In today’s passage, we’re going to see that Jesus and his disciples had a remarkably different way of using traditional Jewish practices for reasons that will affect the way we use traditional Christian practices (church attendance, Bible reading, prayer, etc.).
18Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
John’s disciples fasted. The Pharisees fasted. Why in the world didn’t Jesus and his disciples fast? Jesus gives two reasons.
First, they didn’t fast because the “bridegroom” was with them.
19And 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. 20The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
The Hebrew scriptures (what we know as the Old Testament) occasionally refers to God as Israel’s bridegroom, so Jesus’ words here were significant. He was identifying himself as God and stating that his presence was sufficient reason to abandon the practice of fasting for a time. Here is the significance for us in regard to our use of practices:
Jesus is the Purpose of the Practices
The people questioning Jesus assumed that fasting was an end in of itself; but they were wrong. Fasting is a means, not an end. So it is with our practices. The practices are never the point. The practices point to Jesus.
We get confused about this all the time. We aspire to practice better, rather than know Jesus better. We feel guilty when we fall out of certain practices, rather than longing to be near Jesus. We cling to certain practices rather than using the practices to cling to Jesus.
We must remember that we attend church services, have quiet times, sing songs, give offerings, etc. in order to meet, hear from, grow in relationship with, follow more closely Jesus Christ.
But there’s more. The second reason they didn’t fast is because Jesus was bringing a new phase of God’s movement in human history so immense that the old practices could not attach to or contain it.
21No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
Jesus was bringing new commandments, new teaching and a new covenant that would fulfill everything in the old commandments, teaching and covenants. He said, “You have heard it said ____, but I tell you ____.” He proclaimed, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” He redefined the Passover elements to be about his body and blood! All of this was like new cloth that could not be patched onto the old garment–new wine what would explode old wine skins.
Jesus is the Lord of the Practices.
He has absolute ownership rights over our religious practices. He can change everything about what we do and how we do it because he is why we do it.
Imagine with me for a moment. What if God gives us a new vision for DGC that is deeply Biblical, but totally different from anything we’ve ever done before? What it is meant that we changed EVERYTHING about what we do and how we do it? Could you trust him? Or would you refuse?
Jesus is the point and Lord of all our practices. So may we use every practice to know, trust and follow him.
Discussion Starters
- Read the passage together.
- Read verse 18 again paying attention to all the characters mentioned. John’s disciples were on the right track, following a good teacher. The Pharisees were consumed with religious rules and duties, but their hearts were far from God. The people were looking on from the outside, not yet engaged. The disciples were following Jesus and having their world turned upside down. Which party do you most identify with? Why?
- Brainstorm a list of all the Christian practices you can think of.
- How can we make sure we focus on and worship Jesus and not practices?
- Thinking of yourself as an individual, if you had to pick just three practices to continue and discard all the rest, which would you pick? Why?
- If you had to pick three practices to discard, which would you pick? Why?
- Thinking of DGC as a whole, what practices are fruitful and worthwhile? How can you tell?
- What practices are unfruitful and not worthwhile? How can you tell?
- If you could change one thing about the way you as an individual or DGC practices Christianity together, what would it be? Why?
