Matthew 9:14-17

Jesus Explains Fasting To Religious Leaders

15 And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 "But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.

17 "Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."

What Is Fasting?

Many people are not completely sure what fasting means. Wikipedia(tm) explains fasting as ...

"primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting.

Fasting practices may preclude sexual activity as well as food, in addition to refraining from eating certain types or groups of foods; for example, one might refrain from eating meat. A complete fast in its traditional definition is abstinence of all food and liquids except for water.

Fasting for religious and spiritual reasons has been a part of human custom since pre-history. It is mentioned in the Bible, in both the Old Testament (the Tanach) and New Testament, the Qur'an, the Mahabharata, and the Upanishads. Fasting is also practiced in many other religious traditions and spiritual practices."

Who Were John's Disciples?

In this passage, the disciples of John mentioned here are the followers of John the Baptist who announced the coming of Christ to the people.

When reading about the ministry of John the Baptist we find that his message was one of the law and repentance. As with us, people of this time period found it impossible to live up to every single letter of the law so were very curious as to why Jesus' disciples were not fasting according to the law.

It is fairly clear that John's disciples did not completely understand the ministry of Jesus which was one of life - the second step after repentance. They had not yet taken that step.

Mourning And Fasting

Jesus relates the kingdom of heaven as a bridal feast. He is the bridegroom and the disciples are the bride. Weddings are happy occasions and fasting and deprival is more in tune with mourning. A bride does not feel sadness when she is with the groom so fasting is not called for.

So, this passage is not so much about fasting as it's about giving up the old ways of tradition and law. Jesus brought a new ministry of forgiveness and the promise of everlasting life to those who believe.

So, should we fast and mourn because of the past or should we share the joy and future that is in Jesus Christ?

Love in Christ

- Bob

Matthew 9:1-8 - Baptist Bible Study Shows Jesus Healing the Paralyzed Man - In this lesson Jesus teaches there is more to healing than just relieving pain or illness. There is also a need to heal and forgive sins.