‘No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’
καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπίβλημα ῥάκους ἀγνάφου ἐπιρράπτει ἐπὶ ἱμάτίῳ παλαιῷ· εἰ δὲ μή αἴρει τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ τὸ καινὸν τοῦ παλαιοῦ και χεῖρον σχίσμα γίνεται
καὶ οὐδεὶς βάλλει οἶνον νέον εἰς ἀσκοὺς παλαιούς· εἰ δὲ μή ῥήσσει ὁ οἶνος ὁ νέος τοὺς ἀσκούς καὶ ὁ οἶνος ἐκχεῖται, καὶ οἱ ἀσκοί· ἀπόλοῦνται ἀλλὰ οἶνον νέον εἰς ἀσκοὺς καινούς βλητέον
Mark 2:22-23
These two parables may have been brought together here because of the connection of clothing and wine with weddings (mentioned, with Christ as bridegroom, immediately before this). These parables obviously connect for ordinary, peasant people rather than the wealthy and powerful.
new from the old – seems to be added to connect with the wineskins parable
New wine – fermentation is not yet complete
Shrinking and fermenting, in time will lead to the old being incompatible with the new. Sewing is an image associated with women; preparing wine is an image associated with men.
As this year the Sunday Gospel reading focus is on St Mark’s Gospel, This is some of my personal study and Lectio Divina with that Gospel.
This is the fifteenth post in a series – you can begin here:
Mark in Slow Motion 1
Mark in Slow Motion 2
Mark in Slow Motion 3
Mark in Slow Motion 4
Mark in Slow Motion 5
Mark in Slow Motion 6
Mark in Slow Motion 7
Mark in Slow Motion 8
Mark in Slow Motion 9
Mark in Slow Motion 10
Mark in Slow Motion 11
Mark in Slow Motion 12
Mark in Slow Motion 13
Mark in Slow Motion 14
Mark in Slow Motion 15
