In these verses, Jesus uses well-known domestic illustrations to demonstrate that new life from God cannot be contained within the rules of religion.  The first story is about mending old cloth with new material.  The old material is worn, and its ability to resist tearing has gone.  That is why something needs to be done.  But the problem is that the new fabric is stronger than the old and will make it tear more when the material is pulled.  

In a different illustration, Jesus said that once a wineskin (the skin of a sheep or goat, cleaned, tanned and waterproofed then bound with a fibre string) had been used, it would become rigid and brittle.  If new wine was poured into it, continuing fermentation would produce gas: the increased pressure would burst an old wineskin, and all the wine would be lost.

These were riddles which the trainee apostles would later understand.  They both pointed to the same truth: new life from God through Jesus needs to be put into a new heart.  Jesus was not content to patch up a broken religious system or to pour His Holy Spirit into a failed legalistic structure.  He wanted people renewed by the truth and eager for a whole new life.  And that is exactly what happens when people believe in Jesus: they experience the power of God in a submissive and serving heart.  They become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).

And yet so many people still misunderstand what faith in Christ is all about.  They think it is about trying hard to be good and following religious rules.  Instead, faith allows the explosive power of God's love to invade a sinner's heart.  It is not about patching up a poor pattern of behaviour, but becoming a new creation.  God gives His Holy Spirit to sinners who are weary of rebellion, and who confess their need for cleansing and renewal.  Faith in Jesus is not about what we can do for God, but welcoming what He has done for us.  Live that life today, and as you advertise the power of the risen Saviour, be ready to answer people's questions (1 Peter 3:15).