Anchor My Faith

The Question of Fasting

Scripture: Mk 2:18-20; Lk 5:33

In the previous lesson, Jesus was having a feast with Levi and other sinners and was criticized by the scribes of the Pharisees for doing so. Jesus tells them that it is sinners and not the righteous that he came to help and that they should go learn the difference between mercy and sacrifice because they are found to be somewhat short on showing love to those in need.

As we move along the gospel path we encounter the disciples of John the Baptist again. ^{“Mk 2:18} Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and ^{Lk 5:33} they said to [Jesus], “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink [and do not fast].”’ The people noticed a difference in behavior between the disciples of Jesus and those of John and the Pharisees and they came to Jesus to find out why his disciples didn’t fast like the others. In Old Testament times, various kinds of fasts were practiced, but the only one that was required was the one on the Day of Atonement. Fasting is to be a matter of the heart between the believer and God and under the right circumstances, the disciples of Jesus would be expected to fast also. Is there a reason why they might be refraining at this time?

 ^{“Mk 2:19} And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.”’ There is a reason why the disciples are not fasting like everyone else; it is because this is a special time. Jesus is identifying himself as a bridegroom and his disciples as invited guests and while the guests are with the bridegroom, it is to be a time of celebration, not a time of fasting.

The implication of what Jesus is saying is that there is going to be a wedding and he is the bridegroom. A wedding also includes a bride and guests. The bride is to be made up of believers and is described as the church in Ephesians 5:25 – 27 and Revelation 19:7, but who are the guests. It appears that these guests include Old Testament saints. At the time when Jesus spoke of his disciples as wedding guests, they were not yet a part of the bride of Christ.

Jesus continues with his response to the disciples of John: ^{“Mk 2:20} The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.” Jesus here indicates that a time is coming when he will be taken from them, through his death on the cross, and then his disciples will fast like the others.

This prompts Jesus to tell them a parable, which we will start the next lesson with.

Prayer

Father, each lesson adds more information about Jesus. In this lesson we learn about Jesus being a bridegroom, which implies there is a bride that we will learn about. Some lessons also raise questions like the one raised here. Who are the guest at the wedding of Jesus and his bride? I find division on whether Old Testament saints are part of the bride or not. If so when did they receive the Holy Spirit, which began at Pentecost? Father, there is much for us to learn as we progress along the gospel path together with Jesus.