14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Jesse MorrisonIn today’s passage, we witness a curious little conversation between the disciples of John the Baptist and Jesus’ disciples. John’s disciples are questioning why Jesus’ disciples don’t fast. It is clear to them that Jesus’ disciples live differently. And Jesus is about to tell them why.The first reason is because the bridegroom, the husband about to be married, is here! It’s Jesus. At a wedding, when the bridegroom walks through the door, the guests don’t mourn and fast. Instead, they celebrate! Jesus has walked through the door and so his disciples are rightly celebrating.The disciples also live differently because the bridegroom’s arrival signals the introduction of the “new.” It is not that the old form of Judaism was wrong. Rather, the point is that now that the “new” has come, it cannot be attached to the “old.” Take a moment to reflect, have we ever mixed old forms of religion or tradition with the new Kingdom of God? The new unshrunk cloth cannot be added to the old garment. Neither can the new wine be poured into the old wineskins. Instead, Jesus ushers in a new Kingdom by fulfilling the Law (Matt 5:17). This is why the disciples do things differently. So what about us, should we be mourning or celebrating? Well, we are not with the bridegroom… yet. So there is something right about mourning as we long to see the bridegroom come. But, one day, we will be with the bridegroom once more. Matthew 22:2 describes the Kingdom of heaven like a wedding feast. On that day, there will be no more mourning, just joyous celebration. Pray with me that the Lord Jesus would come and take us home to that wedding feast. Perhaps today, you could spend some time just looking forward to and getting excited about that wonderful occasion to come.QUESTIONDo you ever feel sad that we aren’t with Jesus in heaven yet?ABOUT THE AUTHORJesse is a Student Minister at our Fairfield Morning and Evening Churches while he’s studying at Moore College.