OET interlinear MARK 2:21

Section 2:18–22: People asked Jesus about fasting

At the time when Jesus lived, Jewish people often went without eating food for one or more days. They did this to show they were sorry for their sins or to ask for favor from God. This is called “fasting.”

In this section people asked Jesus why he and his disciples did not fast. Jesus answered the question about fasting. Then he indicated that he was teaching a new way to live for God. His new way would not fit into the old traditions. To illustrate this point, Jesus used three comparisons:

1. To explain why his disciples did not fast, Jesus compared himself to a bridegroom, and he compared his disciples to wedding guests. They could not fast while he was with them.

2. To show that his way and the old traditions did not match, Jesus compared his new way to new cloth. The old traditional ways were like an old garment. No one would sew new cloth onto an old garment.

3. Then Jesus compared his new way to new wine and the old way to old wineskins. When new wine was put into old wineskins, both were ruined.

This section can be difficult for people to understand because Jesus used comparisons to illustrate a point, but he did not make the point explicit. The point was that he was teaching a new way that was different from the old Jewish traditions. In some languages it may be necessary to include a footnote to explain this.

In this section there are some ideas that may not be familiar in certain cultures. For example:

1. fasting

2. Jewish wedding customs about bridegrooms

3. sewing patches onto cloth

4. new wine and old wineskins

Consider carefully how to translate each of these ideas in a meaningful way in your language. The Notes for this section will give suggestions.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus taught that his new way was different from Jewish traditions

Jesus’ new way and the old ways

This story also occurs in Matthew 9:14–17 and Luke 5:33–39.

Paragraph 2:21

In this paragraph Jesus compared his teaching to new cloth that no one has washed yet. He compared the traditions of the Jews to an old garment. No one uses a piece of new cloth to patch an old cloth. In the same way, people should not simply add his teaching to their old ways of life.

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.

• ¶ “No one sews a patch of cloth that is not shrunk onto an old garment.

• ¶ “Here is another example: People do not sew a piece of new cloth onto an old garment as a patch, and my teaching cannot be patched onto the old traditions.

• ¶ “My teaching cannot be mixed with the old traditions. It is like a new patch of cloth that has not been shrunk, and the traditions are like an old garment. A person does not use a patch of new cloth to fix a hole in an old garment.

If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old,

• Otherwise, the new piece will shrink when it is washed and tear away from the old garment,

• That would be like putting a new piece of cloth on an old garment. The new piece will shrink and tear the cloth.

• If he did use such a new patch, it would just tear away from the older garment

and a worse tear will result.

• and then the hole in the old garment will become very big.

• and the result will be an even bigger hole.

• and make the tear worse.

General Comment on 2:21a–c

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit some of the meaning of Jesus’ illustration about the cloth. For example:

If my teaching is mixed with the old traditions, it will be like putting a new piece of cloth on an old one. The new piece will shrink and tear the cloth. My teaching will become unusable just like the cloth.