THE BRIDEGROOM IS HERE
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.
21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wine skins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wine skins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wine skins.” Mark 2:18-22
In this short passage, Jesus was questioned about fasting. Why did the disciples of John fast but not His disciples, as disciples of a rabbi with authority, not as a religious discipline? Is there a difference between fasting as a discipline and fasting as setting aside physical needs to seek the Lord as Jesus did in the wilderness?
Jesus’ response to the question throws some light on the purpose of fasting. Because He was with His disciples in the flesh, there was no need to put eating aside to seek the Lord. In fact, according to Jesus, for the disciples it was a time of celebration as joyful as a wedding party. His physical presence with them made life a perpetual celebration. But, like a wedding, it would only be for a short time and then the bride and groom would leave.
Fasting is not an end in itself. It plays a part in reaching a goal. There is no merit in fasting unless it serves a greater purpose – to seek and enjoy the presence of Jesus. The appetites of the body and the humanness of the mind obscure the manifest presence of God. They form the veil which separate us from seeing and enjoying the greater glory of God’s presence. The more we learn to subdue our bodies and enrich our minds with the truth of God’s powerful and creative word, the more we will “see” Him.
Fasting has no merit other than a change of focus. We must not mix the purpose of fasting for its physical benefits with the spiritual benefit of giving God our undivided attention. Fasting does have definite physical benefit, cleansing of the system and the weight loss that goes with it. However, unless that is our focus and purpose, keep the goal of meeting with God in mind and don’t let any other motive distract.