Lent - Day 5
Questions about Fasting
"Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were often fasting. So people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t Your disciples fast like John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees?”
Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? As long as He is with them, they cannot fast. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast." Mark 2:18-20
Reading through and feeding our soul through the Book of Mark in 40 days. This seems to be what we have now set out to do in this Series on Lent. A daunting one, but if we take it day to day, we will make it.
Yesterday, we saw the first time that the scribes, teachers of the law and Pharisees questioned the unorthodox ways Jesus was doing. In a way they were like paparazzis following Jesus -- looking at everything He was doing, maybe even sending spies to stalk Him and report back to them, their Roman leaders or Chief Priest. No doubt, because the Jewish religious leaders were getting concerned because Jesus has been creating quite a storm for doing things that are quite unusual, supernatural even but mostly unacceptable or contrary to their traditions.
We will do this to anyone, even today.
Question
This was a follow up question to the one they asked yesterday. And this time, because they noticed Jesus and His group seemed to be always eating together, so they asked "why" aren't they fasting like the other religious people.
We have mentioned that sometimes Jesus answers a question with a question. Or with a metaphor or a parable.
Well this time He did all that.
His simple response to "why" was "how".
"How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?"
For sure how can they?
He was equating Himself to a bridegroom and that everyone else with Him were guests. So at this time they were celebrating, eating together -- this was not a time to fast.
Eating and Drinking
And come to think about it, many times will we read that Jesus and His group of followers will be eating together. This for sure made the religious leaders upset.
Because many of them, would have their somber look on and are in ashes or sack cloths and they do so sometimes only for appearances sake, or for the wrong reasons or so that people can ask them why they look like that.
This becomes opportunities for them to respond that they are fasting and doing something for the Lord, for they long to receive praise for doing "righteous" things. Style points.
Fasting
Now Jesus has no need of any of that. He did not come to get praise or approval from anybody on earth.
He did add that "the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast."
And Jesus "was taken" after about three years. And the time to fast for His followers did come, from that point on up until now.
Bridegroom
In this metaphor, remember Jesus is the bridegroom. He went away to prepare a place for His bride and He will return to take His bride to live with Him there. He did not explain or elaborate on this story just yet and we will not do so as well.
Now, we know why Christians do fast.
And we are doing so in this 40 day Lenten journey. We are starving our flesh while feeding our soul. If you are serious about learning about Jesus or recommiting your life to Him or just curious. Then decide right now to spend quiet times reading the Book of Mark with us. And praying, fasting and abstaining from things that would have used your time otherwise. This is Day 5.
"Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were often fasting. So people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t Your disciples fast like John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees?”
Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? As long as He is with them, they cannot fast. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast." Mark 2:18-20
Reading through and feeding our soul through the Book of Mark in 40 days. This seems to be what we have now set out to do in this Series on Lent. A daunting one, but if we take it day to day, we will make it.
Yesterday, we saw the first time that the scribes, teachers of the law and Pharisees questioned the unorthodox ways Jesus was doing. In a way they were like paparazzis following Jesus -- looking at everything He was doing, maybe even sending spies to stalk Him and report back to them, their Roman leaders or Chief Priest. No doubt, because the Jewish religious leaders were getting concerned because Jesus has been creating quite a storm for doing things that are quite unusual, supernatural even but mostly unacceptable or contrary to their traditions.
We will do this to anyone, even today.
Question
This was a follow up question to the one they asked yesterday. And this time, because they noticed Jesus and His group seemed to be always eating together, so they asked "why" aren't they fasting like the other religious people.
We have mentioned that sometimes Jesus answers a question with a question. Or with a metaphor or a parable.
Well this time He did all that.
His simple response to "why" was "how".
"How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?"
For sure how can they?
He was equating Himself to a bridegroom and that everyone else with Him were guests. So at this time they were celebrating, eating together -- this was not a time to fast.
Eating and Drinking
And come to think about it, many times will we read that Jesus and His group of followers will be eating together. This for sure made the religious leaders upset.
Because many of them, would have their somber look on and are in ashes or sack cloths and they do so sometimes only for appearances sake, or for the wrong reasons or so that people can ask them why they look like that.
This becomes opportunities for them to respond that they are fasting and doing something for the Lord, for they long to receive praise for doing "righteous" things. Style points.
Fasting
Now Jesus has no need of any of that. He did not come to get praise or approval from anybody on earth.
He did add that "the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast."
And Jesus "was taken" after about three years. And the time to fast for His followers did come, from that point on up until now.
Bridegroom
In this metaphor, remember Jesus is the bridegroom. He went away to prepare a place for His bride and He will return to take His bride to live with Him there. He did not explain or elaborate on this story just yet and we will not do so as well.
Now, we know why Christians do fast.
And we are doing so in this 40 day Lenten journey. We are starving our flesh while feeding our soul. If you are serious about learning about Jesus or recommiting your life to Him or just curious. Then decide right now to spend quiet times reading the Book of Mark with us. And praying, fasting and abstaining from things that would have used your time otherwise. This is Day 5.
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