You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them

Luke 5:29-6:11 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. ³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

³³ And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.” ³⁴ And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? ³⁵ But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” ³⁶ And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. ³⁹ And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”

6 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. ² But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ³ And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, ⁴ how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” ⁵ And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁶ On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. ⁸ But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward. ⁹ And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

In today’s text it says:   They said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”   Fasting can certainly be a meaningful and beneficial experience and discipline for Christians, Christ’s disciples. These verses begin to reveal what may be a wrong motive for fasting. The Pharisees fasted as a religious exercise. They did it for the sake of righteousness, not in God’s eyes but in the sight of men. In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus says:  “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”    Still the real motive for fasting may be misinterpreted even from these verses. The motive of fasting is not to be seen as righteous in the eyes of people, but neither should our motive be to get God’s attention, to be seen by Him. Jesus statement to the Pharisees indicates what the reason for our fasting should be. Look again at His answer. He says:   “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”     So the purpose of fasting is not to be noticed by God, but rather to be with Him, to abide with Him and to dwell in His presence. If we are truly doing that there is no need to fast.

We will not change God’s mind in a matter by our fasting. Rather, it is as the psalmist says:  Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:3-4) We don’t change God’s mind by our fasting. Rather we fast to remove the things from our lives which distract and hinder us from dwelling with and abiding in God. Then our heart can become aligned with God’s heart. Our desires become aligned with His desires. Jesus says:  “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.“ (Matthew 22:37-38)  The motive for fasting is to remove those things which keep us from loving God with our whole heart, soul and mind.

Again, looking at what Jesus says:  “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”     Jesus says:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:12-14)   We will do the works that Jesus did if we continue to abide with Him, even as He has gone to be with the Father. This is how our fasting and our prayers are linked. It is not that Jesus responds to our request because we have fasted, but rather as we fast to remove the things that hinder us from being with Jesus, we begin to do the things that He did and is doing. Jesus said of Himself, when He was here:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.” (John 5:19-20)   The greater works that we will do and the greater works that He will do for us and through us, are the works that will be revealed to us as we abide in Him, as we delight in Him, as we love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind.

In Isaiah 58:3-10 God describes what an acceptable fast should be and should not be:   ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers.  “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,  And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.    If the motivation of our fast is to be with Jesus and the Father, it will bring forth the results, the fruit of the things that Jesus did and the things that He and the Father are doing.

In today’s text Jesus was criticized for working on the Sabbath. His response was:  “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath… I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”  Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. Even more He is our Sabbath, a day set aside for the Lord. In Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus says:  “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”   As we are yoked to Christ, we have rest in Him. As we do the good things that He did and is doing it becomes easy because it is Him that is doing it.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit I desire to do the things that You did. I choose to delight in You, to dwell and abide with You. Holy Spirit reveal to me the things that might hinder me from loving with all my heart, soul and mind. These things I will fast so that my heart’s desire will be like Your’s and together we will do the things that You are doing. Amen.