Mark 2:18-22
John's disciples and the Pharisees sometimes fasted. One day some people came to Jesus and asked, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?" Jesus replied, "Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can't fast while they are with the groom. But someday he will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. And who would patch an old garment with unshrunk cloth? For the new patch shrinks and pulls away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger hole than before. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine needs new wineskins."
I have not fasted well. It's not just that I can't keep a fast but I can't remember to fast when I tell my self I will. There seems to be some sort of mental disconnect for me, I am not motivated to fast like I am to love the poor. Maybe it's because Jesus didn't command me to fast. Either way Jesus understood fasting better than any other rabbi. He said that is would be foolish for the disciples to fast. Just like it would be foolish to postpone celebrating at a wedding, sew a new patch onto old clothing, and pour new wine into old wineskins. If you were a well seasoned seamstress or wine maker you would know these things, but if you had not practiced sewing or making wine you would need the wisdom of others in order to not make those mistakes. It seems that Jesus was worried that the disciples had not had enough practice with fasting, nor that they were ready to listen to his wisdom. So in their case fasting was an unwise choice to make at this point along their journey.
I will continue to wrestle with how and why to fast, practice, and listen for Jesus and others to share their wisdom.
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1 comment:
I guess the question is what do you consider a teaching of Jesus. I tend to think that a lot of the time Jesus used his example to teach and not just words. Jesus spent a lot of time fasting.
I do think that fasting is one of the more intense disciplines that should not be practiced by those young in their faith. But I also believe that it is a very valuable discipline that draws us incredibly close to God and lets us be filled with Him. A time comes in the spiritual journey when the disciple should begin to practice fasting.
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