Following the morning worship service, we will sit down to a meal, not simply a meal of barely enough to eat, but something that could be described as a feast. It may not be an extravagant meal, but it is a feast. But is it appropriate for Christians to be feasting? Would we be more holy, more pleasing to God were we to fast instead? The question is not new. Jesus’ response to a question (see Mark 2:18–22) gives you, his New Testament followers, guidelines on how feasting and fasting fit together. It’s particularly important to reflect on that as we have been invited to a day of fasting and praying this coming Saturday.
Rejoice in Christ’s presence. Rejoice because the bridegroom is present! Some fasted. The Pharisees added to the one day of fasting commanded in Leviticus many additional fasts, as you learn from the “prayer” of he Pharisee in Luke 18:11–12. Often this became a relatively public matter in order that others could know that they were fasting, Matthew 6:16. The disciples of John the Baptist also fasted (perhaps because of the imprisonment or death of John?). The fact that Jesus and his disciples did not fast was noticeable enough to raise comment and questions. Jesus is the bridegroom. The wedding guests (his disciples, all of his followers) are with him. That is no place for fasting or mourning. The background of the imagery Jesus uses is the picture frequently drawn in the Prophets, that the Lord is the husband of his bride, Israel. The response to the presence of the groom ought to be thankfulness, rejoicing, and even feasting. The Lord has come, bringing salvation for his people. The coming of the messianic King is a time for feasting, not only for Israel, but for the nations as well, Isaiah 25.
Still, there are times to fast — so do it right! Some fasting was appropriate. The one commanded day of fasting in the Old Testament was the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23:27ff. We have examples in the Old and New Testaments of fasting in connection with times of repentance or special prayer. Christ does not condemn fasting as such. Jesus does say that fasting will be appropriate when the bridegroom will be taken from them—and fasting will be appropriate then. Although the term, “bridegroom,” is not a messianic title here, Jesus is apparently making a veiled reference to his death. The disciples would mourn at that point, and fasting would be part of that. Isaiah 58:3–5 condemns a certain kind of fasting. Christ gives instruction about fasting in Matthew 6:16–18, but does not not tell you not to fast. It is clear that he does not treat it as something that is used to earn favor with God, which is the way it is sometimes treated, even today. The fact that Jesus instructs you about fasting implies that there is a place for it, even if we tend to forget that. Fasting is not earning favor with God. Nor is it just removing certain things from your diet. Rather, it is a time for prayer, for pouring out your heart to God, a time of being so focused on him that you temporarily step aside from the ordinary and important work of preparing food and eating.
Jesus emphasizes his point with two brief parables. You live in the new age. The new time has arrived. In the groom’s presence, fasting was inappropriate, was even impossible. Both parables make the point that the new has replaced the old. New cloth will shrink, and a patch of new material on an old garment is inappropriate. New wine, as it fermented, required new wine skins. To cling to the old when the new has come simply would not fit. It would not be appropriate. Though it was not wrong for John’s disciples to grieve the death of that prophet, they needed to recognize, as John had, that the One who came after him was much greater than his forerunner.
“John the Baptist’s way of life and that of his disciples is still entirely directed to that of the preparation for the coming of the kingdom, especially to that of judgment (fasting and prayer), whereas Jesus’ disciples may live in the joyful certainty of the break-through of the great time of salvation and may behave accordingly, because of their belonging to him.”
Herman Ridderbos, The Coming of the Kingdom, p. 51
Because of the change, live as one who belongs to the new age. Christ’s coming makes the age new. The incarnation was an earthshaking event. The public ministry of Christ, culminating in his suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost, inaugurated the new age. The redemptive work of Christ is reason for thanksgiving and praise. The ceremonies of the Old Testament, together with the distance between God and the worshiper, have ended. The new has come. Yet there are times to fast, even in this new age. This side of heaven there continues to be tension between our present life and the glorious new life, into which we have, in principle, entered. Our lives are still marked by struggle against sin, by suffering, by times of special intercession to God. It is right for Christians to fast appropriately. Notice what the leaders of the church in Antioch are doing when the Holy Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas to begin their missionary work, Acts 13:1–3.
Acts 13:2 “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”
“The leasers’ fasting expressed earnestness and expectancy: the blessing that they sought from the Lord was more urgent than food itself. Although Jesus’ dsiciples did not fast while he was present with them, he prepared them to fast in the future in a way that only their Father would see….”
Dennis Johnson, Let’s Study Acts, p. 156
But our basic, fundamental outlook, our default position, is one of joy. That is a joy that can be present even in suffering and loss. It is an attitude of thanksgiving and praise for what God has done and is doing in Jesus Christ. If the disciples could properly rejoice because Christ was present with them, how much more can we, who have the fuller presence of Christ through his indwelling Holy Spirit. Appreciate the breath of this time of rejoicing. The eschatological feast of Isaiah 25 was for all the nations. As Jesus took up that banquet theme in his parables, he would make the point that the great feast was not for the self-righteous, but rather that the invitation would go out to the highways and byways, to the poor and needy, to those who would not make the guest list of those who were conscious of social propriety. Your life needs to reflect the joy of the new work of God in Christ, but that reflection needs to be directed outward in service to God, rather than turning inward into a self-congratulatory mode.
Enjoy your feast, but as you do, give thanks to God for the new work he has done in his Son. And do pour out your heart in earnest prayer for workers to go into the harvest field.