Jesus Questioned About Fasting - Matthew 9:14-17
Jesus Questioned About Fasting
14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. 16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Reflection: We see again today Jesus is questioned about why his disciples don't fast as do the disciples of John. The fact is John's disciples were trained in a prophetic school with practices like these, whereas Jesus' disciples came from very common backgrounds like fishing and tax collecting. But the larger point Jesus is making is that the Pharisees had made a fatal error. They had made a means of grace, a tool for devotion like fasting, into the object of their devotion. Therefore they began to judge people based their zeal for religious exercises rather devotion to Christ.
Jesus is not condemning fasting, but he is pointing out that this is a time for rejoicing because the bridegroom was among them. But the Pharisees were so focused on their forms (wineskins and garments) that they missed what's in the wineskins, Jesus. They threw the baby out with the bath water. Of course there would be a time for fasting, like when Jesus was in the garden and Jesus had asked them to keep a prayer watch. But right now was not that time.
It can often be the case when a more mature Christian expects a new believer to be just like them, rather than creating an environment where the believer can grow at a sustainable pace in God's timing. This story shows we can often be enamored with our own devotion and it can become a source of pride, rather than leading to a deeper humility which is shown to others who may be a little less further along the path. It is is so easy for our flesh to turn our devotional efforts into a way to celebrate our own religiosity, rather than bringing us closer to the Bride of Christ so we can serve him more faithfully.
What is your experience here? Reflect on where you are at on the continuum. When and where are you tempted to be like the Pharisees who lifted up their forms above the substance of the form, Jesus?
Jesus as we seek you may it never be an occasion to Lord it over others. Help us to meet others where they are in their spiritual journey and share the grace we have been given. Amen.
14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. 16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Reflection: We see again today Jesus is questioned about why his disciples don't fast as do the disciples of John. The fact is John's disciples were trained in a prophetic school with practices like these, whereas Jesus' disciples came from very common backgrounds like fishing and tax collecting. But the larger point Jesus is making is that the Pharisees had made a fatal error. They had made a means of grace, a tool for devotion like fasting, into the object of their devotion. Therefore they began to judge people based their zeal for religious exercises rather devotion to Christ.
Jesus is not condemning fasting, but he is pointing out that this is a time for rejoicing because the bridegroom was among them. But the Pharisees were so focused on their forms (wineskins and garments) that they missed what's in the wineskins, Jesus. They threw the baby out with the bath water. Of course there would be a time for fasting, like when Jesus was in the garden and Jesus had asked them to keep a prayer watch. But right now was not that time.
It can often be the case when a more mature Christian expects a new believer to be just like them, rather than creating an environment where the believer can grow at a sustainable pace in God's timing. This story shows we can often be enamored with our own devotion and it can become a source of pride, rather than leading to a deeper humility which is shown to others who may be a little less further along the path. It is is so easy for our flesh to turn our devotional efforts into a way to celebrate our own religiosity, rather than bringing us closer to the Bride of Christ so we can serve him more faithfully.
What is your experience here? Reflect on where you are at on the continuum. When and where are you tempted to be like the Pharisees who lifted up their forms above the substance of the form, Jesus?
Jesus as we seek you may it never be an occasion to Lord it over others. Help us to meet others where they are in their spiritual journey and share the grace we have been given. Amen.
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