Having already offended the religious elite with his claim of authority to forgive sins and his behaviour in eating with ‘sinners’, Jesus is now scrutinised because of his disciples’ absence of fasting. Fasting was a general part of religious practice in Judaism, particularly in preparation for special occasions or festivals, or as a time of repentance. John the Baptist’s disciples are fasting, the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but why not Jesus’ disciples? Jesus’ response makes at least two key points.

First, Jesus makes the point to say that now is not the time for fasting because the bridegroom has arrived! In the ancient world, when the bridegroom arrived (often after a long period of waiting), the party began! Jesus is saying that his arrival signals the beginning of good news! In the Bible, Israel (and indeed the church) is often described as the ‘bride’ awaiting the groom, but now in Jesus, that time has arrived! Jesus is saying that not only is this tremendous news, but it would therefore be totally inappropriate for them not to be feasting with him. There will be very tough times ahead but right now is not the time to fast.

Second, in his metaphor about the garments and wineskins, Jesus is signalling that a new era, that demands a new response, has arrived. Whilst you may not be familiar with sewing or wineskins, everyone would have understood that you could not sew new cloth onto an old garment, else it would shrink and tear away. Even worse, a similar approach with wineskins would result in the skins bursting as the wine fermented and thus making a mess (and a waste!). Jesus’ point: the old cannot contain the new! Jesus comes not to perpetuate the endless cycles of the past, but he has come to offer ultimate forgiveness and redemption by doing something new. You can’t contain Jesus in old categories and you cannot break the cycle of sin without his unique intervention. AL

Questions

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you that in our helplessness Jesus entered the world to do something new. Please help us to see him clearly, trust in him sincerely, and be transformed in his likeness for your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.