5:36 The Markan (2:21) and Matthean (9:16) parallels help us understand this parable by noting that the patch is from an unshrunk piece of cloth (it will shrink). The new patch will destroy the old clothing. There has been much discussion about how to apply this truth. It seems to emphasize the need to be flexible in one’s faith. However, one must be careful as to the nature and extent of this flexibility. It is a condemnation of rabbinical Judaism’s literalistic interpretation of the Oral Tradition.