Verse: Matthew 9:14-15
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Devotion
I think this couple of verses and the ones that come after it can be pretty confusing. So I’m going to try to break it down and understand it better. First, the disciples of John mentioned are the followers of John the Baptist. They followed Jewish customs and fasted at the appropriate times. Jesus disciples apparently did not. The ministry of John the Baptist was definitely one of calling people to repentance, so it makes sense. This is one of those windows into what is was like, walking directly with Jesus. We find small instances in other parts of the gospels as well, where we see Jesus not insisting that his disciples uphold the letter of the law. He understood and taught them to understand what the spirit was behind the law.
Fasting, in Jewish tradition, is a practice that often denotes mourning or repentance. And Jesus is calling himself the bridegroom. The presence of a “bridegroom” suggests the presence of a bride, and a wedding celebration. Not a place or time for fasting. Fasting, or saying no to food (or something else) usually is meant to bring us closer to God, longing for his presence, and if he’s right there with you, in the flesh, there’s no need to fast! Jesus made it clear that there would be an appropriate time to fast. Jesus, who came to fulfill the law with his perfect life, knew that we still need the law, but now, it does not condemn us to death.
There are still appropriate times to fast, however, and it can be a very healthy discipline that allows us to reach out to the Lord for strength, for when we are weak, He is strong. And we, as the bride of Christ, are waiting for him to return, so that we can again celebrate that he is with us. Limiting ourselves, whether with food, or tv, or social media, or whatever we might dip ourselves with, can be a great way to reset our priorities, learn more about ourselves, and grow in closeness to Jesus. Many of the laws that the Jewish people followed were meant to set them apart as different from the people around them. And that can be true now as well. In a time when denying ourselves anything is pretty unpopular, we can embrace a different way of doing life.
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for your example of joy and celebration. Help us to know when it is a time for fasting, and meet us in our seeking after you. Amen.
Author: Emily Costa
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