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Mark 2:21 (NLT)
[Jesus said] “And who would patch an old garment with unshrunk cloth? For the new patch shrinks and pulls away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger hole than before.

DRAWING NOTES:

TIME OF DAY:
Unspecified in the Bible narrative. Daytime.

LIGHTING NOTES:
The main source of light for this picture is the sun, streaming in through a doorway (unseen, on the left) casting strong shadows below and to the right of figures and objects.

CHARACTERS PRESENT:
A woman and man.

RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This is a fairly simple picture, showing what happens when a woman sews a patch of unshrunk cloth to an old garment. Both the figures I the picture are looking horrified at the results of this rather foolish action!

As Jesus explained in his parable… “the patch shrinks and pulls away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger hole than before.” What did Jesus mean? A patch of brand new, previously unwashed (unshrunk) fabric would naturally shrink with washing. Jesus’ hearers knew that putting a new patch of material on an old garment would only make the problem of the hole in the old garment much worse. When the new patch inevitably shrinks in the wash, it will tear away from the older garment, making the tear even worse than before. But what was Jesus referring too? In this metaphor, the old garment is the system of rules and traditions of men; especially the highly legalistic laws and traditions of the Pharisees. The new patch is the way of Christ; the new way of faith in Jesus, leading to freedom from sin and a discarding of the old system of rules, mostly made up by men. Jesus was not concerned with “patching up” the old religious system as practised by the Pharisees; He was establishing a new covenant (a binding agreement and/or a solemn promise to do or refrain from doing something), even as He fulfilled the old Mosaic laws (see Matthew 5:17).

Here is the scene without the figures in the foreground. More of the fireplace, grating and cooking pot can be seen without the figures.

Background of Mark 02 – Parable of new cloth on old garment

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Background of Mark 02 – Parable of new cloth on old garment