“…they cannot fast… they will fast…” Mark 2:18-22
Confused? Some people were beginning to feel that way. Jesus was exciting to hear and watch but he was trampling on some long-time customs and traditions. So they came to see Jesus and asked, “John’s disciples fast regularly. Who could help but notice that the Pharisees fast (they might as well put it on Facebook)! So why don’t your disciples fast?”
Jesus responded that fasting should be occasional. That is, it was appropriate in certain situations, not because of a date on the calendar. It would be unreasonable for wedding guests to weep and fast in the presence of the bridegroom. So long as Jesus was present with his disciples, it was an occasion for celebration. Soon, he would be taken from them. Then fasting will be appropriate.
Religious practices can be very helpful. But when they become routine or separated from their intended meaning and use, they become just so much fluff. Imposing a fast during a time of great joy would be as ludicrous as using new cloth to patch an old garment, or to put fresh wine in an old, stiff wineskin. The garment will be torn again when the new patch shrinks in the wash. The wine will be spilt and lost when the old skin bursts during fermentation.
Jesus is not offering helpful hints to seamstresses and li’l ol’ winemakers. He speaks of our religious observances. Is he saying to abandon all our old ways and replace them with something new? I don’t think so. He did not condemn fasting. He only asked that it be done appropriately. To throw out an old but serviceable garment would be wasteful when it needs only a minor repair. To discard old wine simply because new wine is available is to miss out on the beneficial effects that aging brings.
Fasting and other religious ceremonies and rituals can be important spiritual tools when used to meet appropriate needs and circumstances. We are not to prevent their use; neither are we to impose them indiscriminately on those who may not understand them.
Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley