Let’s Party (Hunch 19)
Now John’s disciples and the
Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that
John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with
them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come
when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will
fast."
In a Nutshell
John's disciples and the religious leaders are told by Jesus
why it is good to celebrate. He said that His Father approves such celebration.
Later they will fast.
Questions
Who's the bride? What's the party? When do we fast?
John the Baptist and Jesus understood each other but some of John's followers thought Jesus was doing strange things. What about the fasting rules of the Old Testament? Why were Jesus' disciples not fasting? Apparently, John the Baptist got his disciples to fast quite a bit. It was part of their way of life after he baptised them. They encouraged others to go on fasts, too. But Jesus didn't encourage fasting by his students. Maybe John’s disciples had been on a fast when Jesus was at Levi's party. Maybe they were also fasting and praying for John because you'll remember he was in prison. And here were these people, people longing for God’s Kingdom, having a rollicking good time. You can hear them saying: "It's a bit off, isn’t it?" But Jesus encouraged people to enjoy themselves, particularly at parties, and this annoyed some. The ones who weren't enjoying themselves, or who couldn't enjoy themselves, felt miffed. Jesus was letting the side down.
Were John’s followers close to joining forces with the enemies of Jesus over this issue of fasting? If John had said to fast wasn't it a good thing to do? It wasn't just about having parties. How can you just spend time enjoying yourself when there is so much injustice around? Jesus usually had a good answer for difficult situations. But what was He getting at here? Let’s look closer. What’s this about the bridegroom and the guests? What’s all that about? Who’s the groom? Who's the bride? What’s the celebration? Remember, back at the beginning of Mark (1:15) “The time has come,” He said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Now Jesus was saying that once you repent and believe the Good News you have every reason to celebrate. Waking up every morning is a time to celebrate the goodness of God! Jesus has come. Let's Party!
Of course there are times when things get hard for servants of this King, says Jesus. But since the ground-rules have been changed we can always eat and drink in hope. God’s promises are being fulfilled. God’s banquet is being laid out ready for all who respond to the invitation. Come and see the groom! Come and celebrate the announcement of the engagement!
Now we come to the important part. Jesus was telling us who He is in God's scheme. He is the "groom". Later Mark tells us that after God raised Jesus from the dead, He went away to be with His Father, to wait, just like a “groom” who has to wait until he can return to marry his "bride". Then it would not be just an engagement party (as it was then) but a full marriage supper. Jesus was saying, in front of John's disciples and these religious leaders, "You think you are enjoying life now, do you? Well thank God for that and enjoy it but you haven't seen anything yet!! What will it be like when it's all complete?" Jesus helps us keep our eye on the goal, on the completion God is going to bring to our life.
So who on earth is this bride? Jesus was talking about "us", His disciples. The Bible can be hard to understand, but here Jesus taught His disciples by using everyday things. When we understand the customs of that time we realise Jesus was talking about our lives, about the promise Our God has made to us, about the party He is throwing for His Son!