fermenting wine as compared with old acetic wine, now cold and still. See it in a few particulars:-
1. Its earnest aggressive spirit and aim. It was meant for the world, to go out to all nations. Judaism was for the Jews, or if for Gentiles, it was by these coming to the Jews as proselytes. Its agency is the same.
2. Its potent and stimulating motives. Christs love and death constrain us; and the apocalypse of the eternal world is made more impressive and influential. Compare these with Jewish types, etc.
3. The ardour of affection awakened in the followers of Christ. Their whole nature is elevated and vivified by a new love and a new hope.
4. The accompanying energy of the Holy Ghost.
II. The unsuitableness of old Jewish forms to the new Christian spirit. All are too narrow, cold, and cramping. As fastings, sacrifices, priestly exclusiveness, and even the Sabbath.
III. Yet Christianity has its own forms. The wine is not spilt on the ground, but kept in bottles-the Christian Church in its New Testament simplicity, the ordinances, the Lords day, spiritual modes of worship. All these naturally come out of the spirit of the gospel. The life makes its own body. Truly, this law has been tampered with most grievously by men, and the energy of the gospel has suffered; its freedom has been trammelled, and its life deadened. Lessons:
1. Our supreme concern should be to get the life of the gospel into our souls.
2. We should avoid a superstitious stickling for mere forms, however old and elegant, if they are but arbitrary and mechanical.
3. We should be willing to endorse and adopt the simple, natural, and living forms of the New Testament-joining the church, engaging in worship, etc.
4. We should apply it to our whole deportment and life-all must be renewed, and new wine put in new bottles. Let all our habits be determined and controlled by the inner spirit of piety. Things once pleasant to us will now be unpleasant and irksome. Many amusements and pleasures will be instantly abandoned, when we have got the right spirit within us; whereas, otherwise, it would be vain to contend and argue against them. (Congregational Pulpit.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 21. No man also seweth, etc. On this figure…
21. No man also seweth, etc. On this figure and that of old and new bottles see notes on Matt. 9:16, 17.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain Two parables to emphasize His meaning:
Two parables to emphasize His meaning:
v. 21. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment; else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
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v. 22. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred; but new wine must be put into new bottles.
Here a matter of common experience is applied to the case in hand. To sew a patch of new cloth upon an old garment is not only incongruous, but usually aggravates the trouble and causes a further tear at the seam; And to put new wine, grape juice that is in the process of fermentation, into old wine-skins; may easily become disastrous, since the skin is no longer strong enough to withstand the process going on inside. The old, dead orthodoxy of the Pharisees, their righteousness of works, did not fit with the doctrine of Jesus of the free mercy of God in and through Christ Jesus. He that trusts in his works and then intends to patch this up with a few scraps of the Gospel, he that wants to cover up some vice with Christ’s merit, will soon find out that his is a poor comfort. In his heart he is still adhering to the old religion of works, which will drag him down to perdition. And the new wine of the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake does not suit the hearts that are still bound up in self-righteousness. If the sweet Gospel of God’s grace is preached to proud, self-righteous hearts, it will surely be wasted, for they cannot and will not accept and believe it, and it is a mystery to them how other people can take delight in that old Gospel of free grace. But where the hearts have been renewed, made entirely new by the power of the Word, there the Gospel will find the reception which it ought to have, there the hearts accept the glorious news of their redemption and are prepared for life eternal.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 2:21-22 Old customs of the old covenant are incompatible…
2:21-22 Old customs of the old covenant are incompatible with the new arrival of God’s Kingdom. Common experience shows that an unshrunken new patch sewn on old clothing will tear the old cloth as it shrinks. Similarly, brittle old wineskins will burst when new wine ferments in them. Jesus’ meaning was that the fasting of the old cannot mix with the feasting of the new.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.