Mark 2:21-24

Mark 2:21 (KJB)
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.

Jesus then uses an example from everyday life. If you have an old shirt or other garment that ripped and you place a new piece of cloth on that garment, it will be of little value because the old garment is already worn and stretched but the new piece of cloth would not be stretched yet and when the person would make a move, the rip would become much worse than the original tear. What Jesus is emphasizing here is not about clothes but it is the Gospel in reference to the Mosaic law. The new life under grace could not be patched on to the Mosaic law as a way of living. They were in opposition to each other. Under grace, the Lord Jesus Christ kept the law for the believer but under the law, each person was to bring a sacrifice to the priest for an appropriate offering. They were two different systems. Under the law, a person’s sins were temporarily covered until the next time but under grace all the sins of a believer have been atoned for and removed. So grace was not something which was to be appended to the Mosaic law but was to be lived in totally without any reference to keeping any of the Mosaic rituals or ceremonies or feasts. This is why the old garment representing the Mosaic law stands alone while the Gospel of Grace stands alone. The Book of Galatians was written about this very subject.

Mark 2:22 (KJB)
And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

Jesus reinforces what He just said by giving another example. It basically taught that the new wine of the Gospel cannot be kept in the old bottles. The custom in that time was to keep wine in leather flasks rather than bottles. They were normally made from sheepskin or goatskin and were much more durable than pottery bottles. A mixture of boiled down grape juice plus water which would be placed in the wineskins and would be free from the yeast which causes the decay of fermentation. The new wine would not quickly ferment and both the wineskin and grape juice would be preserved. What Jesus is stating here is basically the same premise that is found in the previous verse. The new wine which is the Gospel of Grace cannot be amalgamated with the Mosaic law. This would be considered a Law/Grace gospel which would only lead to eternal damnation and this is why Jesus stated the bottles would perish. When one becomes truly saved, they are made a new creature. (2 Cor 5:17 KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. He is in essence a new bottle and because of that the Gospel of Grace richly dwells in him. This way the person is saved by grace alone and that results in him receiving eternal life without any merit of his own except to receive it from the hand of God.

Mark 2:23 (KJB)
And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

It is not known exactly where this happened but it does not matter because what is in view here is that Jesus is about to give a practical teaching on the Sabbath. At this time Jesus and the disciples were on their way to the Synagogue. The grain in view might have been either barley or wheat, however it could also have been actual corn. Sometimes corn in the Bible is used as a general description for different grains. If they were near Capernaum, then the barley harvest would be ready in March and the wheat harvest would be ready in May, this episode took place about a year before the Lord’s crucifixion. It was the Sabbath day and the disciples were hungry so as they went they had decided to take a snack right off the stalks.

Mark 2:24 (KJB)
And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

If a person was hungry, it was permissible to eat what is needed to satisfy your hunger. (Deu 23:24-25 KJV) When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. {25} When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn. So they were not stealing from the vineyard. The Pharisees had seen this and they had deemed what the disciples did as unnecessary harvesting and therefore guilty of breaking the Sabbath by working on it. Breaking the sabbath was an offense punishably by death according to the law and so the Pharisees had gone to Jesus to tell Him what His disciples were doing because they thought that Jesus was responsible for the actions of His disciples.

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