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MATTHEW 9:16 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Matt 9:15Matt 9:17
“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.”
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. The two parables of the new cloth and new wineskins explain why the kingdom that Jesus brings cannot simply be added to the existing religious system without destroying both. The new cloth on an old garment will shrink and pull away, tearing both. The kingdom of God is not a patch on the old order — it is a new garment that requires new cloth. Luke 5:36 adds that the old garment should not be cut to make the patch, and the pieces from the new do not match the old.

Church Fathers on Matthew 9:16

When He had replied to them respecting eating and converse with sinners, they next assault Him on the matter of food; 'Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but thy disciples fast not?'

Gloss (Glossa Ordinaria) · medieval compilation · ap. Anselm

O boastful enquiry and ostentation of fasting much to be blamed, nor can John’s disciples be excused for their taking part with the Pharisees who they knew had been condemned by John, and for bringing a false accusation against Him whom they knew their master had preached.

Jerome · 4th century

What they say come to this, Be it that you do this as Physician of souls, but why do your disciples neglect fasting and approach such tables? And to aug ment the weight of their charge by comparison, they put themselves first, and then the Pharisees. They fasted as they learnt out of the Law, as the Pharisee spoke, 'I fast twice in the week;' [Luke 18:12] the others learnt it of John.

Chrysostom · 4th century
Read all 23 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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Matthew 9:16 — Community Reflections | HolyStudy