And he spoke also a parable to them; No man puts a piece of a new garment on an old; if otherwise, then both the new makes a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agrees not with the old.
No man.
Matthew 9:16,17 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…
Mark 2:21,22 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…
agreeth.
Leviticus 19:19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
Deuteronomy 22:11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.
2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old one:
This imagery would have been familiar to Jesus' audience, who understood the value of garments and the impracticality of using new fabric to patch old clothing. The new cloth represents the new covenant and teachings of Jesus, which cannot be simply added to the old covenant of the Law. This reflects the transformative nature of Jesus' ministry, which was not just an addition to Judaism but a fulfillment and expansion of it.
If he does, he will tear the new garment as well:
This phrase highlights the damage done to the new garment, symbolizing the loss or compromise of the new covenant's integrity when mixed with the old. It underscores the incompatibility of the new teachings of Jesus with the old legalistic practices. This can be connected to Galatians 5:4, where Paul warns against mixing law and grace.
and the patch from the new will not match the old:
The mismatch signifies the fundamental differences between the old and new covenants. The new covenant, based on grace and truth through Jesus Christ, cannot be contained within the old framework of the Law. This is further illustrated in Hebrews 8:13, which speaks of the old covenant becoming obsolete with the establishment of the new. The new teachings of Jesus bring a fresh understanding and relationship with God, which cannot be confined to the old ways.
Jesus shifts to a story everyone can picture, inviting the crowd to see spiritual truth in everyday life. Parables deliver literal divine wisdom through familiar images (Matthew 13:34–35). In the immediate context, He has just answered questions about fasting (Luke 5:33–35). By moving to a parable, He signals that the coming point transcends ritual debates and exposes the heart issue—whether people will receive the new work God is doing through His Son (Isaiah 43:19).
Listeners knew you would never ruin a brand-new cloak just to fix a worn-out one. The picture teaches:
• God’s “new garment” is the covenant inaugurated by Christ’s presence (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hebrews 8:6).
• The “old garment” represents traditional religious systems that cannot contain the life of the Messiah (Mark 2:22).
Trying to blend the two cheapens both. Jesus is not an add-on to patch up human religion; He brings a completely new righteousness (Philippians 3:9).
Ripping fabric illustrates the damage caused when people insist on mixing law-based merit with grace-based salvation (Galatians 5:4). Such syncretism:
• Destroys appreciation for Christ’s finished work (Colossians 2:13–14).
• Leaves both systems unusable—legalism is exposed as powerless, and grace is drained of freedom (Romans 11:6).
Even if someone could force the fabrics together, the colors, weave, and age would clash. Likewise, the freshness of the gospel cannot blend with the faded patterns of self-made righteousness. Jesus offers:
• A new creation identity (2 Corinthians 5:17).
• A Spirit-empowered life that outshines external rule-keeping (Romans 8:3–4).
Clinging to the old dulls the beauty of the new and leaves the soul spiritually mismatched.
Luke 5:36 teaches that Jesus did not come to reinforce or repair human religious efforts; He brings an entirely new covenant of grace. Mixing His redeeming work with the worn cloth of legal tradition only ruins both. True disciples lay aside the old garment and joyfully put on the new life Christ provides.
(36) And he spake also a parable unto them.--The illustration that follows is common to all three reports, but St. Luke only describes it as a parable, the others apparently confining that term to something that took the form of an actual narrative.No man putteth.--The better MSS. give, No man having rent a piece from a new garment putteth it upon an old. The form which the illustration thus assumes gives it obviously a greater vividness. What folly could be greater than the act described?
Both the new maketh a rent.--Better, as agreeing with the reading just given, he will both rend the new, and the patch from the new will not agree with the old.
Verse 36. - And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. Oriental teaching has ever delighted in using these vivid and picturesque metaphors and parables taken from the everyday life of the people; here the reference is, of course, to the question put by the. Pharisees and John's disciples respecting fasting. This and the following little parable, and the curious simile which he added directly after, is part of the Lord's answer to his questioners. They charged him in their query with throwing (by the neglect of fasting) a slur on the time-honoured practices and observances of the most religious men of Israel. His reply acknowledged that, as far as he was concerned, they were right. He had quietly put aside the rigidly appointed fasts and other ceremonial rites by means of which the great Jewish teachers - to use their own expression - had put a hedge about the Law. They were right, too, in the conclusion they had come to, implied but not expressed, in their evidently hostile questioning. His was a totally new form of the old Hebrew' religon - new altogether in the grandeur of its conception and in the breadth of its influence. His was a totally new garment that he was about to offer to the people; now to patch up the beautiful new work with the old one would be surely to mar both. In the older authorities the text is slightly longer and more vivid than the text from which our own more corrupt Authorized Version was translated. It would run thus: "No one rending a patch from a new garment putteth it upon an old garment."