Jesus offers a parable about cloth and garments: 'No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse' (ουδεις δε επιβαλλει επιβλημα ρακους αγναφου επι ιματιω παλαιω). Unshrunk cloth (αγναφος, new/unprocessed) sewn onto old garment will shrink when washed, tearing away from the weakened old fabric and creating worse damage. The illustration teaches that new covenant realities cannot be patched onto old covenant forms. Jesus isn't reforming Judaism but inaugurating something fundamentally new. Attempting to combine the two destroys both. This has profound implications: Christianity isn't Judaism 2.0 but the fulfillment that transcends and replaces the preparatory system.
Historical Context
First-century garment repair was common in subsistence economies where clothing was valuable and carefully maintained. Everyone understood the problem of mixing new and old fabric. Jesus' illustration would have been immediately comprehensible. The deeper issue addressed Jewish Christian attempts to maintain old covenant practices (circumcision, food laws, festivals) while following Jesus. The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) wrestled with this question. Paul's letters insist that Gentile Christians need not adopt Jewish customs. The temple's destruction (AD 70) forced recognition that old covenant forms had ended. The parable warned against syncretism that would destroy both Judaism's integrity and Christianity's newness.
Questions for Reflection
What old covenant or religious forms do Christians sometimes try to patch onto new covenant realities?
How does this parable help us understand the relationship between Old and New Testaments?
In what ways might we be trying to put 'new wine in old wineskins' in contemporary church practice?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Jesus offers a parable about cloth and garments: 'No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse' (ουδεις δε επιβαλλει επιβλημα ρακους αγναφου επι ιματιω παλαιω). Unshrunk cloth (αγναφος, new/unprocessed) sewn onto old garment will shrink when washed, tearing away from the weakened old fabric and creating worse damage. The illustration teaches that new covenant realities cannot be patched onto old covenant forms. Jesus isn't reforming Judaism but inaugurating something fundamentally new. Attempting to combine the two destroys both. This has profound implications: Christianity isn't Judaism 2.0 but the fulfillment that transcends and replaces the preparatory system.