June 29

A New Garment

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, and a worse tear will result. — Mark 2:21 BSB

Christ didn’t come to this world to patch up an old religion. He didn’t merely mend a hole here or beautify a spot there. He came to make all things new. When He saves a sinner, He doesn’t just cover over some bad spots or sew patches over rips in the fabric of our lives. Gospel work is not patchwork. Jesus weaves a new garment for us, without seam or flaw.

We might try to reform ourselves from the outside, but there’s sin in the very fabric of our hearts. The blemishes will always find their way to the surface and mar the beauty. The only real change must come from within. A new heart is needed for true transformation, and only Christ can give that.

There’s an old story of a mother who lost her child and tried to fill the void by painting a photograph of her beloved little one. Each time she finished the portrait, the image would soon be marred by blotches and blemishes that came from flaws in the paper. No amount of repainting could fix it. In the same way, no outside effort can fix a heart corrupted by sin. The change must be in the heart itself for beauty to be lasting.