No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloth and the tear gets worse. This statement by Jesus can be difficult to understand by an individual who has never worn a patched cloth, or one who has never seen a patched cloth. Those who patch clothes always try their best to match the patch with the old cloth. They will try their best not only to match the color, but the "age" as well. It is only thus that the patch and the cloth will try to match seamlessly. When Jesus appeared on the scene, his modus operandi immediately began to cause ripples and raised eyebrows. He did not find a people who were alien to religion. Most of the people he encountered and ministered to were a people deeply steeped in religion, a people who, as it were, drank and slept religion. He found a people whose every move was governed by religious laws. As Jesus would later lament, he found a people who had forgotten the very essence of religion, a people who had come to practice religion for religion's sake.
The accusation that we encounter in today's Gospel passage is a summation of all the accusations that will later be labeled against Jesus. Part of those who listened to Jesus or witnessed him ministering saw in him a change that they were uncomfortable with. For Jesus taught responsibility, compassion, love, generosity, kindness, forgiveness. Jesus’ teaching was focused on helping his hearers to understand what they were doing, and why they were doing it. If the law encouraged the giving of alms, fasting, or not harvesting everything in one’s farm, it was of paramount importance that the people understood why they had to do it. Jesus was introducing the people to the concept of thinking outside the box, something that they were not used to doing.
For one to understand Jesus' modus operandi, one has to think outside the box. Jesus teaches responsible observance of the law. With Jesus, there is no more hiding behind the law. A disciple of Jesus has to rise above mere observance of a religious law in order to understand the essence of his/her observance of the law.
To understand and appreciate what Jesus was doing, one had to, in essence, leave behind the baggage of religion that one had picked along the way. To become a companion of Jesus and take upon oneself his teachings, one had to approach Jesus with the willingness to learn and make Jesus’ teachings his/her very own. Jesus’ teachings and one’s convictions had to “seamlessly” match.