MARK 2:18-22 MEDITATION - Part 3
FASTING JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST
Fasting and the Disciples of John the Baptist
Now let us take a look at the group of disciples of John the Baptist. To understand how they relate to fasting we need to focus on the words of Jesus “they will fast when the bridegroom has been taken away from them”. Theirs is a relational approach in so far as John the Baptist has been arrested and is in prison (Mark 1:14). John’s disciples had good reasons to fast. They were deprived of their leader and were at a loss; their reasons for fasting were legitimate. A relational issue was at the heart of their fasting. Also, for John, fasting was a way of life as we read in Mark 1:6. It made sense for these disciples to fast because John’s ministry stressed repentance. Their reason for fasting is in harmony with the spirit of the law. The problem here is that John's disciples have missed the relational point. John the Baptist was the forerunner, indicating a temporary situation. The disciples of John the Baptist should now be disciples of Jesus! Apparently this is not the case here. So these also miss out on the transforming relationship with Jesus. However, their approach and motivation for fasting places them in the same camp as Jesus and his disciples and in a different camp from the Pharisees whom John once called “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34).
Fasting and the Disciples of Jesus
Now let us come to Jesus and his disciples. The whole issue of fasting or not fasting is firmly embedded in a personal relationship, that of the bridegroom and the wedding guests. The only problem here is there is no wedding feast. So we need to dig a little deeper.
The image of the bridegroom is an image of God in the Old Testament and the bride is the people of Israel, the people of God. So here Jesus is in fact saying something startling; he is saying something about his own identity. He is saying that he is the bridegroom, he is God. His disciples are the wedding guests, those invited to participate in the joyous celebration. This is not an occasion for fasting but for rejoicing. There is a time for everything. The time for fasting will come when the bridegroom, Jesus, will be taken from them. Here we have the first reference to the death of Christ. Then his disciples will mourn and fast, just like the disciples of John.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace. Zechariah 8:19.
The wedding is the biblical image of the Covenant, a sacred agreement between God and his people. Here we have Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, the Christ, announcing the coming of the New Covenant. This is the day when commemorative fasting is transformed into festivity. He was the bridegroom that the people of Israel were waiting for as John the Baptist recognised.
“You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. (John 3: 28-29).
The presence of the Messiah in the midst of his people is incompatible with fasting. The disciples are the friends of the bridegroom. While Jesus is with them there’s feasting not fasting. The coming of the Messiah would be a joyful event for all as predicted in Luke 2:10.
We should not take this, of course, to mean that Jesus was against fasting or that we should not fast. Jesus fasted before beginning of his public ministry, for 40 days in the wilderness (Luke 4:2). He also said that casting out demons is done by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21). Fasting supports and strengthens prayer. In the sermon on the Mount he includes fasting together with alms-giving as acts of piety (Matthew 6:1-18).
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Mark 2:18-22 Text and Questions
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