Mark 2:18-22

Mark 2:18-22  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?”  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.  But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.  “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.  If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.  And no one pours new wine into old wineskins.  If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.”

Fasting is the practice of abstaining from certain activities that the body is in need of or desires.  Most often a fasting person abstains from food entirely for a specific period of time.  However, fasting can relate to abstaining from a category of food such as not eating desserts or from any activity that we find ourselves regularly doing such as giving up something we particularly enjoy as a sacrifice to God to discipline ourselves.  In the Old Testament, fasting was usually associated with repenting and turning back to God.  Sack cloth and ashes were often associated with the activity of fasting as a sign of humility and contrition.  Jesus said his disciples would fast when He was gone from them, and Christians down through the ages have carried forth that command.  When fasting, Christians should always be cognizant that the Spirit is present with them.  When Jesus taught his disciples about prayer, He also talked to them about fasting.  He said they should not make a show of their fasting because it was between them and God.  He said, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  (Matthew 6:16-18)  Christians do not need to call God down from heaven; they need merely to open their ears to the voice and the message of the Holy Spirit within them.  Fasting is a good time to reconnect to the Spirit's voice speaking God's message within us.  Many people say they cannot hear God's voice.  When we feel disconnected from God, that is the time to fast, to put away a certain activity, freeing time to concentrate on the will of God in our lives.  We must always be aware that our flesh usually wants to hear what we want to hear and not what God wants us to hear.  In those circumstances we tend to think God is silent, but He is always speaking to us.  We must learn to listen carefully.  A time of fasting might be necessary for us to open our ears to God's voice and his perfect will.    

After explaining his disciples will fast when He is taken away, Jesus speaks of our new life in the Spirit by talking about two subjects they would understand: one does not sew a patch of new cloth on an old garment; neither does one pour new wine into old wineskins.  Such errors would cause a worse tear in the garment, and the old wineskin would burst from the pressure of the wine.  Likewise, God is looking for people who are renewed in spirit and truth to receive the Holy Spirit.  We do not pour the Holy Spirit into our old ways of doing things or our old ways of worship.  When we fast, we are not fasting to repent; we are fasting to rejoice in God's presence, to yield our lives to our Lord and Savior.  We are seeking more of God, not trying to find God.  We are saved by grace and cannot win his favor by our good deeds.  God's Spirit is described as living water, flowing from the innermost parts of our beings.  Otherwise, He is an active presence in our spirits.  He is not waiting to ferment: He is flowing, He is active.  He is needed to satiate the needs of the community, the living body of Christ, the church of God.  Fasting is a process of knowing God better, knowing his will.  Fasting is opening up our lives to his activity, to his purposes.  Often, when we feel spiritually stagnated, we are not aligned with God's purposes in our lives.  We are starting to live by knowledge rather than by faith.  The Bible indicates God desires people of faith, for only faith pleases God.  Faith is for new garment people, new body people.  Faith is a reaching out to do God's will.  When our vision ceases, we need fasting and prayer; for faith is fading; God's voice is fading from our ears.  He has not stopped speaking, but worldly voices are crowding out his still small voice.  Jesus said, they will fast, and his disciples did fast and pray, seeking the Holy Spirit's leading and God's direction.  When they went into new territory they fasted.  They wanted God's voice to lead them, not their own.  They wanted God's vision, not their own.  Fasting is a process of reconnecting to God's will in our lives.  It is a time for his work in our lives.  When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus about the armor of God, he said, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  After fully describing their sufficiency in Christ, he ended by saying, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:10-11 & 18)  Prayer in the Spirit holds everything together for believers.

Now, we often fast in our lives.  When we set aside a certain amount of time for God, we are fasting our time.  When you sit through that long sermon and your flesh desires to do something else or be someplace else you are fasting.  You have set that time aside to hear from God.  When you turn off the television and pick up the Bible to hear God's voice you are fasting.  When kneeling at your bedside to pray, you are fasting.  When you talk to a friend on the phone about God rather than doing your own thing, you are fasting.  When you write an email to a relative or friend about the goodness of God, you are fasting.  A Christian's life is full of fasting.  Paul said that we should be praying always.  He told his Christian brethren that he prayed for them always.  We should be meditating always, thinking upon the goodness of the Lord, thanking him for his blessings, praising him for answers to prayer and for the indwelling Holy Spirit.  We should be thinking about God continually.  All of these activities are setting aside our lives for the life of God.  We are dying to our wishes and needs for the purpose of fulfilling God's plan for our lives.  We are in a constant mode of fasting.  Jesus said his disciples WILL FAST.  We too WILL FAST if we follow the will of God for our lives.  And yes, there should be times when we give up something purposefully unto the Lord.  We should fast for a day, or fast a meal and spend that time praying for others or listening for God's direction in our lives.  We are a privileged people, a chosen people, most blessed.  No wonder Paul said,  Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 4:4-7)  Bless you today dear friends!