Chapter
Verse

Matthew 9:16

ESV No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
NIV "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.
NASB But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.
CSB No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse.
NLT Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.
KJV 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.
NKJV No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.

What does Matthew 9:16 mean?

Jesus is answering a question from the disciples of John the Baptist, along with the Pharisees. They have asked why His disciples do not participate in regular fasting as they do (Matthew 9:14). Jesus is answering with three illustrations. First, He referred to wedding guests celebrating the presence of the groom (Matthew 9:15). This verse begins the second example.

Christ notes that nobody who was patching a torn garment would ever use a piece of unshrunk cloth. Natural fibers tend to shrink over time, especially after repeated washing and drying. Stitching brand new fibers over a hole in older cloth will eventually make the hole worse: the patch will shrink and pull away from the hole.

Whether His questioners understood it or not in the moment, Jesus is insisting that He is introducing something new. Judaism, especially as practiced by the Pharisees, is the "old cloth." As the Messiah and Son of God, Jesus had not come to fit into the old way of doing things under the Law. He had come to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17), by offering the grace of God. This grace is available to all who come to the Father through faith in Christ's death for their sin on the cross (John 3:16–18).

Even Jesus' own disciples did not yet fully understand. Nevertheless, the arrival of the king, the Messiah, on earth meant that the kingdom was near. Life in the kingdom would not be the same as it had been before the king arrived, even in its religious practices and observations.
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