Saying 47

English

Jesus said, ‘It is impossible for a person to mount two horses or to bend two bows. And it is impossible for a slave to serve two masters. He would honor the one and insult the other.’

‘No one drinks old wine and immediately wants to drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old wineskins, in case they might tear. And old wine is not put into a new wineskin, in case it might spoil. An old patch is not sewn onto new clothing, because there would be a tear.’

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Interpretation

Saying 47 comprises two teachings, with the first being used to interpret the second, so that both sayings illustrate that accepting the authority of Jesus’ rivals is tantamount to rejecting Jesus himself. Matthew use the first teaching in a somewhat unnatural way, where one of the ‘masters’ is God while the other is the concept of accumulating wealth. Luke follows Matthew. The second teaching is given without much context in Mark, other than it follows shortly after a brief question regarding fasting. Matthew and Luke simply copy Mark. What it originally meant is ambiguous. The varied forms and applications of either teaching in the four gospels may indicate Saying 47 belongs to the earliest version of Thomas.

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Parallels

Mark

2.21–22 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak. Otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins, but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’

Matthew

6.24 ‘No one can serve two masters. For a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’

9.16–17 ‘No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed, but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.’

Luke

5.36–39 He also told them a parable. ‘No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment, otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says the old is good.’

16.13 ‘No slave can serve two masters. For a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’