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Scripture Reading: Matt. 9:9-17; Luke 5:27-39
In these two passages the Lord mentions five parables. You may think that there are only two parables: the new garment and the new wine. But according to the record of Luke, there are five closely related parables. These five parables deal with: (1) the unfulled cloth, (2) the old garment, (3) the new wine, (4) the old wine, and (5) "no one who has drunk the old desires the new, for he says, The old is better." Let us consider how these five parables show us the salvation that God has prepared for us in His Son, Jesus Christ.
The records of Matthew and Luke reveal that while He was journeying the Lord met Matthew, who was Levi, the tax collector, sitting at the tax office. The Lord said to him, "Follow Me," and he followed the Lord. Friends, can you follow a man just at his words "Follow me"? If a stranger were to come to you and ask you to follow him, would you do it? You surely would not do it. There must have been something unusual about this man that attracted Matthew like a magnet and that forced him to give up his former living, wealth, and everything to follow Him. Matthew did not understand why there was such power behind this man's word, that made him forsake his sinful living and everything. This One turns men to repentance and salvation the minute they meet Him. At the voice of this One, the dead receive life, and at the call of this One, men follow. This man caused Matthew not only to give up his position, but also to open up his home and prepare a feast for his friends and relatives; even strangers were invited to dine.
While they were attending the feast, the Pharisees and the scribes became jealous. They asked why Jesus and His disciples ate and drank. Not only did they eat, but they ate with the publicans and sinners. They began to condemn them. Yet they dared not ask Jesus directly, for they knew that if they asked Him, they would be embarrassed. They could only criticize the Lord's disciples behind their back, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?" The disciples could not answer. Perhaps even they did not understand why the Lord did this. The Lord did not tell the disciples why He went to the house of Levi. But when the Lord heard this, He answered, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. 9:13). This was the purpose for His coming. He did not go to the house of the publican because the opportunity arose for Him to go, nor was He compelled to change His mind because of the circumstances. He did not eat with sinners and publicans through a coincidence. He came with a purpose. The words "I did not come to call" imply that His coming was with a purpose. His incarnation was with a purpose. His walk and His healing were with a purpose. He did not do anything or say anything haphazardly. His life was not purposeless. He said that He came with a purpose. He did not come because He saw the nation of Israel or the Gentiles behaving in a certain way. He did not change God's purpose because of changes in the environment. It seemed as if He was saying, "You think that I communicate with the sinners because I was invited by the publicans and the sinners. Actually, this was the purpose of My coming from heaven. I came to call the sinners to repentance. This is the purpose of My coming." This is like saying that I came from Nanking purposely to Shanghai. I did not come to Shanghai just en route to Soochow. The Lord Jesus came to the world for an express purpose. He did not change His original plan; He did not adjust His plan or alter His reason for coming into the world. His actions on earth were a demonstration of His original intention for coming to earth. He had the intention from the beginning of doing what He did. Whether in opening the eyes of the blind or in cleansing the lepers, He worked because it was His original intention to work. His actions were not an alteration of His purpose.
The Pharisees were very clever. They could be the teacher of many people, but they could not be the teacher of one Person. You may also be very clever and may qualify to be the teacher of your friends, your relatives, and even us. But you cannot be the Lord Jesus' teacher. You are not qualified for that. You cannot say that the Lord Jesus has eaten too much, or that He has done something wrong, because He knows what He is doing. Eating at the house of the publicans and sinners was something that He foreordained. He did not do this mindlessly, and you cannot say anything about it. This was His decision, His original intention. We human beings have one weakness: we often talk to others for an hour or two hours and do not know what we are talking about. We do things without knowing why we did them, and we are bewildered at what we have done. Perhaps you think that just because there are times when you do not know what you are doing or saying, the Lord Jesus is also the same. The Pharisees thought that just because they did not know what they were doing or saying, the Lord Jesus would be the same. However, the Lord does not do anything foolishly. He said that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. He did everything with a purpose; He is never haphazard.
Why did He do this? He said that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Moreover, He said that those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are ill. Why did the Lord say this? I have said that after the law came, many people still did not know what the law was. Many people think that the law is just a few commandments. Actually, the law is not just the Ten Commandments; it is what God demands of man, and what man ought to give to God based on His demands. God has demands, and man has to fulfill these demands; this is the meaning of keeping the law. The purpose of the law is for man to break it and be stumbled on it. God gave us the law, not for man to keep, but for him to break and be stumbled upon. Are you surprised by this? This is not surprising at all. The Scripture says that the law was added because of transgressions. The law merely shows man that he cannot render anything to God. God knows that man is sinful. But man does not know that he is sinful. Therefore, God gave the law in order for man to break it, so that he would know himself. The law was given by God through Moses with the intention that man would realize that he cannot keep it. Friends, do you think that the Lord Jesus is ignorant of this? Since the law was given to expose man's inability to keep God's law, would the Son of God come to the world to ask man to keep what he cannot keep? If the law cannot stop man from sin, would the Son of God require man to do what he cannot do? Since the law cannot save a man, would God give us His Son, whose work is to save man, to cause man not to be saved instead? If the law cannot save man, would the Son of God come, only to find that man is still not saved? God sent His Son in order that man would be saved through Him. In other words, we were all ill. What then should God do?
God wants us to do two things. First, He shows us that we are ill. The worst thing that can happen to a patient is to avoid the doctor. But unless a sick person admits that he is sick, he will not consult a doctor. Second, we have to go see the doctor. This is also very important. Suppose I have a friend who has tuberculosis but does not admit it. He argues that he is tall and strong and big, and that he is not sick. I would advise him, saying, "You have a slight fever every day, and your health is not good. You should rest more and work less. Otherwise, it would be hard to recuperate and be healed if your illness progresses to the second stage." But this friend of mine does not admit that he is sick. He argues: "Am I not well? Do I not have the strength to work?" He still goes to bed late and rises up early, and lives as he pleases. It does not mean that he is well; he is merely denying his own illness. As such he can never be healed. This is the way God treats the world. It does not mean that God does not have the way, the means, or the salvation ready. The trouble is that man does not realize that he is sick and that he is a sinner. This is why it takes God two stages to enlighten man. John 1 says that the law was first given by Moses, and then grace and reality came through Jesus Christ (v. 17). God took four thousand years to show man that he is sick. God gave the law to man in order that he would see that he is a sinner, and that all men are sinners. God did not give the law for man to keep, but for man to realize that he is a sinner. The purpose of the law is for man to know himself. The law cannot justify man, nor can it save man. The book of Romans makes this point very clear. It says that "through the law is the clear knowledge of sin" (3:20). After we have the clear knowledge of sin, the Lord Jesus comes and says, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
In the first stage, God gave the law. In the second stage, God gave us the Lord Jesus — grace came. When a doctor diagnoses a patient, the first thing he does is to ask the patient to stick out his tongue, feel the patient's pulse, and measure his temperature. He will show the patient that he is sick and then tell him the kind of sickness that he has. Then he gives the patient a packet or a bottle of medicine. First, the doctor shows the patient that he is sick, and then he tells the patient the way and method to be healed. Therefore, the work in the second stage must be related to the work in the first stage. First, God gave the law so that man would realize that he is a sinner. Second, God sent grace, which is the Lord Jesus, so that man would be healed. But there are some stiff-necked ones who say that they are not sick, and that they do not have any sin. So the Lord Jesus said that He had not come to call the righteous (those who consider themselves righteous). Let the others keep the law and be Pharisees. Now that the Lord Jesus has come, He is telling us that a man must receive help in the first stage and then receive help in the second stage. Yet some men are not willing to receive the testimony of the law. If a man refuses to receive help from the law, he will not receive help from grace and reality. If a man does not receive help in the first instance, he will not receive help in the second. I may think that I am healthy, and I may stand tall. But after the doctor measures my pulse and temperature and examines me, he will tell me that I am sick. I may think that I am a good man, but now that the law has come, it tells me that I am a sinner. I may think that I am a wonderful man, but once the law comes, it will tell me that I am a sinner. This leaves me helpless. But the second man comes; He helps me and saves me. The law can only define a sick man. The commission of the law is to show man that he is sick. If you do not admit that you are sick, you must submit to the law.
A healthy person does not need a doctor; only a sick person needs a doctor. This is a great and universal principle. Friends, are you sick at heart? Do you have any hidden illness? Do you have any secret sins that no one can touch? Do you have sins that you have committed in darkness? Do you have some illness that cannot be told to others? God will touch your secret and hidden illnesses. It is a pity that, although man knows very well that he is naked and laid bare in God's eyes, and that he has a part in all kinds of unclean evils and human sins, he still tries to hide himself and mend himself. He still tries to improve his conduct a little before believing in Jesus. It seems as if he is trying to recuperate a little before going to the doctor. This is foolish. If you do not admit honestly that you are a sinner, you cannot be healed.
I like the song we sang today. It says, "Just as I am...I come! I come!" [Hymns, #1048]. I have told you before that this hymn was written by a woman in her twenties. She said that she had the sense of sin since she was very young. She wondered how a person like herself could face God. To her this was impossible. She visited many churches and talked with many pastors. She asked them questions and tried to find out from them how she could be saved. This went on for seven or eight years. Many told her that she had to do better before she could believe in Jesus. Others told her that she should pray more and study the Bible more. Still others told her to do good and perform noble deeds, or to do this or do that before she could believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved. As time went by, she found herself worse than before. In the end, she met an old preacher. She asked the old man what she must do before she could be saved. The old man put his hand on her back and said, "Go to God just as you are." She jumped up and asked, "Do I not have to do better, make more progress, and improve more before I can believe in the Lord Jesus?" The old man said, "There is no such need. You can come just as you are." On that day, she became clear and realized that she could come to the Lord just as she was.
God knows that we are sick. This is why He sent us the Doctor. Friends, have you ever been sick? Suppose I have a fever of one hundred five degrees. If I ask the doctor to come, will he say that he will come when the temperature drops to one hundred three? The sicker I am, the faster the doctor will come. If a person's temperature is ninety-eight degrees, the doctor may say that since it is only ninety-eight degrees, there is no need to go. The more serious your illness is, the faster the doctor will come. The woman admitted that she was a sick person and that Jesus Christ is the Physician from God who came to heal her. Not long after she returned home, she wrote this hymn: "Just as I am...I come! I come!"
Friends, what is grace? Grace is to come just as we are. There is no need to change or reform ourselves. We come just as we are. Many people think that a preacher is one who exhorts others to do good. But I never do this. If I exhort others to do good, I am merely putting powder and cosmetics on their faces and then sending them to hell. The Shanghai mortuary does a good job of grooming and touching up dead people and putting them into coffins. If I am a preacher exhorting men to do good, I am doing nothing except telling them to improve themselves and then go to hell. But hell does not need any improved or reformed persons. The Lord Jesus did not come to first make men better and then save them. He came to redeem us. He died and shed His blood for our sins. He died on the cross to accomplish redemption. He resurrected in order that we may not only be redeemed and forgiven, but receive the life of God, be saved, and have eternal life.
When the Lord Jesus said this, the Pharisees immediately raised a question. They did not care if they were sick or well. They wanted to say what they said because they had judged that the Lord Jesus and His disciples were gluttons. They asked why the Pharisees and the disciples of John fasted (fasting being exactly the opposite of feasting), but the Lord's disciples did not fast. They fasted, but the Lord's disciples did not fast. Here was a difference.
What is the meaning of fasting? According to the tone of those who asked the question, fasting meant two things to them. The first kind of fasting was one in which they ate five days out of a week and did not eat the other two days. The Lord's disciples, in contrast, ate all seven days of the week. This is the literal meaning of fasting. But there is a second meaning. They were religious in their background. Their background was excellent. They were not like the Lord's disciples, who enjoyed whatever was before them. They had good works according to their religion and were able to achieve what men found hard to achieve. This is like Chinese ascetics who cultivate themselves by suffering. It is also like the vegetarians who extol vegetarianism. The Pharisees were even more "noble"; they even refrained from eating. They seemed to have achieved the virtues that ordinary men were not able to achieve. We can see these two meanings here. One said that they fasted while the Lord's disciples did not fast. The other said that they were able to achieve all that the flesh could achieve and had gained for themselves the name of godliness and service to God. They seemed to be saying, "We do all these. Why are Your disciples not doing the same?"
Since there were two implications in their question, the Lord's answer was divided into two parts. The first part was an answer according to the literal meaning of the word. He said that the sons of the bridechamber cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them. He meant that He was the Bridegroom and that the disciples were the sons of the bridechamber. While the Bridegroom was there, the sons of the bridechamber did not need to fast. This pointed out to the Pharisees why the disciples did not fast. They did not have to fast because the Lord Jesus was not yet "taken away" (Luke 5:35). After He was taken away, His disciples would have to fast. Before the Lord was rejected and crucified, the disciples did not have to fast. After He was rejected and crucified, the disciples would have to fast. This was the Lord's answer according to the literal meaning of the question on fasting. In the second answer, the Lord used five parables to explain the reason that the new and the old cannot be mixed together. These five parables are: (1) the impossibility of patching an old garment with unfulled cloth; (2) the impossibility of patching an old garment with a patch from a new garment; (3) the impossibility of putting new wine in old wineskins; (4) the need for new wine to be put in new wineskins; and (5) "no one who has drunk the old desires the new, for he says, The old is better." Why did the Lord use these five parables? The Pharisees thought that they ought to do good, have religious works, try their best to keep God's commandments, and please God. The Lord told them that the literal fasting could come to His disciples only after He had departed from them. But if fasting refers to good works, there should not be any fasting even after He has left the disciples. That kind of fasting would be useless even after the Lord left them. The Lord used these five parables to show the Pharisees that the things He brought in were completely incompatible with the ordinances and ceremonies of the law. The grace which He brought in was absolutely incompatible with the law. The five parables signify that the law and grace can never be mixed. If they are mixed together, the law will no longer be the law, and grace will no longer be grace.
Matthew 9:16 says, "No one puts a patch of unfulled cloth on an old garment, for that which fills it up pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear is made." Here the Lord shows us a parable concerning the unfulled cloth and the old garment. These are common things which we see all the time. But the Lord has much to say about them. If one puts unfulled cloth on an old garment, the unfulled cloth will pull away from the old garment, and the tear in the old garment will become worse. What does a garment in the Bible signify? It signifies our righteousness before God. In this parable, it is taken for granted that the garment is torn already. This means that all of our garments are torn. The Lord does not say that this is a new garment; the old garment is torn. All old garments are torn garments. Every person, male or female, young or old, rich or poor, noble or mean, is a piece of torn garment in the eyes of God. Friends, you have to remember that every one of us is a sinner before God. I am afraid that many Christians (I speak only of Christians, and not of others) are willing to admit that everyone in the world is a sinner, but do not realize the seriousness of such a word. Many Christians are willing to admit that Genesis 3 is the beginning of man's fall. But they have not seen the seriousness of such a word. Our garments are torn. Yet we have not seen our raggedness.
What is the meaning of a torn garment? This verse is not speaking of putting on many garments such as vests and jackets. If so, an outward garment could be torn, and the inner garments could still be whole. Here there is only one garment. When this garment is torn, the flesh is exposed. In other words, our shame is exposed. While you are sitting here, you may feel comfortable and at peace. (When we leave our home, we often ask our father or wife if our dress is proper. Most likely you have asked such questions before. We want others, especially those around us, to see that our dress is proper.) But there is One who is in secret, yet who is in the light, who sees you everywhere, and who says that your garment is torn. You cannot hide your sin and shame. Your past history is filled with filth and sin, and you will never tell others about them. These things are hidden in your heart and held under your tongue. Yet you cannot hide yourself before God. God is speaking through the mouth of His Son that your garment is torn. Under the light of the law, your righteousness is a torn garment; it cannot cover your shame before God. It is not a question of whether or not your garment is torn; it is already torn. There is, however, a question of what we should do about it. Suppose it is summer, and your garment is torn. What are you going to do? If you do not know that your garment is torn, you will not feel ashamed. But if someone tells you that your garment is torn two inches along the seam, how will you feel? You cannot cover it with your handkerchief or with your hat. While you ride on the bus, you cannot cover it with your umbrella. You feel ashamed and want to run home immediately to change your clothes. You will not think about doing something else or visiting your friend and, therefore, not go home. You will want to go home immediately to mend it or change into another garment. You have been sunk in your sin for twenty, thirty, or even fifty years, and your garment is torn. Do you feel the shame? You may think that since others do not see it and God does not see it, you can get by easily. But there is not such a thing. Your garment is torn, and the only way you have is to mend it. Let us see what the Lord Jesus says about the mending. In the past, we did not pay much attention to this matter. But during the past few weeks, I have been paying special attention to this passage. The word unfulled in Greek does not mean something new; rather, it means something unfinished. An unfulled cloth means a piece of cloth that has not been bleached, dyed, ironed, or starched. It is an unfulled cloth, not an unfulled garment. Although it is a piece of cloth, the process is not yet complete; it is still unfulled. Why did the Lord use this word? This kind of cloth ruins the old garment. Anything new is from the Lord Jesus. Anything that we have is natural and old. Friends, do we see what is being shown to us here? Many have received something of the Lord Jesus, but they have not received the work of the Lord Jesus in full. They have the outward name of being a Christian, but they have not received the accomplished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. If you ask many people who Jesus Christ is, they say that He was a great Teacher. Many nominal Christians say that Jesus was a great model of love and equality, and that we have to imitate Him so that the world can become the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of heaven can be brought to earth, and the world can evolve into a golden age. This is the message of "preachers without the blood." Friends, this is unfulled cloth. This cloth is not bought from the fabric store; it is a patch cut out and stolen from the factory; it is unfinished cloth that is being used to mend the torn garment.
We have met some so-called evangelistic ministries or some preachers who have said that Jesus was not born of a virgin, that He is not the Son of God, that His blood is not for redemption, that He had died but did not resurrect, that His deeds and works before His death were patterns, and that His death is not important. The people who say this only care for what the Lord Jesus did during His thirty-three years on earth. They do not see the necessity of the Son of Man being lifted up. They have not seen that the Son of Man would be lifted up just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14); they do not realize how important this matter is. They consider the Lord Jesus' death to be nothing more than the death of an ordinary person. They do not believe that the Lord's death is the death of God. They do not realize that if the Lord had not died, we would have to die. They take the Lord's teaching as unfulled cloth, and they try to cut out a patch to mend their torn garment. Friends, many people may not say this with their mouth. But they say this in their heart. I once met an unbeliever and gave him a copy of the New Testament. After he read the four Gospels, he still would not admit that he was a sinner. He only admitted that his conduct was not as good as Jesus', and that he should imitate Him. Not only do unbelievers think this way, but Christians also think this way. If you ask whether their Christian conduct is as good as the Lord's, they will readily answer no. But if you ask them what they should do, they answer that they have to donate more money to the church or do more good works. They admit that their garment is torn, but they try to cut off a patch of the unfulled cloth — the Lord's teachings — to mend their tear. But the Lord said that if anyone tried to patch the old garment with unfulled cloth, the tear would become worse. Friends, the Lord's word is very careful: "No one puts a patch of unfulled cloth on an old garment, for that which fills it up pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear is made."
Some think that since their garment is torn and they are a sinner before God, they should fast twice a week. Some wonder what they should do about their torn garment and decide to take five dollars out of their monthly income to give to the church. Others say, "I have sinned. What should I do? Perhaps I should rise up every morning to read one chapter of the Bible; perhaps I should kneel down while I read." (Please be clear: I am not saying that we should not fast, pray, read the Bible, or offer our money. I am saying that it is futile to try to please God by doing these things or to count them as merits toward patching up our torn garment. Even if a Christian does these things, it is still wrong for him to regard them as merits toward pleasing God, because all these can be works of the flesh.) There are those who say, "I have sinned. What should I do? I will try not to lie or go to movies, and I will try to be good and answer to my conscience so that the world will say that I am an upright and clean person and God will be pleased with me." We think that since we have sinned, we should try to make up our lack by doing these things, and patch them on our torn garment piece by piece. But the Lord Jesus said that this is impossible. You can try to mend the tear, and you can try to make many resolutions. But the more you mend and the more resolutions you make, the worse the tear becomes. For example, you may love the game of mahjong, but you are determined to stop playing it. But the more you make up your mind not to play, the more you cannot stop playing; in fact, you find yourself playing the whole night. You may have a habit of smoking. If you make up your mind to quit, you will find that you will be making resolutions over and over again. You may think this will never happen to you. But in reality, it always happens. The more you mend, the worse will be the tear. There was a student who spent only half an hour on his homework each day. When the examination came, he tried to hastily prepare his lessons, only to find that he could not catch up with his work. He made up his mind that after his examination, he would spend two hours every day to prepare his lessons. But this resolution, instead of resulting in two hours of work every day, made him incapable of keeping up with even his half hour of work. A person once said that he hated lying, but that he always lied; he was determined not to lie anymore. He was afraid to put this resolution down in his diary, for fear that others would see it. He put a big black circle in his diary every time he lied. As a result, he found that his diary was full of black circles. Why is this? This is the result of the work of mending; the tear becomes worse. Previously, the tear could escape men's eyes. But the more one mends, the worse the tear becomes and the more obvious it becomes. This is a fact.
I have not met all that many people in my life. But I can testify that I have never seen one person who could maintain his good works to the very end, without acknowledging the Lord Jesus as Savior and admitting that he is a sinner. He can be zealous for good works temporarily, and he can be inspired temporarily, but after a few months, everything is usually over with him. At any rate, his condition will never last for more than a few years. Someone once told me about the story of his cousin. This cousin was the chairman of the chamber of commerce, but he became a Christian through the influence of a missionary. For a while, he helped the YMCA and other Christians. But now he has become one of the strongest opponents of Christianity. He opposes Christians and has become a Buddhist. I asked him why his cousin turned out this way. He answered that the gospel his cousin believed in was different from our gospel. His cousin wanted to help Jesus. He thought that Jesus was too busy, and that he had to help Him out a little. Actually, we are the ones who are too busy, and the Lord Jesus is here to help us. The gospel his cousin believed in is different from the gospel we believe in. I agree with his answer. Friends, we can never patch up our life with the life of Jesus. We cannot just accept His teaching and assume that He is here only as our Teacher or wonderful model. If we do this, we are as far away from the kingdom of God as are all great sinners.
Some think that since we cannot mend with the unfulled cloth, we should mend with the old cloth. But the Lord Jesus was very careful. He only spoke of mending the old garment with the unfulled cloth; He did not speak of mending the old garment with old cloth. If unfulled cloth cannot mend the old garment, how can old cloth mend it? We cannot mend the lack of today with the things of yesterday. The Lord never said anything about using old cloth to mend the old garment.
The picture that Luke presents to us is different from the picture that Matthew and Mark present. Luke 5:36 says, "And He also spoke a parable to them: No one tears a patch from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise, he will tear the new garment." Suppose a man has two garments, one old and the other new. On returning home, he sees that the old garment is torn. Will he cut out a patch of the new garment and mend the old? If he does, he is either a mad- man or an idiot. Can he say that he loves his old garment so much, and has been wearing it for so long, and is so attached to it, he does not want to throw it away? Can he say that since it is torn, he will cut out a patch from the new garment to mend it? Materially, no one would do this. But spiritually, many people are doing this.
The cloth mentioned in Matthew and Mark is the unfulled cloth. It refers to the time before the Lord's death and to the fact that His work was not yet finished. His work was accomplished after His death. When the Lord was dying, He said, "It is finished." His death completed the work of redemption. His living was just an unfulled cloth. Luke shows us not just cloth, but finished cloth. It is not unfulled cloth, but fulled cloth. Trying to put the Lord's finished cloth on an old garment is like someone calling on the Lord Jesus to help him after he has tried his best to do good and cannot. Some Christians I have met have said that they should keep the Ten Commandments. I asked if they had kept them, and they said that they had so far. I asked them what they would do if they could not make it all the way, and they answered that they would ask the Lord for help because the Lord had accumulated so much merit already. I told them that their logic was wrong. I know that I cannot do good, so I ask the Lord to do it for me right from the beginning. I know that I cannot make it even if I try hard, and I cannot improve myself or do good even if I try. I can only commit myself fully to the Lord Jesus. Some think that they will ask the Lord for help only if they cannot do a proper job. But the Lord Jesus said that no one tears a patch from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If one cannot do good, it is better to throw away the old garment and put on the new garment. If I cannot expect the Lord Jesus to mend my old and torn garment, I might as well not mend it and put on a new garment instead. No sound and reasonable person would do such a thing to his garments. Yet spiritually, many try to tear a patch from the new garment and put it on the old garment.
Where does the cloth mentioned in Luke come from? It comes from the new garment. Today we have a new garment, which is the righteousness of God. We have no other way to save ourselves. We can only confess our sins; there is no other way to remove our sin or please God. Our only way lies in removing the goodness of our flesh and everything that we consider good, that is, in removing our own torn garment, and acknowledging that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior, and that His cross has accomplished the work of redemption. He was crucified on the cross, and He has satisfied God's righteous demand. The garment He gives us is new and perfect; nothing more needs to be added. On the cross the Lord Jesus said, "It is finished." Many people do not realize that God's redemption has been accomplished. They think that in order to be saved, they have to do some good. This is a foolish attempt to tear a patch of new cloth to mend the old garment.
I will illustrate this with a story. Once two persons were discussing religion. Mr. A asked Mr. B if he had a religion. Mr. B said that he did. Mr. A asked further what his religion was. Mr. B said that his religion was to try his best to do good, and that if he was good enough, he would be saved, but that if he was not good enough, he would perish. Mr. B then asked Mr. A what his religion was. Mr. A said that his religion was different from Mr. B's. He said that Mr. B had a "doing" religion, while his religion was a "done" religion. Indeed this is true. Many people today have the same kind of thought; they think that they have to do something. But the Bible shows us that it is not a matter of doing something or improving something, but a matter of what the Lord has already done. Jesus Christ has borne our sins on the cross. He declared on the cross, "It is finished." He has absolutely and fully accomplished everything. Therefore, we do not have to do anything anymore. All that we have to do now is to acknowledge that our garment is torn, that we are corrupt and cannot perform any good, and that we need the Lord to give us a new garment. If we try to make penance or resolutions to do good, we will end up making more penance and more resolutions. We can be saved only through trusting in the accomplished redemption. There is no other way except this way.
A carpenter once handed over his possessions to his son (who was also a carpenter) before his death. He told his son, "I have a wood cabinet in my room that I have finished. It is the best and most precious item among my possessions. I built it with the best wood and coated it with the best coatings. I built it and intended to use it myself. But now I am giving it to you." The son was also a carpenter, but was not as skillful as his father. In fact, he was a novice. Nevertheless, when he looked at the cabinet, he felt that something was missing. Before his father died, he took the cabinet and tried to add one or two drawers and some molding to the furniture. But what he added only diminished the beauty of the cabinet. His mother went and told the father about this, and he called his son over and said, "The cabinet was finished. You have only ruined it by your additions." Indeed, everything is ready, and there is no need to add anything.
This illustration shows us that the Lord has accomplished the work of redemption. He does not want anyone to add anything or do anything more. Suppose I invite you to a meal at my house. You may think that there are not enough bowls in my house and secretly hide a bowl and a set of chopsticks in your handkerchief. Or you may think that there will not be enough food and bring some bread along. Doing this would embarrass me as the host. As hosts, we may be negligent, but as the Host, God will never be negligent. The Lord says that those who come to Him, He will by no means cast out (John 6:37). Luke 14:17 also says, "Come, for all things are now ready." Friends, do you think that salvation is a matter of our bringing a bag of merit or a bag of good works to the Lord? Some say, "It is true that Jesus saves me, and that by believing in Him I will have eternal life. But I have to add some merit also, so that I can become more worthy of salvation and eternal life." If you do this, you are putting God to shame. We should realize that God has finished the work of redemption; there is no need to add anything to it. It is useless for us to try to be saved through our own works.
What will happen if you try to add something or cut out something? "No one tears a patch from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise, he will tear the new garment, and also the patch from the new will not match the old" (Luke 5:36). This means to ruin the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. It also means that the new and the old do not match one another. The words "will not match" in the original language mean "is not harmonious with." What is the meaning of not being harmonious with something? Suppose an old green gown is torn. If we mend it with a patch of new green cloth, the contrast in color will be like putting a piece of jade on a gold ring. In mending clothes, we have to put patches of similar color on the garment. If we put a patch of new cloth on an old garment, the color of the patch will show a sharp contrast at the torn spot and speak loudly that there is a mismatch. Friends, God's salvation is not only incompatible with our old garment, but it actually exposes our raggedness. The new and the old are totally incompatible with one another. If you have an old garment that needs to be mended, the best kind of mending is one that no one notices. What kind of mending is most conspicuous? It is mending with patches that are different in color from the garment. Although one may be very skillful in needlework, everyone will know that it is a mended garment if he puts white patches against a background of red or blue. (Of course, there is the question of the texture of the fabric also.) What is a mismatch? It is making others see the difference. Are you trying to patch your shortcomings with what the Lord Jesus has? The two do not match. If you believe in the Lord Jesus, you have to accept a brand-new garment. If you will only take a little patch, it will make things look worse. If you accept the Lord absolutely, God's righteousness will cover your shame. But if you try to take a patch of God's righteousness (the new garment) and mend it to yourself, it will only make you look worse.
The teachings of Jesus Christ are the unfulled cloth; they cannot save us. It is His finished redemption that saves us. However, we cannot take a patch from this redemption to mend our ragged conduct. We can only totally place before God the best of humanity and human behavior and put on God's new garment. We can never say, "It is true that Jesus has saved me. But I am merely patching His redemption onto my torn garment." Today God wants us to throw away our torn garment and put on a new garment. Thank the Lord that I have never seen one person without a torn garment; I have never seen one person who is not a sinner. Even among us today, everyone has a torn garment, and everyone is a sinner. Every man is a sinner; there is no exception. Everyone's garment is torn. But thank the Lord that with Him is the new garment. There is no reason that a person should refuse this new garment. Hallelujah! The redemption of Jesus Christ is sufficient to save us. Even if there is a man who is called the greatest sinner on earth, a new garment is waiting for him. If there is a woman who is called the greatest sinner on earth, a new garment is waiting for her. From now on, if a man is not saved, it is not because there is not a new garment. If anyone perishes, it will not be because he is incapable of mending clothes, but because he will not put on the new garment. From now on, man is not saved by his works; he is saved by one thing only: believing and receiving the accomplished work of the Lord Jesus. In the future, when one goes to heaven and finds Paul, or Peter, they will admit that their garments are torn. No one can boast that his mending work is better than others. As long as one believes, he will enter into heaven. Sinners, you have heard today that salvation is not a matter of being a good person or a bad person. Salvation depends on whether you will receive Him or reject Him today. All those who receive Jesus Christ will be saved.
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life." Hallelujah! This is a fact. If there is a trembling sinner sitting here, he should listen. The Son of God has passed through death, and the new garment is ready. All you have to do is to put it on. Hallelujah! Salvation does not depend on how much your work is worth, but on how much the cross of Calvary is worth. Your work is worth nothing with respect to salvation. The only thing that has real value is the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
