“…But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days…” (Mark 2:20)
When this verse is read in many circles, questions pop up as to what Jesus meant that ‘the time is coming when his disciples would fast’. Some have boldly preached that Jesus was referring to our time when He is not ‘physically’ present with us on the earth as He was in the gospels with the disciples.
I am fully aware that the flesh of man likes to ‘work’ in order to justify itself. Hence, when we read certain scriptures, we MUST be aware that our flesh would want to interpret it in a way that fills us with false holiness. A teacher of the New covenant must be careful not to allow this to happen. I remember when I first came across a verse in the Bible: “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (Col 2:21)
Immediately, my mind was filled with rules and regulations on things I must not handle, things I must not taste and things I must not touch! There is nobody I will preach the above verse to in the context my mind interpreted it above, that will not say ‘Amen’…and view me as a true minister of God!
But… When I chose to elevate the integrity of scriptures ABOVE what my mind feels it should be saying, I realized I had been in error. Contextual reading of the Bible disproved my pious yet carnal approach to the scriptures! Now look at the context of that verse:
‘…If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, WHY, as if you were living in the world, DO YOU submit yourself to decrees, such as, “DO NOT HANDLE, DO NOT TASTE, DO NOT TOUCH!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and TEACHINGS OF MEN?…’ (Col 2:20-22)
The direct opposite of what my mind suggested! It was actually teaching freedom in the light of the Gospel. This is one clear reason we must be careful not to allow our flesh get in the way of what the Bible really teaches. Permit another example.
I asked a friend yesterday, ‘…God justifies the__________’ His response was fast: ‘the righteous’.Such a logical response to be understood by anyone.But I told him to read Romans 4:5And he was stunned.
‘…However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the UNGODLY, their faith is credited as righteousness…’ (Romans 4:5)
Before labelling a gospel teacher as heretic, be sure you yourself are in sync with what scriptures clearly teach. I believe I have stressed this enough about disallowing your fleshly self-righteousness from interrupting the true contextual meaning of a verse. So back to our main topic: what did Jesus mean when He said:
“…But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days…” (Mark 2:20)
The key to understanding this verse is to realize the initial answer Jesus gave to the Pharisees who came to ask Him about His disciples who never fasted…just few verses earlier. First, the following is very significant:
“…Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” (Matthew 9:14)
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples DO NOT fast?” (Mark 2:18)
Please take note of the word: DO NOT. They never fasted! Despite His supernatural fast in the wilderness, fasting was NOT something Jesus taught His disciples to do! On the contrary, they were known for NOT fasting. It is a great error to overlook this fact.
Now let us look at the rest of these two passages to understand the theological significance:
‘…The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? AS LONG AS THEY HAVE THE BRIDEGROOM WITH THEM THEY CANNOT FAST. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.’ (Mark 2:18-20)
Now compare this with the same text in Matthew.
‘…Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom MOURN as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will FAST…’ (Matthew 9:14-15)
Fasting is a sign of mourning as Jesus makes it clear here as recorded by Matthew, and mourning is an INAPPROPRIATE DEMEANOUR FOR THE CHRISTIAN. (In my upcoming post, I will be explaining why fasting was a sign of mourning in the Old Testament).
On the contrary, the Christian life should be characterized by JOY, even in the midst of adversity (e.g. John 15:11, 16:22; Acts 13:52; Romans 14:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 1:4). This simply questions any religious practice denoting mourning, such as fasting in its old testament application, as completely INAPPROPRIATE. It is not I who say this, but Jesus who said that as long as WE HAVE THE bridegroom, which is Jesus, with us, we cannot fast. So, let it be clear to us at this point that left to Jesus, if we HAVE Him, fasting is unnecessary.
Now, what about the following line, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days”? Well, when was the bridegroom taken away from them?The fastest error to make here is to say Jesus was referring to our own time now…. and that we in the New covenant will now start fasting.Fleshly, prideful and false pious response to the core!
This statement is not rocket science. Jesus has made it clear that the fasting they continued in was ‘mourning’. So when was His disciples supposed to fast (mourn)? Follow carefully and consider Jesus’ discuss with His disciples in John 16:19-22:
‘…Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? Most assuredly, I say to you that YOU WILL WEEP AND LAMENT, but the world will rejoice; and you will be SORROWFUL, but your sorrow WILL BE TURNED INTO JOY. A woman, when she is in labor, has SORROW because her hour has come; BUT AS SOON AS SHE HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO THE CHILD, SHE NO LONGER REMEMBERS THE ANGUISH, FOR JOY that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; BUT I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN AND YOUR HEART WILL REJOICE, AND YOUR JOY NO ONE WILL TAKE FROM YOU.” (John 16:19-22)
Oh Hallelujah!!! The bridegroom, then, is “taken away from them” BETWEEN the time of His death on the cross and His resurrection. This was NOT referring to after the resurrection but the timeline BETWEEN His crucifixion and resurrection! During that time, the disciples indeed “will weep and lament … and … be sorrowful” but their “sorrow will be turned into joy” when they see the risen Jesus; their hearts rejoice and joy becomes a permanent possession of theirs. That sorrowing was their FASTING!!! And, furthermore, thereafter He remains with us always, as He says in Matthew 28:20b:
“… LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE.”
And again in Hebrews 13:5b:
… HE HIMSELF HAS SAID, “I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.”
So let us with all sincerity connect the dots:
“As long as they have [Jesus] with them they CANNOT fast …” [Jesus] is with [them] always, even to the end of the age.”
Q.E.D. Unguarded and religious continuous declaration of GROUP Fasting is not only unnecessary for the Christian life, it is inappropriate and sends the wrong message.
Fasting is a pillar of Islam. To equate it as a pillar of Christianity is absolute ignorance. Jesus is the CHIEF CORNERSTONE of our faith. (Eph. 2:20) If fasting was to be the practice after Jesus resurrected, then we will have a little problem to deal with. This is because of occasions that took place after the Resurrection (the time some people teach fasting was necessary):
1) When He came to the disciples in the upper room…He ATE with them! In fact, Jesus used EATING to prove His presence.
‘…But while they still did not believe for joy, and marvelled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And HE TOOK IT AND ATE IN THEIR PRESENCE…’ (Luke 24:41-43)
2) When He was with the disciples from Emmaus — one of the first things Jesus did was to eat! In fact, Jesus was a guest that became the HOST!
‘…And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that HE TOOK BREAD, blessed and broke it, and GAVE IT to them…’ (Luke 24:29-30)
3) One of His last activities on earth was to prepare and eat a meal of broiled fish with the Apostles. He even did this on a river bank!
‘…Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread…Jesus said to them, “COME AND EAT BREAKFAST.’ (John 21:9,12)
Instead of come and FAST…He said come and eat breakFAST. The Jesus I read of… who is also the Jesus I worship daily, loves to feast me up than fast me down. And notice how the book of Matthew ends: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age!” The Lord is with us, and His presence in our lives is a motivation for joy, and guess what was given to the church to do in REMEMBERANCE of Jesus?
4) The symbol of His presence is the Lord’s Supper, not sorrow and fasting. Paul made the church of Corinthians to EAT as a remembrance of Jesus.
‘…For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner, He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in REMEMBRANCE of Me.” (1Cor 11:23-25)
Some Grace circles totally removed the communion and replaced with fasting. Bravo. Some people will say: ‘but the early church’ fasted in Acts 13:1-2 and Jesus taught that ‘when ye fast’ in Matthew 6:16. Another fuller post on these will come soonest.
In conclusion, returning to the story about Jesus and fasting in Mark 2:18-20, it is very important to note how the story ends, with Jesus’ parable about wineskins immediately after Jesus answered the Pharisees that His disciples could not fast.
‘…No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”
In the context, the “old wineskins” are the religious practice of compulsory fasting, and the new wine is the celebration of spiritual life in Jesus, a decisive rejection by Jesus against imposing fasting upon His disciples.
The new wine is a promise of the fullness of the Spirit by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This story is contained in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, an indication of how important the Apostles felt this teaching was for the life of the Church. Hallelujah.
My aim for teaching this hard is to bring any believer who cares, to that point of Rest in their walk with Jesus, where they can be assured of consistent spiritual growth in the truth of the gospel even without fasting! It is very possible, and is the design of the new covenant.
Fasting is not wrong but your prayer life CAN and SHOULD be effective even without fasting. Our aim as Christian should be a STABLE spiritual life and growth in the Grace of our Lord Jesus.
If you got this, then I have no problem with any believer fasting.If your prayer life is on the progressive, fasting is not mandatory.And Yes, your prayer life can be progressive without rigorous or religious declaration of fastings.
Only the true Gospel of Jesus can help you find this out. I believe this post is a blessing.
Remain sincerely under Grace.
Amen.
“…But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days…” (Mark 2:20)
When this verse is read in many circles, questions pop up as to what Jesus meant that ‘the time is coming when his disciples would fast’. Some have boldly preached that Jesus was referring to our time when He is not ‘physically’ present with us on the earth as He was in the gospels with the disciples.
I am fully aware that the flesh of man likes to ‘work’ in order to justify itself. Hence, when we read certain scriptures, we MUST be aware that our flesh would want to interpret it in a way that fills us with false holiness. A teacher of the New covenant must be careful not to allow this to happen. I remember when I first came across a verse in the Bible: “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (Col 2:21)
Immediately, my mind was filled with rules and regulations on things I must not handle, things I must not taste and things I must not touch! There is nobody I will preach the above verse to in the context my mind interpreted it above, that will not say ‘Amen’…and view me as a true minister of God!
But… When I chose to elevate the integrity of scriptures ABOVE what my mind feels it should be saying, I realized I had been in error. Contextual reading of the Bible disproved my pious yet carnal approach to the scriptures! Now look at the context of that verse:
‘…If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, WHY, as if you were living in the world, DO YOU submit yourself to decrees, such as, “DO NOT HANDLE, DO NOT TASTE, DO NOT TOUCH!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and TEACHINGS OF MEN?…’ (Col 2:20-22)
The direct opposite of what my mind suggested! It was actually teaching freedom in the light of the Gospel. This is one clear reason we must be careful not to allow our flesh get in the way of what the Bible really teaches. Permit another example.
I asked a friend yesterday, ‘…God justifies the__________’ His response was fast: ‘the righteous’.Such a logical response to be understood by anyone.But I told him to read Romans 4:5And he was stunned.
‘…However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the UNGODLY, their faith is credited as righteousness…’ (Romans 4:5)
Before labelling a gospel teacher as heretic, be sure you yourself are in sync with what scriptures clearly teach. I believe I have stressed this enough about disallowing your fleshly self-righteousness from interrupting the true contextual meaning of a verse. So back to our main topic: what did Jesus mean when He said:
“…But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days…” (Mark 2:20)
The key to understanding this verse is to realize the initial answer Jesus gave to the Pharisees who came to ask Him about His disciples who never fasted…just few verses earlier. First, the following is very significant:
“…Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” (Matthew 9:14)
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples DO NOT fast?” (Mark 2:18)
Please take note of the word: DO NOT. They never fasted! Despite His supernatural fast in the wilderness, fasting was NOT something Jesus taught His disciples to do! On the contrary, they were known for NOT fasting. It is a great error to overlook this fact.
Now let us look at the rest of these two passages to understand the theological significance:
‘…The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? AS LONG AS THEY HAVE THE BRIDEGROOM WITH THEM THEY CANNOT FAST. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.’ (Mark 2:18-20)
Now compare this with the same text in Matthew.
‘…Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom MOURN as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will FAST…’ (Matthew 9:14-15)
Fasting is a sign of mourning as Jesus makes it clear here as recorded by Matthew, and mourning is an INAPPROPRIATE DEMEANOUR FOR THE CHRISTIAN. (In my upcoming post, I will be explaining why fasting was a sign of mourning in the Old Testament).
On the contrary, the Christian life should be characterized by JOY, even in the midst of adversity (e.g. John 15:11, 16:22; Acts 13:52; Romans 14:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 1:4). This simply questions any religious practice denoting mourning, such as fasting in its old testament application, as completely INAPPROPRIATE. It is not I who say this, but Jesus who said that as long as WE HAVE THE bridegroom, which is Jesus, with us, we cannot fast. So, let it be clear to us at this point that left to Jesus, if we HAVE Him, fasting is unnecessary.
Now, what about the following line, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days”? Well, when was the bridegroom taken away from them?The fastest error to make here is to say Jesus was referring to our own time now…. and that we in the New covenant will now start fasting.Fleshly, prideful and false pious response to the core!
This statement is not rocket science. Jesus has made it clear that the fasting they continued in was ‘mourning’. So when was His disciples supposed to fast (mourn)? Follow carefully and consider Jesus’ discuss with His disciples in John 16:19-22:
‘…Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? Most assuredly, I say to you that YOU WILL WEEP AND LAMENT, but the world will rejoice; and you will be SORROWFUL, but your sorrow WILL BE TURNED INTO JOY. A woman, when she is in labor, has SORROW because her hour has come; BUT AS SOON AS SHE HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO THE CHILD, SHE NO LONGER REMEMBERS THE ANGUISH, FOR JOY that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; BUT I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN AND YOUR HEART WILL REJOICE, AND YOUR JOY NO ONE WILL TAKE FROM YOU.” (John 16:19-22)
Oh Hallelujah!!! The bridegroom, then, is “taken away from them” BETWEEN the time of His death on the cross and His resurrection. This was NOT referring to after the resurrection but the timeline BETWEEN His crucifixion and resurrection! During that time, the disciples indeed “will weep and lament … and … be sorrowful” but their “sorrow will be turned into joy” when they see the risen Jesus; their hearts rejoice and joy becomes a permanent possession of theirs. That sorrowing was their FASTING!!! And, furthermore, thereafter He remains with us always, as He says in Matthew 28:20b:
“… LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE.”
And again in Hebrews 13:5b:
… HE HIMSELF HAS SAID, “I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.”
So let us with all sincerity connect the dots:
“As long as they have [Jesus] with them they CANNOT fast …” [Jesus] is with [them] always, even to the end of the age.”
Q.E.D. Unguarded and religious continuous declaration of GROUP Fasting is not only unnecessary for the Christian life, it is inappropriate and sends the wrong message.
Fasting is a pillar of Islam. To equate it as a pillar of Christianity is absolute ignorance. Jesus is the CHIEF CORNERSTONE of our faith. (Eph. 2:20) If fasting was to be the practice after Jesus resurrected, then we will have a little problem to deal with. This is because of occasions that took place after the Resurrection (the time some people teach fasting was necessary):
1) When He came to the disciples in the upper room…He ATE with them! In fact, Jesus used EATING to prove His presence.
‘…But while they still did not believe for joy, and marvelled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And HE TOOK IT AND ATE IN THEIR PRESENCE…’ (Luke 24:41-43)
2) When He was with the disciples from Emmaus — one of the first things Jesus did was to eat! In fact, Jesus was a guest that became the HOST!
‘…And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that HE TOOK BREAD, blessed and broke it, and GAVE IT to them…’ (Luke 24:29-30)
3) One of His last activities on earth was to prepare and eat a meal of broiled fish with the Apostles. He even did this on a river bank!
‘…Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread…Jesus said to them, “COME AND EAT BREAKFAST.’ (John 21:9,12)
Instead of come and FAST…He said come and eat breakFAST. The Jesus I read of… who is also the Jesus I worship daily, loves to feast me up than fast me down. And notice how the book of Matthew ends: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age!” The Lord is with us, and His presence in our lives is a motivation for joy, and guess what was given to the church to do in REMEMBERANCE of Jesus?
4) The symbol of His presence is the Lord’s Supper, not sorrow and fasting. Paul made the church of Corinthians to EAT as a remembrance of Jesus.
‘…For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner, He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in REMEMBRANCE of Me.” (1Cor 11:23-25)
Some Grace circles totally removed the communion and replaced with fasting. Bravo. Some people will say: ‘but the early church’ fasted in Acts 13:1-2 and Jesus taught that ‘when ye fast’ in Matthew 6:16. Another fuller post on these will come soonest.
In conclusion, returning to the story about Jesus and fasting in Mark 2:18-20, it is very important to note how the story ends, with Jesus’ parable about wineskins immediately after Jesus answered the Pharisees that His disciples could not fast.
‘…No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”
In the context, the “old wineskins” are the religious practice of compulsory fasting, and the new wine is the celebration of spiritual life in Jesus, a decisive rejection by Jesus against imposing fasting upon His disciples.
The new wine is a promise of the fullness of the Spirit by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This story is contained in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, an indication of how important the Apostles felt this teaching was for the life of the Church. Hallelujah.
My aim for teaching this hard is to bring any believer who cares, to that point of Rest in their walk with Jesus, where they can be assured of consistent spiritual growth in the truth of the gospel even without fasting! It is very possible, and is the design of the new covenant.
Fasting is not wrong but your prayer life CAN and SHOULD be effective even without fasting. Our aim as Christian should be a STABLE spiritual life and growth in the Grace of our Lord Jesus.
If you got this, then I have no problem with any believer fasting.If your prayer life is on the progressive, fasting is not mandatory.And Yes, your prayer life can be progressive without rigorous or religious declaration of fastings.
Only the true Gospel of Jesus can help you find this out. I believe this post is a blessing.
Remain sincerely under Grace.
Amen.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.