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.”
I do not enjoy fasting.
We live in a world where every message in the media seems to tell us to indulge and to treat ourselves. Fasting pushes in the opposite direction, denying ourselves the basic substance of life in order to reorient ourselves to the Kingdom that Jesus promised and push back against the cultural tides that overwhelm us. I find it uncomfortable and unnatural. I do not enjoy fasting.
In this passage Jesus is confronted by the followers of John the Baptist, asking why they don't fast. They seemed too secular by Jewish standards. John's followers believed that performing religious practices was the way in which they pleased God and Jesus' followers were being strangely undisciplined. Jesus' reply may seem strange to us, we drink wine from glass bottles and we throw away tatty clothes. However, even if we don't fully understand how wineskins work, Jesus' point is simple and clear: he has no intention of patching up an old religious system or continuing what has been before. He is bringing something that is a totally fresh start and a new way to relate to God. It will be like fresh wine, like a new outfit.
So is this a ray of light for people like me who don't like to fast? Does this mean that we don't need to? Yes. But also definitely no. The point of this passage is not that we no longer need to fast. Jesus says that when he leaves the disciples that they will begin to fast as well. The early church fasted as part of their weekly rhythms. However, their relationship with fasting and expectations had completely changed. For followers of Jesus, following spiritual practices do not make you right with God (that is what Jesus did for us on the cross). However, spiritual disciplines do transform us to become more like Jesus. We build our lives with spiritual disciplines because they draw us closer to God, who we know has forgiven us and loves us. So as I hunger for food, I remember that I am even more hungry for the Kingdom of God to transform our world.
Reflect
- What has your experience of fasting been?
- How have you seen spiritual disciplines changed you or someone you know?
- Is there anything that you are more hungry for than food?
Respond
Pause and pray. Consider spending a day fasting to draw closer to God.
