Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting
Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” 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. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Jesus is at Matthew’s house feasting. Last time we saw the Pharisees coming and asking a question to his disciples, and now we see John the Baptist’s disciples asking a question and Jesus’s response. The passage contains strange words and customs: fasting, “friends of the bridegroom,” “unshrunk cloth,” and “new wine into old wineskins.” You may wonder what these old things have to say to a 21st-century person with all the problems we face in our hearts, families, and society. What connection do they have? Surely, this cannot be a waste of time. When I first read it, that is how I felt. But like James says, if you look intently and continue, you are blessed by it. It has a very important connection, and may the Holy Spirit help us to see it.
In this world, the most misunderstood and inadequately understood thing is the gospel of Jesus Christ. He who says “I know more” does not know much. Whenever men and women have clearly seen the glory of the gospel, their whole life has been powerfully transformed. We see that in every generation. We see that in the book of Acts. People thought they understood the gospel, but when they truly saw its glory, their lives changed. We see this in the life of Paul, during the Reformation, and in the lives of thousands of believers. Martin Luther, as a Catholic monk, lived for years thinking he was God’s child and even taught the Bible, but his life changed completely when he understood the gospel from Romans. He was amazed, realizing that everything he had thought was wrong, and he came to an amazing understanding of the gospel, and he never got over his amazement. This is a burst of gospel truth. The same thing happened with George Whitefield and John Wesley, who were very religious and even preached the gospel, trying to save themselves, but later realized they were all wrong. They then saw that this is something God gives, and there was a great revival. It is surprising because many people always think they know the gospel but really do not. That is the greatest problem with us today. We think we know enough about Christianity. We need to see the glory of the gospel and how it is sufficient for all our needs. Most of our troubles and the way we see life are because of a wrong understanding of the gospel. You will be amazed if you read the Gospels how many times people misunderstood the gospel and asked him questions. So much of our Lord’s time was taken up answering these questions and debates. People kept asking, “Is it not a waste of time for the Son of God to keep answering these questions?” No, our Lord’s answer is most profound and wonderful. The wisdom of the Holy Spirit has recorded this for us to fully understand the gospel and see its glory. Do you understand the gospel? If so, are you awestruck and thrilled and filled with joy about it? If not, this passage can fill us with joy.
Last time we looked at the mega feast in Matthew’s house. Matthew threw a banquet and invited all the riffraff of Capernaum, with Jesus as the guest of honor. Then we saw the Pharisees coming and asking the disciples why their master ate with sinners, and our Lord gave a wonderful response. He answered in three ways: from common logic (only the sick need a physician, not those who are well), from the scriptures (quoting from Hosea), and by stating his own mission and authority (“I came to call sinners, not the righteous”). This is the key message of the gospel. The Pharisees couldn’t see the glory of the gospel because they were blinded by self-righteousness. Jesus had to repeat this again and again. Unless you realize your sinfulness, he cannot help you. In Luke 15, when the Pharisees and scribes grumbled, “This man receives sinners and eats with them,” he gave a whole chapter of parables about the lost sheep, the lost piece of silver, and the prodigal son, showing that there is joy in heaven over one sinner repenting—that is the heart of God. Then again in Luke 18, with the Pharisee and the publican’s prayer, and in chapter 19 when he went to Zacchaeus’s house, another tax collector. And then he made one of the greatest statements in the Bible: “For the Son of Man is come… to seek and to save… what? … that which is lost.” That, people, is the heart and soul of the Gospel message.
In Matthew 9:13, the key to the passage is the end of the verse. “For I am not come,” says our Lord, “to call the righteous, but sinners.” In other words, the effectual call of the Gospel to salvation is extended only to sinners, not to the righteous—not to those who think they’re okay, but to those who know they’re not. This is the glorious purpose of Christ’s coming into the world.
We can see this in every chapter of this Gospel. Take his genealogy; it shows God saves sinners, even the worst and lowest ones, like Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba. In the third chapter, we see John the Baptist preaching repentance, and only those who realize they are sinners will repent. Chapters 5-7 show the sinfulness of man, how far he is from God’s standard. That day in Israel and every man since then, rejects the gospel because he never realizes his sinfulness and his great need. But what joy and blessing a man experiences when he sees his sinfulness and comes to Christ! We see such men in chapter 9. In verses 1-8, we see a paralytic so desperate and burdened with sin. No obstacle hindered him until he was at the feet of Christ. The Lord forgave him and met his need. If he could forgive that man, who else could he forgive, and to what extent can he forgive, and what kind of sinners can he forgive? Can he forgive the worst of sinners? In order to show you the extent to which his forgiveness goes, in verse 9, Matthew introduces himself as the worst sinner. He was the tax collector, the worst of all kinds of tax collectors—a traitor to his own people, who made his living on extortion, working for a conquering power. And yet, it was to Matthew that the Lord said, “Follow Me,” and he rose and followed. In the joy of his salvation, Matthew arranged a banquet.
Then, in his house, after the Pharisees’ question, another group asks a question.
The Question and the Comprehensive Answer
Who brings that question, and what is that question? And what is the straight and comprehensive answer?
The question is brought by the disciples of John. Many people followed John. These were people who believed John’s message and followed him. At this time, John was in prison. Jesus’s ministry in Galilee started after John was imprisoned. We need to understand that John’s primary ministry was not to increase disciples for himself, but he made disciples only until the Messiah came. Then he pointed all his followers to Jesus: “Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” He said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John tried to transfer his disciples to Christ, but it’s apparent that not all of them did. In fact, even into the life of the Apostle Paul in Acts 19, we still have some disciples of John the Baptist running around who don’t even know about Christ.
Instead of seeing John as a bridge to Christ, from the Old Testament to the new covenant, John’s disciples got stuck on the bridge. Instead of taking John as a preparatory message to Christ, they began to establish John’s teaching as a structure of religious life that involved regular fasting, which was similar to the Pharisees. These people didn’t understand the full message of John; if they did, they would not be John’s disciples but Jesus’s.
Here, they ask a question:
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”
Maybe they were encouraged by the Pharisees’ question and asked him. It’s amazing that John was so against the Pharisees, and now a common objection to Christ brings these opposing parties together, like in our countries’ politics. It was bad for John’s followers that they should be willing to say, “We and the Pharisees.” They had traveled far from the days when their master had called the same class a “generation of vipers”! Both avoid direct confrontation, for the Pharisees interrogate the disciples as to the reason for Jesus’s conduct, while John’s disciples ask Jesus the reason for his disciples’ conduct. In both, mock respectfulness covers lively hatred. The Pharisees believed you should fast twice a week, whereas the Old Testament only listed one fast: the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur was the only fast prescribed in the entire Old Testament. But they had built all this ritual and all this routine.
“How come your religion is so different than ours?” The three major expressions of the Judaistic traditions of that time were fasting, almsgiving, and prayers. They had their little routine during the day when they said prayers at so many intervals, and they would stand on the corner in the middle of the street and do it. They had their little almsgiving routines, and they also had their routine fasts, and they would look like they were fasting with a drawn face. They would decorate themselves so everyone would know they were fasting. Well, these external, outward rituals were the substance of their religion, and what they’re really saying is, “How come you don’t do what we do?”
That’s a very important question. You see, they don’t see religion as a matter of the heart—humility, sinfulness, repentance, or holiness. They see religion as a matter of ceremony and ritual, and there are many like that today. I think, for example, in the Roman Catholic church, there are many people who go for the routine of going. You go, and you kneel, and you stand up, and you take the mass, and you run through the beads, and that’s about it. And you couldn’t carry on a conversation with them about the Gospel, the Bible, repentance, sin, the state of the heart, enjoying the Word of God, and true conversion. They will listen as a ritual and pray as a ritual, not related to their heart. And they are trained for years to do it, because they wouldn’t even know what you were speaking about. It’s the routine of bowing down to a saint or lighting a candle or going through a ritual, and we have them in Protestantism, too. The people who pray a little prayer at the dinner table. They own a Bible. Now and then they open it. They go to a church service. They sing a song, and they go through the forms, the routines, the externals. They have their Lent when they fast, and their festivals which are unbiblical, and they ask why we are different. They don’t even understand the inside. They don’t know what it means to be convicted of sin, to have deep repentance in the heart, and to grow in holiness. That’s essentially what they’re asking. “How come your system’s so different? You don’t do what we do.” Fasting in the Old Testament is refraining from food for sin and sorrow, when the soul is overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, they fasted. John’s disciples’ fasting habit may come from John’s message, which was a message for repentance and confessing sin. They were regularly fasting. The thing that disturbs them is that while they are fasting, Jesus’s disciples are not engaged in fasting but feasting with sinners—the fasting disciples of John and the feasting disciples of Jesus.
Our Lord’s answer. He gives the answer with a question: “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast?” Jesus uses imagery that would be very relevant to the people on that day.
Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?
He takes an incident from ordinary practice. There is a marriage scene. In those days, a wedding would last seven days, and a man getting married would choose his best friends, who were responsible for keeping the party alive. That’s right, they would promote the festivities, carry out the celebration, generate the fun, and make sure everything goes well, keeping everyone joyful and enjoying. Even today, we will always watch the bridegroom and, very importantly, smile, smile, continuously. Imagine a scene: there sits the groom, and his friends next to him. When everyone is feasting, the starters, ten items, and a big non-veg platter are served. You can see Muslim marriages even today—they just keep the plates in the center. You can have as much as you want, plate by plate, with starters, main course, and dessert. So many items, lights, music, and dancing, all enjoying. But you notice that while everyone is enjoying, three friends are sitting at the table, not touching a bit of the food. They don’t touch anything. For two or three hours, they are sitting with a sad face and a pained look. How different and odd they will be. A wedding reception is a place of feasting, not a time for fasting and mourning. Unless he is marrying the girl he wanted to marry, it’s very wrong to be sad. How dishonoring to the bridegroom.
That is how Lord Jesus answers. “That is why my disciples are not fasting.” For my disciples to fast while I am with them would be like the intimate friends of the groom fasting at his wedding reception. It is utterly unthinkable and out of harmony. How can you ask them to fast? And amazingly, he rebukes them with the same picture that John uses when he talks about Christ. He spoke of the wedding, the bridegroom, and his friends. Others were going after Jesus, and he spoke of himself as the friend of the bridegroom. It is his great delight that Jesus takes all the attention and all will forget him. Fasting is incongruous while Jesus is with them. His speaking of himself as “the Bridegroom” would recall to some of his questioners, and that with a touch of shame, John 3:26:
They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”
Jesus’s response to the Pharisees’ question about fasting reveals a profound truth about the nature of His ministry and the New Covenant He was introducing. He uses three powerful analogies to explain why His disciples were not fasting.
The Analogy of the Wedding Feast
Jesus’s primary answer is a simple, yet profound, analogy: “You don’t expect the groom’s attendants to mourn during the wedding feast, do you?” He portrays His presence on earth as a joyful celebration, like a wedding feast. The Pharisees’ ritualistic fasting was out of sync with this reality. Fasting is a practice associated with mourning and sorrow, but the arrival of the Messiah, the Bridegroom of Israel, was a time of immense celebration and joy.
- Fasting is Connected to the Heart: Jesus points out that true religious exercises must be connected to the heart and to reality. Fasting for the sake of ritual is meaningless. True fasting is a natural expression of a heart that is sorrowful for sin, seeking God, or longing for His presence.
- A Future Time for Fasting: Jesus, however, also makes a stunning prediction. He says, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” This foreshadows His own death and removal from them. During that time of profound sadness, fasting would be appropriate. This shows that while He was physically present, there was no need for mourning, but His future absence would be a reason for it.
The Parables of the Old and New
To explain the deeper issue, Jesus uses two parables—the unshrunk cloth and the new wineskins.
1. The New Patch on the Old Garment
Jesus says, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.” An unshrunk patch would shrink when washed, ripping the old, brittle garment. This illustrates that Jesus did not come to simply patch up the old, legalistic system of Judaism. His new message of grace and internal holiness cannot be added to a system of external rituals and works. Doing so would only lead to more problems and a deeper tear.
2. The New Wine in Old Wineskins
Similarly, Jesus says, “Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” New wine, still fermenting, expands. An old, brittle wineskin would burst under the pressure. The message of the gospel—the “new wine”—is so radically different from the old, rigid system of the Pharisees that it cannot be contained by it. It requires a new “wineskin”—a new way of life and a new community under the New Covenant—to be fully realized.
The Meaning for Today
Jesus’s words reveal that His ministry was a radical break from the religious systems of His day. The gospel is not a reformed version of any man-made religion. It is a new, joyful reality centered on His presence.
- Christianity is a Religion of Joy: We are not called to a religion of burdens and rituals, but to a life of joy in the presence of the Bridegroom. The absence of fasting in the lives of Jesus’s disciples was a witness to His presence among them. Our joy is linked to our fellowship with Christ.
- The Gospel is About Christ’s Work: The gospel is not about what we do for God, but about what Christ has already done for us. It is an invitation to a feast, not a call to burdensome labor. This is why our salvation is based on His grace and righteousness, not our own.
- A New Way of Life: We are called to leave behind the “old wineskins” of self-righteousness and external performance. The gospel requires a new heart and a new life that are pliable and able to contain the expansive, joyful truth of Christ’s grace. It is a call to follow Him, leaving the old patterns and practices of our lives behind.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 