Matthew 9:14 – 17
“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)
“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 9:15)
Jesus finishes verse 15 by saying:
“and then they will fast”
Fasting is NOT something that is talked
About a lot today
Nor is it something that people seem to do
Yet John’s Disciples fasted
And Jesus expected people to fast:
“Moreover, when you fast”
(Matthew 6:16)
But NOT here when He answered
The Disciples of John
“Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?”
(Matthew 9:15)
Also please note
Jesus associates fasting with mourning
And as Jesus refers to Himself as the bridegroom
A reference to marriage,
Which is a happy event
So fasting DOES and should happen
Even if it is NOT associated with a happy event
If we go back to the original question
Which the Disciples of John asked
We should maybe be asking
WHY did they see the NEED to Fast
in the first place?
The Jews WERE waiting for the Messiah
It had been many years since it had been
Prophesied that He was going to come
And save His people, the Jews
In fasting a person humbles themselves
In an effort to HEAR God
They deny themselves FOOD
So that they can spend MORE time
Seeking God
In contrast, Jesus responds with what
Should be an obvious answer
I am the Messiah
And I am HERE
NOW is NOT the time for fasting!
We, however, are in a different place
Jesus has come, died, risen from the dead
And is now seated in heaven
But at times we may still fast
Not from a position of mourning
Since we know that Messiah has come
But simply so that we can hear more clearly
What God is saying to us
Perhaps over a particular problem
Or simply to stay focused on Him
By denying ourselves of food
We are showing both Him and ourselves
Our dedication to Him
But do not let yourself come under
Any condemnation to fast
As condemnation is NOT of God
That is why Jesus said what He said
About fasting in Matthew 6
In giving directions as to how to fast
The importance in the answer
That Jesus gave the Disciples of John
Still holds true for us today
Jesus IS with us