Follow #7 -- Mark 2:18-22 -- Jesus Joy
Introduction & Setting (18)
As we continue in our study of Mark, it has become increasingly clear that Jesus' coming was a massive event. He was not just another leader with fresh religious claims. He did not come with some good advice. He did not come to tinker.
Instead, Jesus' coming is portrayed as a history altering event. It's as if the scales of our world had been weighted on the side of brokenness, darkness, and sin. And the weight of Jesus' coming tipped the scales back into balance. The wholeness he provides, the light he brings, and the righteousness he imputes all push back on the way things were. He balanced the scales. He changed the game.
The episode and passage in front of us will communicate this truth. First, let's consider the setting.
18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
Fasting In That Day
This episode begins with the two groups: John's disciples and the Pharisees (18). They were both in the middle of a fast (18). If you remember our last episode, Jesus was clearly not fasting, but feasting with the tax collectors and sinners (2:13-17).
And, since fasting is the event that launched this episode, we should ask some questions: What was fasting like in Israel at that time? Who fasted? Why did they fast? How often did they fast?
As far as the Bible in the Old Testament was concerned, there was only one fast mandated for God's people. Each year, on the Day Of Atonement, Israel abstained from food (Leviticus 16:29-30). That's it. One fast a year. Though they were allowed to fast more often, they were only required by Scripture to fast one day each year.
The Bible does describe, however, additional times of fasting, usually during lamentation or emergency. When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple, when Ezra implored them to repent of sin, or when war, plague, or drought came upon them, the nation would fast. Additionally, individuals would fast in response to personal tragedies such as the death of a loved one, sickness, or other personal trials.
But the Pharisees had developed fasting into a religious practice. For them, fasting was not a response to the pains of life, but a ritual. They fasted on Mondays and Thursdays and drew attention to themselves in the process. Jesus said:
"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward." (Matthew 6:16, ESV).
We learn here that the disciples of John also fasted. John's whole preaching ministry was designed to prepare the way of the Messiah-Christ. John was in prison during this episode. So it's possible his disciples fasted for their beloved leader who was imprisoned. But it's likely they fasted as a way to pray for the Messiah's coming. They wanted the Christ to come!
The Question
As both of those groups fasted, someone asked Jesus, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" (18). It's almost comical. The creator of the universe had come, the Christ-Savior is here, and here's our question. Why don't you guys fast?
It might've been a sincere question. It might've been an accusation disguised as a question. Either way, why didn't Jesus and his disciples take up the tradition of biweekly fasting?
Jesus responded:
19 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
The Wedding Celebration
Christina and I got married on January 12, 2002. The wedding and the following reception were a raucous affair. After the ceremony here at the church building, we headed to the luxurious confines of Monterey's Elks Lodge for our reception. Fancy. I was a high school and college pastor at the time, and we were only 23, so the dance floor was flooded with teenagers and young adults. We gave every guest a kazoo, which they all blew whenever they wanted us to kiss. We did all the traditional stuff -- bouquet and garter toss, shoving cake in each other's faces, dancing with our parents, and the electric slide. And, even though we'd implored our deejay not to, he could not resist, and we did the chicken dance—the full shebang.
But, as celebratory as our modern weddings often are, they could not hold a candle the feasting ancient Israel partook in whenever a bride and groom tied the not. For seven days, the whole village would ball out. The newly married couple was treated like royalty for the full week. And the friends and guests had no responsibility but to enjoy the festivities. And the whole thing started whenever, during a specified window of time, the groom decided to show. Then the trumpets blasted, and the party got started!
So when Jesus gave his answer, they were all well aware of the joy of the wedding. Jesus said, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast" (19). They knew wedding guests, or friends of the groom, would never fast as long as the wedding celebration was happening. In fact, Jesus says, they could not fast, because the religious authorities had outlawed such behavior. Apparently, some felt so religious they would still fast during a wedding. So they had to make a law: no fasting during a wedding.
The Bridegroom
What is Jesus saying here? He is like the bridegroom, and his disciples are like the wedding guests (19). The bridegroom had arrived. He is present, and the only proper response was feasting, not fasting. It was incumbent upon the disciples that they rejoice because they had Jesus! He was right there with them!
Now, interestingly enough, this imagery is not used in the Old Testament to describe the coming of the Christ-Messiah. He is not foreshadowed as a groom preparing for a wedding.
But, do you know who is spoken of as a bridegroom throughout the pages of the Old Testament? God himself. There, he appears as a loving husband for his people. Here is just one of many Old Testament examples:
For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name. (Isaiah 54:5, ESV).
For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. (Isaiah 54:6, ESV).
But in the New Testament, the imagery shifts. Jesus -- the Christ-Messiah-Savior -- becomes the groom. In places like Matthew 22 and 25, John 3, Ephesians 5, and Revelation 19 and 20, Jesus is the bridegroom. Paul said it well:
For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2, NLT).
The idea of the wedding imagery Jesus used is simple: it's all about Jesus! God is here! He came! And the disciples would be foolish to do anything other than celebrate his presence.
This leads me to the first main point of this message:
1. Jesus Is Our Cause For Joy (2:19)
And in times like ours, it is important to remember we have the root cause of all true joy. Believers have Jesus. He has come. We can have a personal relationship with God because the Son of God made a way for us to connect to our Father in heaven. And he quickens us by his Spirit. His indwelling presence in us is our true source of joy.
Remember this, Calvary. In times of chaos, when the world feels as if it is unraveling, and when toilet paper cannot be found, we have the source of true joy. We have Jesus!
Permission Granted
In one sense, we need to receive Jesus' permission to have joy. It is tempting to become beleaguered and depressed, overwhelmed and stressed. But we have Jesus! And because we have him, we have a reason for gladness and joy. Like wedding guests in the middle of the celebration, we get to party because Jesus has come. And we know him.
Don't lose this, church. King Jesus has come. King Jesus reigns supreme. And King Jesus will come again. Though pestilence looms, Jesus will come. Even if God forbid, death takes us, Jesus will resurrect us!
If we worship at the altar of money, health, or a sense of control, our joy will only be temporary. But if we worship and honor the true God, if we rejoice over Jesus, we can have a joy that lasts. The bridegroom has come. He is ours!
Not Delusional, But Reality
This is not a delusional way of thinking. It is not a denial of reality. I am not suggesting we walk around with a plastic smile, attempting to convince ourselves we are good. This is instead a full embrace, and total acceptance of the truest reality there ever was. When our world melts away, we'll discover Jesus' kingdom is the one which will never end.
I want to walk in this reality during this age, and especially this unique season. I want to live in joy because I have Jesus. There is much to mourn in this world -- and Jesus did mourn and encouraged us to do the same (Matthew 5:4). But though we mourn the world's brokenness, we have joy because Jesus came to heal that brokenness. And I want to gather with other friends of the bridegroom -- according to CDC guidelines, of course -- and celebrate Jesus!
Ways To Cultivate Jesus Joy
Let me offer you some suggestions on how to cultivate this Jesus Joy I'm talking about:
- Read about Jesus. His life is so refreshing, and to recall it in the pages of Scripture is good medicine for your soul.
- Talk with Jesus. Spending time walking and talking with your Lord will help you recapture the joy of your Lord.
- Obey Jesus. Nothing saps our joy like disobedience. In the darkness, we struggle for joy. But there is gladness when walking in Jesus' light.
- Remember Jesus' eternal kingdom. When life is chaotic, we must recall the ultimate destiny of all God's children.
But, Jesus had more to say, so let's continue.
20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
A Violent, Sudden Departure
Here, Jesus introduced a sudden event at the wedding. The bridegroom is taken away from the wedding guests (20). Jesus' word choice indicates the violent removal of the bridegroom. This was not typical of weddings in those days and is likely a veiled reference to the cross. Jesus was with his disciples, but one day would be ripped away from them in the Garden of Gethsemane. After a series of illegal trials, he would be crucified at the will of an angry mob.
It would be sudden. It would be violent. He would be taken away.
Fasting
Jesus said his disciples would fast in that day (20). In other words, the trauma of that moment would keep them from eating. Feasting would be replaced with fasting.
Now, this isn't really a passage or a message about fasting, but let me say a word about the practice. Some think it is unnecessary because we have Jesus. But, in other places, Jesus gave directions for fasting, so I think it is a spiritual discipline we can enter into if we feel so inclined (Matthew 6:16-18). If you would like to explore the practice, I will link an article I wrote a few years ago called Fasting For Beginners (https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/fasting-for-beginners).
Response To The Cross
Here, though, Jesus doesn't give teaching about fasting. Instead, what he's declaring, is that when the emergency of the cross occurred, his disciples would fast. His death would precipitate their fasting.
This leads me to my second point:
2. Sin Is Our Cause For Sorrow (2:20)
You see, as much as we have joy in Jesus, his cross also shows us where to place our sorrow. What do I mean?
Well, let me ask it this way: Why did Jesus die? Why was he violently taken to be crucified? What was the ultimate cause of those terrible events?
The answer, of course, is our sin. Jesus came to deal with our brokenness caused by sin. All the tragedy, pain, and rebellion of mankind propelled Jesus to the cross. There, he would become sin for us, and die in our place, so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
And this departure, this cross, this separation, caused the disciples deep sorrow.
Perhaps it is a lesson for us today. What should cause us sorrow? Should it not be the vestiges of sin all around and within us? Should it not be the very things that drove Jesus to the cross in the first place? Should it not be everything that is rooted in evil and sin?
This includes, of course, the coronavirus our world is dealing with right now. This is one of the effects of the fall -- fallout from the original sin. Our world is broken. Praise God that Jesus came to rescue and resurrect our world. Let us trust and believe in him during this time.
But, after making his point through the imagery of the wedding, Jesus used two more illustrations to make one more massive point. Let's read:
21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins."
Two Analogies
Remember, the disciples of John and the Pharisees wondered why Jesus didn't fast. They questioned his practices. Why aren't you doing what we do? These are well-established traditions and rhythms and routines? Who are you to buck the system? Do you think you're better than us?
Now Jesus uses two images to demonstrate the outmoded religious ways they practiced. They were like old garments and old wineskins.
First, he said, No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made (21). We all understand this first image. If you patch an old garment with new material, the unshrunk material will shrink with washing and create a worse tear on the old garment.
But second, Jesus said, No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins (22). This illustration is more difficult for modern readers to understand. In those days, they stored wine in wineskins. These wineskins were often made of the skin of a goat. All the holes would be tied off, and the empty goatskin would be filled with wine. And unfermented wine needed a fresh goatskin. During fermentation, the wine would expand, and the wineskin needed to expand with it.
If it was an old, rigid, already stretched out wineskin, the new wine would burst it when fermentation occurred. Wine and wineskin would be destroyed.
New vs. Old
What is Jesus saying? What did he intend with these two images?
Well, remember that he's talking to the religion of that day. They wanted Jesus to adopt their practices. Jesus is letting them know, I'm no old patch or old wine. I am a new cloth and new wine. I cannot be added to you. I came to fulfill and replace you.
At Calvary, we spent last spring studying the book of Hebrews. It is essentially about these illustrations from Jesus. He did not come as an add-on to Judaism, but the fulfillment and replacement of it.
This speaks to us of the unmixable nature of the gospel.
It does not mix with Judaism. It does not mix with any other religion. And, in an age when diversity of belief is championed, it is good to remember the exclusive claims of Christ. He doesn't mix with anything else. He came to bring something new!
As Ezekiel prophesied:
Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV)—26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
This brings me to my final point:
3. Jesus Is Not An Add-On (2:21-22)
Jesus is not an add-on. Never. No way.
The Bible says, Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). That's Jesus. He wants to consume you. He wants all of you. He is not here to be added to the philosophies and religions and rhythms of your life. No, he is new wine looking for new wineskins. He is not to be added on.
Instead, he is meant to replace everything.
Paul said it this way:
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21, ESV).
As long as Paul was alive, he lived for Jesus. So much so, he could say, to live is Christ.
This is a life to strive for, a life to emulate. We should want this. It is not a given. It's not automatic. But we should want to say and live like Paul. For us, to live is Christ. But many believers are busy trying to merely add Jesus.
I am a big fan of Pepperplant hot sauce, in all its different flavors. There are so many things I like to add it to. And like adding Pepperplant to all kinds of food, people try to add Jesus to all kinds of philosophies.
So someone has a specific political agenda, and they think they can add Jesus to their cause. Someone else is motivated almost entirely by money, and they think they can add Jesus to their pursuit of riches. Someone else wants to party and ignore basic biblical commandments, but they put on a necklace with Jesus' cross.
Time and time again, people try to do money, sex, priorities, religion, family, feelings, or anything else their way, but then only add a little Jesus. And then they're shocked when they end up depressed, disillusioned, and frustrated.
Life doesn't work when you only add Jesus to the way you already do things. Instead, you must let him take over.
One of the things I am going to miss most during the coronavirus precautions is the start of the Formula 1 racing season. It's a pastime I enjoy. Those cars are intense, feats of innovation. It's like they took little jets and turned them into cars. Just amazing. And you would never expect to be able to take an F1 car engine and put it into my previously mentioned Honda Odyssey. It couldn't handle the power.
This is how it is with Jesus. He is not meant to be added onto your life. Instead, he is meant to take over everything. He's the new cloth and new wine. Give yourself to him. Surrender.
Luke's Warning
Before I close, there is an interesting addition to this passage that only Luke records. After everything Jesus has already said, Luke's account reads:
Luke 5:39 (ESV) — 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'
No one has ever accused me of being a wine aficionado. I don't know much about it, but I have heard aged wine is often better. And Jesus knows this. So he says, When people drink the old, they don't desire the new.
This is a warning. Human nature is like our taste in wine. We think the old is better -- but when it comes to Jesus, the old wine isn't better! Your old life isn't better.
I know some people who are living exactly like they did when they were in high school. It's an epidemic among my Gen-X generation right now. 45-year-olds reasoning, living, and prioritizing like it's still 1992, and they still smell like Teen Spirit. The same jealousies. The same parties. The same thinking. The same social structure. The same way of life, just in a more grown-up version. And many of them merely tried to add Jesus.
But it can't be done. He cannot be added. If he is, everything is ruined. Instead, he must replace. When it comes to Jesus, the old wine is not better. He needs you to give him all of you, a fresh place for him to operate.