Mark records another encounter Jesus had with the Pharisees. Remember, the Pharisees were those “religious people” who thought their good works gained them favor with God. They found security in following a list of rules instead of recognizing their sinfulness and repenting before a holy God. In the previous story, Mark documented the Pharisees’ disgust with Jesus and His disciples for eating with publicans (tax collectors) and sinners. Instead of seeing Jesus’ compassion for the outcasts, the religious people scorned Him for not practicing their form of spirituality. In this particular passage, the disciples of John (the ones who chose not to follow Jesus) and the Pharisees were fasting. Fasting was prescribed in the Old Testament, but only on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31). Of course these people had created their own list of rules for spirituality and it is possible that they fasted twice a week. Most of them did this out of duty, not out of a love for God. They were interested in proving their “spirituality” to others instead of humbling themselves before God. If you look at Jesus’ sermon in Matthew 6:1-18, you’ll see that the Pharisees only cared about flashing their good works in front of others. While these two groups of people are fasting they approach Jesus and ask Him why His disciples did not fast (2:18). Jesus responds with these words,
“Can the friends of a bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and they will fast in those days.” Jesus is the bridegroom and those who follow Him are the bride. Since Jesus was with His disciples on the earth, there was no need for them to be sorrowful. Jesus’ first advent should have been a joyful occasion just like a wedding. There was no need for mourning because Jesus was joined with those who had given themselves over to faith and repentance. However, Jesus was quick to say that soon there would be a time when He would not be on earth (prophecy of His coming death) and at that time His disciples would fast.
Jesus then begins to cut away at the Pharisees false belief system. He speaks in two parables saying, “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” The religious people of Jesus’ day were trying to use the rituals and rules of the Old Testament law (as well as man-made rules) to bring salvation, but Jesus was declaring that it is not possible to obtain righteousness by practicing self-denial. The ceremonies, sacrifices, and rituals set forth in the law were to set God’s people apart from the paganism around them but were never intended to bring salvation from sin. Jesus Christ would soon die for the sins of mankind and repentance and faith in His work would bring a release from the penalty of sin (death). The Old Testament law only exposed the impossibility of keeping all of God’s commands, which should have driven everyone to an attitude of helplessness. The attitude of helplessness should result in repentance of sin and faith in God’s promised Savior.
Instead of believing in man-made rules and regulations, we should trust that God has provided all that we need through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sin. Following repentance and faith we should not return to a system of “works spirituality.” God does not love us based on our performance, but He loves us no matter what. Knowing that he loves us unconditionally should drive us to follow His ways because we know that they are best and meant to bring satisfaction to daily life.
Dear God, help me never view a relationship with You as a list of rules; however, may my growing love for You and Your word cause me to be passionate about following Your ways.
