Then They will Fast - (Mark 2:18-22)
Fasting was a customary practice on the annual Day of Atonement
among Jews of Christ's time, although the Mosaic Law did not specify or require
fasting on that feast (Leviticus 16:29).
On the Day of Atonement, Israelites were to “humble their souls”;
in later centuries this evolved to include fasting. By the time of Jesus, the
Pharisees routinely fasted twice each week, typically on the second and fourth
days.
In the Old Testament, fasting is associated with mourning and
repentance, especially during times of national calamity. But when a marriage
took place in a village even the most devout Jew ceased from fasting for the
duration of the ceremonies. Weddings were a time of feasting and joy, often the
ceremonies lasted several days.
(Mark
2:18-22) - “And
the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting; and they come and say
unto him—For what cause do the disciples of John and the disciples of the
Pharisees fast whereas thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them— Is it
possible for the sons of the bridechamber while the bridegroom is with them to
be fasting? So long as they have the bridegroom with them it is impossible, to
fast. But there will come days when the bridegroom shall be taken from them And
then they will fast in that day. No one seweth a patch of unshrunk cloth upon
an old mantle— otherwise, at least, the shrinking teareth away from it— the new
from the old—and a worse rent is made. And no one poureth new wine into old
skins,—otherwise, at least, the wine will burst the skins and the wine is lost,
and, the skins. But new wine is for unused skins.” [Citation from the Emphasized
Bible]. (Parallels: Matthew
9:14-17; Luke 5:33-38).
Mark’s gospel states simply, “they came to” Jesus with this
question. In Matthew’s version, this group is identified as certain disciples
of John the Baptist (Matthew 9:14-17). His disciples were known for
ascetic practices, including fasting (Matthew 3:4; 11:16-19).
The Greek sentence describes the practice of John’s disciples with
a present tense participle, “fasting.” This stresses the habitual nature of the
practice. Fasting was a common religious ritual among Jews of this period. The
truly more devout fasted twice each week (Luke 18:9-12).
Jesus made the point: when the “bridegroom” is present it
is a time of joy and fulfillment, not sorrow and mourning. At such a time
fasting is inappropriate. When the Messiah was present disciples ought instead to
proclaim the arrival of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus was characterized not by ascetic practices but by his table
fellowship and participation in communal meals, even with the “worst” of
society’s sinners:
(Matthew 11:16-19) - “But to what shall I
compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who
call out to the other children, and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you
did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither
eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' The Son of Man came eating
and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend
of tax-gatherers and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
(Luke 5:29) - “Levi made him a great feast
in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others
sitting at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured
against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax
collectors and sinners?”
(Luke 15:1) - “Now the tax collectors and
sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes
murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
The time when the “bridegroom” was “taken away” from
the disciples was at the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. Following his
resurrection and the Day of Pentecost, he was again present with his disciples
by means of the Spirit.
Christ’s reference to being “taken away” shows already he
had some inkling of where the opposition would lead. The Greek verb for “take away”
is apairō, a compound of the preposition apo, “from,
away,” plus the verb airō, “to take.” This form of the verb occurs
only here in the New Testament and in the two parallel passages in Matthew and
Luke.
This is a strong verb; it implies a removal by force, not
voluntary departure. Christ’s words echo a passage from Isaiah’s “Suffering Servant” song. In the
Greek version of the Old Testament (Septuagint), the simple verb airō is
found in Isaiah 53:8; “By oppression and judgment he was
taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out
of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the
stroke was due?”
Fasting in this passage represents some of the old forms of
Judaism. In the analogy of the wineskin and the un-shrunken cloth, Jesus
illustrates that the old forms cannot contain the new things brought about by
the messiah, the “bridegroom,” the proclamation of the kingdom of God.
Attempts to combine old wineskins with new wine, or un-shrunken cloth with
shrunken cloth, resulting in the destruction of both.
Jesus does not imply the old is inherently bad. Wineskins and
cloth are used to compare the old and the new. There is continuity and
discontinuity between the old and the new. But the old cannot contain what the
new brings. Jesus did not come to patch up the old system, but to offer
something new and complete.
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