The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"
And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? (No!) As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast." But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away (apairô –Aorist Passive Subjunctive – to be violently removed/taken away Isa 53:8) from them, and then they will fast in those days.
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 past six weeks we have been studying the different aspects of Jesus’ ministry. We have seen His ministries as impressionable, powerful, redeeming, remarkable and breath-taking! Now we find that Jesus has an irritating ministry. Dealing with legalism is irritating. Let’s examine our text today in…
Mark 2:18-22
An Irritating Ministry
Jesus had His critics. They could not understand why He didn’t act a certain way. While they fasted and prayed, He was dining with the undesirables. Jesus didn’t come to repair their religion, He came to replace it. Jesus certainly did not fit their idea of a Messiah. He was an irritation to them!
Introduction – Legalism3
The pharisaical legalism pictured in the parable of the good Samaritan is alive and well. As a result, a 15-year-old African-American boy in Chicago is not.
One a warm spring evening in may 1998, Christopher Sercy was playing basketball with a few friends half a block from Ravenswood Hospital. Three teenage Latino gang members looking for a black target approached and shot young Sercy in the abdomen. His frantic friends carried him to within 30 feet of the hospital and ran inside for help. The emergency room personnel refused to go outside to assist the dying boy, citing a policy that only allows them to help those who are inside the hospital. The boys called for nearby police to attend their wounded friend. When the officers arrived on the scene they proceeded to call for an ambulance, but refused to carry the boy inside. While passersby pled with the officers to get the boy into the hospital, he lay in a pool of blood unconscious. When, after several minutes, the ambulance had not yet arrived, the police gave in and carried Sercy into the emergency room. By then, nothing could be done to save his life.
As is often true, when we legalistically insist on the letter of the law, the needs of others are overlooked. By holding to standard operating procedures, the "royal law of love" was pinned to the mat. Initially, hospital administration vehemently defended their ER's lack of involvement. Only after a barrage of community outrage did Ravenswood Hospital reverse its policy of treating only those inside its doors.
It was Jesus who observed "Woe to you teachers of the law, you hypocrites. You give a tenth ... but you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy, and faithfulness." (Matthew 23:23)
Isn’t it interesting when we don’t act like the world thinks we ought to act? Religious people have a method of behavior. Any deviation from that “shows” our intolerance and ignorance.
Note the first thing that happens in this verse. There is…
A Challenge to His Practices 18
Jesus was confronted on why He did not fast as they (the Pharisees and John’s disciples) were fasting. Their circumstances and convictions on fasting were different than Jesus’. They fasted every Monday and Thursday (Luke 18:12). They also fasted on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 16:29) they fasted for repentance, distress, mourning, preparation for trial or a mission.
First, they misconstrued His Mission. Jesus came to “seek and serve those who were lost” Luke 19:10. He didn’t come to please the world but to redeem the world.
We find that they also belittled His Ministry. The Pharisees, in particular, did not like Jesus ministering to the down and outers. To them, He did not have the proper authority (theirs) to teach the people. He did not have their permission to heal people. He violated the Law repeatedly by healing on the Sabbath. To them, that was unforgivable.
They criticized His Message. His message of grace was more than they could handle. It wasn’t strict enough for them. It allowed the unclean and unfit into the kingdom.
Years ago there were two little girls playing in front of our house. One little girl was waving her arms as if she was leading the music. She told the other girl that she could be the preacher. They sang for awhile and then the “preacher” got up and said, “Blah, blah, blah, blah.”
We know there are people who play games with God. They are like the Pharisees in that they go through the motions in worship and service. Some use lifeless rituals and develop lethargic habits (ie. saying grace, reading the Bible, singing our songs and worship on Sunday) in “serving” God. When the FORM becomes more important than the FUNCTION, it becomes a ritual.
Jesus celebrated true life! There was…
A Celebration in His Presence 19-20
We find there are three types of joy when we celebrate Jesus the Messiah.
It is a Profound joy! Knowing Jesus is knowing Life! There is an overwhelming sense of joy when we come to know Him.
It is a Practical joy! We find it is a practical joy because there is a radical change. We celebrate what He has done for us!
And finally, it is a Preferred joy! Jesus ought to be preferred above all things. As we move closer to the unsaved and get involved with them we show them His love.
We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and weddings because there is joy in them. How much more ought we to celebrate Jesus everyday!
And lastly, we see there is…
A Certainty to His Principles 21-22
Jesus illustrated the kingdom with three parabolic illustrations. He likened a new life in Him to Weddings, Wisdom and Wineskins.
Weddings were a time of celebration. It was the uniting of a man and woman for life. They celebrated for a week and the community was involved.
Wisdom is knowing what to do and when to do it. It was common knowledge that one did not sew a new piece of cloth on an old garment. It would shrink and rip the fabric. The whole garment would be ruined as a result.
New wineskins were used to hold new wine. Putting new wine is old wineskins was foolish and a disaster. As soon as the wine began to ferment, the old wineskins would stretch and rupture.
The principles of knowing Jesus brings three things. There will be new Words. Words of grace and not of works. Words of forgiveness and reconciliation.
There are also new Ways. The Law was fulfilled through Jesus. No longer was the blood of bulls and goats sufficient.
We celebrate a new Worship. It is not based on old traditions. It is through faith in Christ that we have a new way to worship.
It has been said that, “If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it!” The Jewish religious system was broke. Jesus didn’t come to repair it but replace it. Not abandoning the Law but applying grace. Not religion but relationship.
Let’s follow Jesus, find others and forsake legalism.
