Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 2:18
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
18. the disciples of John ] The contrast between their Master in prison and Jesus at the feast could not fail to be felt. Perhaps the Pharisees had solicited them to make common cause with themselves in this matter. Their rigorous asceticism offered various points of contact between them and the disciples of the Baptist
used to fast ] The Jews were wont to fast on Thursday because on that day Moses was said to have re-ascended Mount Sinai; on Monday because on that day he returned. Comp. the words of the Pharisee, Luk 18:12, “I fast twice in the week.” Perhaps this feast took place on one of their weekly fasts.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast – Were accustomed often to fast. Compare Luk 5:33; Luk 18:12.
And they come and say – The disciples of John come, Mat 9:4.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Mar 2:18-20
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast.
Fasting useful or baneful, according to circumstances
Men of opposing faiths are often united by a common scare. They are more zealous for religious custom than for the interests of truth. Jesus here puts fasting on its true basis.
I. Fasting has no moral value in itself. The appetite may have to be denied from prudential motives, and then fasting becomes a duty. But asceticism, per se, is not a virtue. It is the negation of a vice, but it may be the seed of twenty others, e.g., pride, self-righteousness.
II. Prescribed fasting may be injurious and rob the practice of its real value.
III. Fasting is imposed by sorrowful events. A natural instinct indicates its fitness.
IV. Beneficial fasting comes from heavenly feasting. It is the time for special activities of the soul. The best rule is-so far as fasting helps you in the elevation and improvement of your highest nature, adopt it; so far as it is injurious to this, avoid it. (D. Davies, M. A.)
I. The envious are more busied in censuring the conduct of others, than in rectifying their own. This is one vice belonging to a Pharisee, and which is very common.
II. It is another, to desire that everyone should regulate his piety by ours, and embrace our particular customs and devotions.
III. It is a third, to speak of others, only that we may have an opportunity to speak of and to distinguish ourselves. It is very dangerous for a man to make himself remarkable by such devout practices as are external and singular, when he is not firmly settled and rooted in internal virtues, and, above all, in humility. (Quesnel.)
Fasting
Fasting is one of the forgotten virtues, from the neglect of which probably we all suffer. The practice grew from a desire to keep down all grossness of nature; to give the soul a better chance in its conflict with the body. The more the appetite is indulged, the less the soul can act with energy, and the more the man shrinks from self-denial. Gluttony spoils sanctity, while self-denial in food and drink aids it. Accordingly, God ordained fasting, and His people have, in most ages, practised it. But in the nature of things it yielded most advantage when it was
(1) occasional,
(2) voluntary, and
(3) private. (R. Glover.)
Fasting determined by inward sentiment
Christs answer to the Pharisees objection is one of those clear and unanswerable statements of truth which, like a flash, light up the whole dark confused realm of obligation, where so many stumble sadly and hopelessly. Can you not see that what is within must determine that which is without? The law of appropriateness is supreme in the moral and religious sphere as in the material. (De Witt S. Clark.)
Routine fasting formal
An aroused, loving, penitent nature will express itself; but a set series of motions will not quicken the torpid spirit. They are like empty shells, in which the life has died, or out of which it has crept. They are curiosities. The hermit crab may tenant in them; and thence come the useless prayers, the languishing hosannas, the weary exhortations, while the world rallies the Church as to the reality of the God it worships. (De Witt S. Clark.)
Fasting
I. Its nature. Fasting in a religious sense is a voluntary abstinence from food for a religious purpose.
II. Its obligations.
III. Benefits of fasting.
1. There is a scriptural, a psychological, a moral and religious ground for fasting.
(1) Each act of self-denial, the refusal to gratify the lusts of the flesh, even when natural and proper, is an assertion of the supremacy of the soul over the body, and tends to strengthen its authority.
(2) It is a general law of our nature that the outward should correspond with the inward. No man can maintain any desired state of mind while his bodily condition and acts are not in accordance. He cannot be sorrowful in the midst of laughter.
2. There is also the further ground of experience and the example of Gods people. All eminently pious persons have been more or less addicted to this mode of spiritual culture.
(1) It must, however, be sincere. The hypocritical fasting of the Pharisees is at once hateful and destructive.
(2) It must be regarded as simply a means and not an end.
(3) It must be left free. (C. Hodge.)
Why the disciples of Christ did not fast
Christ went in the face of many Jewish customs and prejudices.
I. The Jews, as a nation and church, had many fasts.
II. The disciples of John fasted often.
III. The Pharisees and their disciples fasted often-twice in the week, the second and fifth day. Their real state of mind contrasted with this exercise. How reason staggers in the things of God.
IV. These parties naturally complained of the disciples of Christ for not fasting.
1. Fasting seemed so essential.
2. They attributed the conduct of the disciples of Christ to Christ Himself.
3. In this instance, Christ gave His sanction and defence to the conduct of His disciples. His vindication was:-He was with them-they were joyful, fasting not suited, etc. He would leave them-they would be sorrowful, fasting then suitable.
This view enforced by two comparisons.
1. Christ sanctions fasting.
2. The time for fasting should be decided by the fact of Christs presence or absence. Beware of attaching too much importance to forms. (Expository Discourses.)
The ceremonial observances of the Christian life
I. That the same ceremonial observances may be advocated by men of strangely different creeds and character, animated by varied motives. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast; and they come and say unto Him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not?
1. That weak, but well-meaning, men may be led astray in their estimate of the ceremonial of the Christian life by proud and crafty religionists.
2. That men of varied creed, character, and conduct may be found contending for the same ceremonial of the Christian life.
3. That even good men are often found in open hostility because of their varied opinions in reference to the mere ceremonial of the Christian life.
II. That men may be so mindful of the ceremonial observances of the Christian life as to neglect the greater truths embodied and signified.
1. Men are in danger of neglecting the deeper truths of the Christian ceremonial because they are generally lacking in the habit of penetrating its unseen and hidden meanings.
2. Men are in danger of neglecting the deeper truths of the Christian ceremonial because they are lacking in the pure sympathy needful to such discovery.
3. Men are in danger of neglecting the deeper truths of the Christian ceremonial because they are lacking in that diligence needful to such discovery.
III. That men should regulate the ceremonial observances of the Christian life according to the moral experiences of the soul. And Jesus said unto them, can the children of the bride chamber fast while the Bridegroom is with them?
1. That Christ is the Bridegroom of the soul. Christ had just revealed Himself as the Great Physician of the soul. But this is a more endearing and condescending revelation of Himself. He loves the soul of man. He seeks to be wedded to and to endow it with all His moral wealth. This is a close union.
2. That the absence or presence of Christ the Bridegroom determines largely the emotions of the soul.
3. That the emotions of the soul, as occasioned by the absence or presence of the Divine Bridegroom, must determine the ceremonial of the Christian life.
Lessons:
1. That the moral character cannot be infallibly judged by an attention to the outward ceremony of the Christian life.
2. That if we would cultivate true moods of joy, we must seek habitual communion with Chris.
3. That the feeling of the soul must determine the religious ceremony of the hour. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
The secret of gladness
I. The Bridegroom. The singular appropriateness in the employment of this name by Christ in the existing circumstances. The Master of these very disciples had said He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, etc. Our Lord reminds them of their own Teachers words, and so He would say to them, In your Masters own conception of what I am, and of the joy that comes from My presence, you have an answer to your question. We cannot but connect this name with a whole circle of ideas found in the Old Testament; the union between Israel and Jehovah was represented as a marriage. In Christ all this was fulfilled. See here Christs self-consciousness; He claims to be the Bridegroom of humanity.
II. The presence of the Bridegroom. Are we in the dreary period when Christ is taken away? The time of mourning for an absent Christ was only three days. Lo, I am with you alway. We have lost the manifestation of Him to the sense, but have gained the manifestation of Him to the spirit. The presence is of no use unless we daily try to realize it.
III. The joy of the Bridegrooms presence. What was it that made these rude lives so glad when Christ was with them? The charm of personal character, the charm of contact with one whose lips were bringing to them fresh revelations of truth. There is no joy in the world like that of companionship, in the freedom of perfect love, with one who ever keeps us at our best, and brings the treasure of ever fresh truth to the mind. He is with us as the source of our joy, because He is the Lord of our lives, and the absolute Commander of our wills. To have one present with us whose loving word it is delight to obey, is peace and gladness. He is with us as the ground of perfect joy because He is the adequate object of all our desires, and the whole of the faculties and powers of a man will find a field of glad activity in leaning upon Him, and realizing His presence. Like the apostle whom the old painters loved to represent lying with his happy head on Christs heart, and his eyes closed in tranquil rapture of restful satisfaction, so if we have Him with us and feel that He is with us, our spirits may be still, and in the great stillness of fruition of all our wishes and the fulfilment of all our needs, may know a joy that the world can neither give nor take away. He is with us as the source of endless gladness in that He is the defence and protection for our souls. And as men live in a victualled fortress, and care not though the whole surrounding country may be swept bare of all provision, so when we have Christ with us we may feel safe, whatsoever befalls, and in the days of famine we shall be satisfied. He is with us as the source of our perfect joy because His presence is the kindling of every hope that fills the future with light and glory. Dark or dim at the best, trodden by uncertain shapes, casting many a deep shadow over the present, that future lies, except we see it illumined by Christ, and have Him by our side. But if we possess His companionship, the present is but the parent of a more blessed time to come; and we can look forward and feel that nothing can touch our gladness, because nothing can touch our union with our Lord. So, dear brethren, from all these thoughts and a thousand more which I have no time to dwell upon, comes this one great consideration, that the joy of the presence of the Bridegroom is the victorious antagonist of all sorrow-Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, etc. The Bridegroom limits our grief. Our joy will often be made sweeter by the very presence of the mourning. Why have so many Christian men so little joy in their lives? They look for it in wrong places. It cannot be squeezed out of worldly ambitions. A religion like that of Johns disciples and that of the Pharisees is poor; a religion of laws and restrictions cannot be joyful. There is no way of men being happy except by living near the Master. Joy is a duty. (Dr. McLaren.)
The presence of the Bridegroom a solace in grief
And we have, over and above them, in the measure in which we are Christians, certain special sources of sorrow and trial, peculiar to ourselves alone; and the deeper and truer our Christianity the more of these shall we have. But notwithstanding all that, what will the felt presence of the Bridegroom do for these griefs that will come? Well, it will limit them for one thing; it will prevent them from absorbing the whole of our nature. There will always be a Goshen in which there is light in the dwelling, however murky may be the darkness that wraps the land. There will always be a little bit of soil above the surface, however weltering and wide may be the inundation that drowns our world. There wilt always be a dry and warm place in the midst of the winter; a kind of greenhouse into which we may get from out of the tempest and the fog. The joy of the Bridegrooms presence will last through the sorrow, like a spring of fresh water welling up in the midst of the sea. We may have the salt and the sweet waters mingling in our lives, not sent forth by one fountain, but flowing in one channel. (Dr. McLaren.)
A cheerful type of religion
There is a cry amongst us for a more cheerful type of religion. I re-echo the cry, but am afraid that I do not mean by it quite the same thing that some of my friends do. A more cheerful type of Christianity means to many of us a type of Christianity that will interfere less with any amusements; a more indulgent doctor that will prescribe a less rigid diet than the old Puritan type used to do. Well, perhaps they went too far; I do not care to deny that. But the only cheerful Christianity is a Christianity that draws its gladness from deep personal experience of communion with Jesus Christ. (Dr. McLaren.)
Liberty and discipline
It is one of the honourable distinctions of Christs doctrine that He is never taken, as men are, with a half-truth concerning a subject. If there is, for example, a free element in Christian life and experience, and also a restrictive side, He comprehends both and holds them in a true adjustment of their offices and relations. His answer to Johns disciples amounts to this Liberty and discipline, movement from Gods centre, and movement from our own sanctified inclination and self-compelling will, are the two great factors of Christian life and experience. It is obvious that both these conceptions may be abused, as they always are when taken apart; but let us find now how to hold with Christ the two sides at once. There is then-
I. A ruling conception of the Christian life which is called having the Bridegroom present; a state of right inclination established, in which the soul has immediate consciousness of god and is swayed in liberty by his inspirations. The whole aim of Christianity is fulfilled in this alone. Discipline, self-regulation, carried on by the will, may be wanted, as I shall presently show. But no possible amount of such doings can make up a Christian virtue. Everything in Christianity goes for the free inclination. Here begins the true nobility of Gods sons and daughters-when their inclination is wholly to good and to God. The bridegroom joy is now upon them because their duty is become their festivity with Christ.
II. What then is the place or value of that whole side of self-discipline which Christ himself assumes the need of, when the Bridegroom is to be taken away. There is, I undertake to say, one general purpose or office in all doings of will, on the human side of Christian experience, viz., the ordering of the soul in fit position for God, that He may occupy it, have it in His power, sway it by His inspirations. No matter what the kind of doing to which we are called-self-government, self-renunciation, holy resolve, or steadfast waiting-the end is the same, the getting in position for Gods occupancy. As the navigator of a ship does nothing for the voyage, save what he does by setting the ship to course and her sails to the wind, so our self-compelling discipline is to set us in the way of receiving the actuating impulse of Gods will and character. All that we can do is summed up in self-presentation to God, hence the call to salvation is Come. And as it is in conversion, so it is of all Christian doings afterward. If, by reason of a still partial subjection to evil, the nuptial day of a souls liberty be succeeded by a void, dry state, the disciple has it given him to prepare himself for Gods help by clearing away his idols, rectifying his misjudgments, staying his resentments and grudges, and mortifying his appetites. There will be a certain violence in the fight of his repentances. Let none object that all such strains of endeavour must he without merit because they are, in one sense, without inclination. Holy Scripture commands us to serve, when we cannot reign. Do we mortify our members, pluck out our right eye, by inclination? Let us specify some humbler matters in which it must be done.
1. How great a thing for a Christian to keep life, practice, and business in the terms of order.
2. A responsible way has the same kind of value; a soul that stays fast in concern for the Church, for the salvation of men, for the good of the country, is ready for Gods best inspirations.
3. Openness and boldness for God is an absolute requisite for the effective revelation of God in the soul.
4. Honesty, not merely commercial, but honesty engaging to do justice everywhere, every way, every day, and specially to Gods high truth and God. I could speak of yet humbler things, such as dress and society. These are commonly put outside the pale of religious responsibility. And yet there is how much in them to fix the souls position towards God! But what of fasting? The very thing about which my text is concerned. Does it belong to Christianity? I think so. Christ declared that His disciples should fast when He was gone, He began His great ministry by a protracted fast, and He discourses of it just as He does of prayer and alms. A certain half-illuminated declamation against asceticism is a great mistake of our time. An asceticism belonging to Christianity is described when an apostle says: I exercise myself to have a conscience void of offence. If we cannot find how to bear an enemy, if we recoil from sacrifices laid upon us, we shall emulate the example of Cromwells soldiers, who conquered first in the impassive state, by fasting and prayer, and then, sailing into battle as men iron-clad, conquered their enemies; or those martyrs who could sing in the crisp of their bodies because they had trained them to serve. But none should ever go into a fast when he has the Bridegroom consciously with him, and it must never amount to a maceration of the body-never be more frequent than is necessary to maintain, for the long run of time, the clearest, healthiest condition of mind and body. There ought to be a fascination in the severities of this rugged discipline. Our modern piety, we feel, wants depth and richness, and it cannot be otherwise, unless we consent to endure some hardness. To be merely wooed by grace, and tenderly dewed by sentiment, makes a Christian mushroom, not a Christian man. So much meaning has our Master, when charging it upon us, again and again, without our once conceiving possibly what depth of meaning He would have us find in His words. Deny thyself take up thy cross and follow Me. (Horace Bushnell, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 18. Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast] See this largely explained on Mt 9:14, c. The following vices are very common to Pharisees.
1. They are more busied in censuring the conduct of others than in rectifying their own.
2. They desire that every one should regulate his piety by theirs and embrace their particular customs and forms of devotion.
3. They speak of and compare themselves with other people, only that they may have an opportunity of distinguishing and exalting themselves.
On the nature, times, and duration of fasting, see Mt 6:16; Mt 9:15.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
See Poole on “Mat 9:14“, and following verses to Mat 9:17. The sum of all teacheth us:
1. That fasting is an exercise suited to afflictive dispensations of Providence, and ought to be proportioned to its season.
2. That new converts are not to be discouraged by too severe exercises of religion, but to be trained up to them by degrees.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast,…. Or “were fasting”; perhaps that very day, and so were the more displeased at this entertainment, Matthew had made for Christ and his disciples, and at their being at it; or fasting was usual with them: they fasted often, both John’s disciples, and the disciples of the Pharisees, or the Pharisees themselves; so the Vulgate Latin reads: of their frequent fasting, [See comments on Mt 9:14],
and they came: both the disciples of John, Mt 9:14, and the Scribes and Pharisees, Lu 5:30,
and say unto him, why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? [See comments on Mt 9:14].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| The Hypocritical Rigour of the Pharisees. |
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18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. 23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the showbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Christ had been put to justify himself in conversing with publicans and sinners: here he is put to justify his disciples; and in what they do according to his will he will justify them, and bear them out.
I. He justifies them in their not fasting, which was turned to their reproach by the Pharisees. Why do the Pharisees and the disciples of John fast? They used to fast, the Pharisees fasted twice in the week (Luke xviii. 12), and probably the disciples of John did so too; and, it should seem, this very day, when Christ and his disciples were feasting in Levi’s house, was their fast-day, for the word is nesteuousi—they do fast, or are fasting, which aggravated the offence. Thus apt are strict professors to make their own practice a standard, and to censure and condemn all that do not fully come up to it. They invidiously suggest that if Christ went among sinners to do them good, as he had pleaded, yet the disciples went to indulge their appetites, for they never knew what it was to fast, or to deny themselves. Note, Ill-will always suspects the worst.
Two things Christ pleads in excuse of his disciples not fasting.
1. That these were easy days with them, and fasting was not so seasonable now as it would be hereafter, Mar 2:19; Mar 2:20. There is a time for all things. Those that enter into the married state, must expect care and trouble in the flesh, and yet, during the nuptial solemnity, they are merry, and think it becomes them to be so; it was very absurd for Samson’s bride to weep before him, during the days that the feast lasted, Judg. xiv. 17. Christ and his disciples were but newly married, the bridegroom was yet with them, the nuptials were yet in the celebrating (Matthew’s particularly); when the bridegroom should be removed from them to the far country, about his business, then would be a proper time to sit as a widow, in solitude and fasting.
2. That these were early days with them, and they were not so able for the severe exercises of religion as hereafter they would be. The Pharisees had long accustomed themselves to such austerities; and John Baptist himself came neither eating nor drinking. His disciples from the first inured themselves to hardships, and thus found it easier to bear strict and frequent fasting, but it was not so with Christ’s disciples; their Master came eating and drinking, and had not bred them up to the difficult services of religion as yet, for it was all in good time. To put them upon such frequent fasting at first, would be a discouragement to them, and perhaps drive them off from following Christ; it would be of as ill consequence as putting new wine into old casks, or sewing new cloth to that which is worn thin and threadbare, Mar 2:21; Mar 2:22. Note, God graciously considers the frame of young Christians, that are weak and tender, and so must we; nor must we expect more than the work of the day in its day, and that day according to the strength, because it is not in our hands to give strength according to the day. Many contract an antipathy to some kind of food, otherwise good, by being surfeited with it when they are young; so, many entertain prejudices against the exercises of devotion by being burthened with them, and made to serve with an offering, at their setting out. Weak Christians must take heed of over-tasking themselves, and of making the yoke of Christ otherwise than as it is, easy, and sweet, and pleasant.
II. He justifies them in plucking the ears of corn on the sabbath day, which, I will warrant you, a disciples of the Pharisees would not dare to have done; for it was contrary to an express tradition of their elders. In this instance, as in that before, they reflect upon the discipline of Christ’s school, as if it were not so strict as that of theirs: so common it is for those who deny the power of godliness, to be jealous for the form, and censorious of those who affect not their form.
Observe, 1. What a poor breakfast Christ’s disciples had on a sabbath-day morning, when they were going to church (v. 23); they plucked the ears of corn, and that was the best they had. They were so intent upon spiritual dainties, that they forgot even their necessary food; and the word of Christ was to them instead of that; and their zeal for it even ate them up. The Jews made it a piece of religion, to eat dainty food on sabbath days, but the disciples were content with any thing.
2. How even this was grudged them by the Pharisees, upon supposition that it was not lawful to pluck the ears of corn on the sabbath day, that that was as much a servile work as reaping (v. 24); Why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? Note, If Christ’s disciples do that which is unlawful, Christ will be reflected upon, and upbraided with it, as he was here, and dishonour will redound to his name. It is observable, that when the Pharisees thought Christ did amiss, they told the disciples (v. 16); and now when they thought the disciples did amiss, they spoke to Christ, as make-bates, that did what they could to sow discord between Christ and his disciples, and make a breach in the family.
3. How Christ defended them in what they did.
(1.) By example. They had a good precedent for it in David’s eating the show-bread, when he was hungry, and there was no other bread to be had (Mar 2:25; Mar 2:26); Have ye never read? Note, Many of our mistakes would be rectified, and our unjust censures of others corrected, if we would but recollect what we have read in the scripture; appeals to that are most convincing. “You have read that David, the man after God’s own heart, when he was hungry, made no difficulty of eating the show-bread, which by the law none might eat of but the priests and their families.” Note, Ritual observances must give way to moral obligations; and that may be done in a case of necessity, which otherwise may not be done. This, it is said, David did in the days of Abiathar the High-Priest; or just before the days of Abiathar, who immediately succeeded Abimelech his father in the pontificate, and, it is probable, was at that time his father’s deputy, or assistant, in the office; and he it was that escaped the massacre, and brought the ephod to David.
(2.) By argument. To reconcile them to the disciples’ plucking the ears of corn, let them consider,
[1.] Whom the sabbath was made for (v. 27); it was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. This we had not in Matthew. The sabbath is a sacred and divine institution; but we must receive and embrace it as a privilege and a benefit, not as a task and a drudgery. First, God never designed it to be an imposition upon us, and therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. Man was not made for the sabbath, for he was made a day before the sabbath was instituted. Man was made for God, and for his honour and service, and he just rather die than deny him; but he was not made for the sabbath, so as to be tied up by the law of it, from that which is necessary to the support of his life. Secondly, God did design it to be an advantage to us, and so we must make it, and improve it. He made if for man. 1. He had some regard to our bodies in the institution, that they might rest, and not be tired out with the constant business of this world (Deut. v. 14); that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest. Now he that intended the sabbath-rest for the repose of our bodies, certainly never intended it should restrain us, in a case of necessity, from fetching in the necessary supports of the body; it must be construed so as not to contradict itself–for edification, and not for destruction. 2. He had much more regard to our souls. The sabbath was made a day of rest, only in order to its being a day of holy work, a day of communion with God, a day of praise and thanksgiving; and the rest from worldly business is therefore necessary, that we may closely apply ourselves to this work, and spend the whole time in it, in public and in private; but then time is allowed us for that which is necessary to the fitting of our bodies for the service of our souls in God’s service, and the enabling of them to keep pace with them in that work. See here, (1.) What a good Master we serve, all whose institutions are for our own benefit, and if we be so wise as to observe them, we are wise for ourselves; it is not he, but we, that are gainers by our service. (2.) What we should aim at in our sabbath work, even the good of our own souls. If the sabbath was made for man, we should then ask ourselves at night, “What am I the better for this sabbath day?” (3.) What care we ought to take not to make those exercises of religion burthens to ourselves or others, which God ordained to be blessings; neither adding to the command by unreasonable strictness, nor indulging those corruptions which are adverse to the command, for thereby we make those devout exercises a penance to ourselves, which otherwise would be a pleasure.
[2.] Whom the sabbath was made by (v. 28); “The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath; and therefore he will not see the kind intentions of the institution of it frustrated by your impositions.” Note, The sabbath days are days of the Son of man; he is the Lord of the day, and to his honour it must be observed; by him God made the worlds, and so it was by him that the sabbath was first instituted; by him God gave the law at mount Sinai, and so the fourth commandment was his law; and that little alteration that was shortly to be made, by the shifting of it one day forward to the first day of the week, was to be in remembrance of his resurrection, and therefore the Christian sabbath was to be called the Lord’s day (Rev. i. 10), the Lord Christ’s day; and the Son of man, Christ, as Mediator, is always to be looked upon as Lord of the sabbath. This argument he largely insists upon in his own justification, when he was charged with having broken the sabbath, John v. 16.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting ( ). The periphrastic imperfect, so common in Mark’s vivid description. Probably Levi’s feast happened on one of the weekly fast-days (second and fifth days of the week for the stricter Jews). So there was a clash of standpoints. The disciples of John sided with the Pharisees in the Jewish ceremonial ritualistic observances. John was still a prisoner in Machaerus. John was more of an ascetic than Jesus (Mark 2:18; Luke 7:33-35), but neither one pleased all the popular critics. These learners () or disciples of John had missed the spirit of their leader when they here lined up with the Pharisees against Jesus. But there was no real congeniality between the formalism of the Pharisees and the asceticism of John the Baptist. The Pharisees hated John who had denounced them as broods of vipers. Here the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees ( ) join in criticizing Jesus and his disciples. Later we shall see Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, who bitterly detested each other, making com- mon cause against Jesus Christ. So today we find various hostile groups combining against our Lord and Saviour. See on Mt 9:14-17 for comments. Matthew has here followed Mark closely.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
And of the Pharisees. But the of is wrong. Read as Rev., John’s disciples and the Pharisees. Used to fast [ ] . The A. V. refers to the fact as a custom; but Mark means that they were observing a fast at that time. Hence the use of the participle with the finite verb. Rev., correctly, were fasting. The threefold repetition of the word fast is characteristic of Mark. See Introduction.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast:- (kai esan hoi mathetai loannou kai hoi Pharisaioi nesteunotes) “And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees had a custom to fast:- This they raised, as a conflicting custom of Jesus and His disciples with that of John the Baptist and the Pharisees.
2) “And they come and say unto Him,” (kai erchontai kai legousin auto) “And they came and further inquired toward Him,” as if to find fault with Him and His disciples. The “they,” (the scribes and Pharisees) did not receive John the Baptist either, Mar 2:16.
3) “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast,” (dia ti hoi mathetai loannou kai hoi mathetai ton Pharisaion nesteuousin) “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees practice fasting?” even today, to this time. The answer they required was as if He were invading their religious franchise rights, Mat 9:14-15.
4) “But thy disciples fast not?” (hoi de soi mathetai ou nesteuousin) “Yet your disciples do not fast?” Just why? Would you explain? The answer is that they were not the hypocrites (over-judging) self-righteous kind of people that the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees were, Mat 6:16; Mat 6:18; Luk 18:12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES
Mar. 2:18. Used to fast.Were fasting, on that very day.
Mar. 2:20. Taken away.There lurks in the original expression a hint of the violence and pain with which the separation would be fraught.
Mar. 2:21. A piece of new cloth.A patch of undressed cloth. The patch supposed is an unfulled piece of cloth. It is the business of the fuller to make the cloth full and compact by precipitating the process of contraction.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Mar. 2:18-22
(PARALLELS: Mat. 9:14-17; Luk. 5:33-39.)
The children of the bridechamber.Marriage, if any time, is a season of festivity and joy. To promote these purposes is the object of inviting certain friends of the bride and bridegroom to attend its celebration. To fast or assume a stern aspect on such an occasion would be little short of an insult. Now Christ here compares Himself to the bridegroom, and His disciples to these companions or friends. The Baptist had suggested the same comparison before (Joh. 3:29). His disciples stood and heard Him all the time of His sojourning upon earth, and rejoiced greatly because of His voice. That was their holiday-time. If it was not so to the world at large, to the Pharisees, etc., it was because they were not of the Bridegrooms party.
I. The character of Christians, as children of the bridechamber.This implies
1. Dignity. This is an honourable office. Those whom a man invites to his wedding are not merely his friends, but such friends as he specially delights to honour. And are not Christians highly honoured by being chosen out of the rest of mankind to receive the light of the knowledge, etc. (2Co. 4:6)? See also 1Pe. 2:9; Joh. 15:16. This honour have all His saints, by the mere circumstance of their election; but this is greatly enhanced if we consider what it is they are elected to (Rom. 8:17). The children of the bridechamber, though they performed many personal offices for the bridegroom, were yet far from being considered in the light of menials, but rather of equals and companions: and so says the Saviour to His disciples (Joh. 15:14-15).
2. Subordination to and entire dependence upon Christ. The children of the bridechamber have no existence but in relation to the bridegroom (Joh. 3:29). Even so Christians are absolutely nothing without Christ (Joh. 15:5). What a ridiculous character is a friend of the bridegroom thrusting himself forward as a principal person, acting an independent part, pretending to be something when he is nothing, instead of taking every opportunity of exalting and magnifying the bridegroom, even at his own expense! And such is the Christian who glories in himself, or fails to refer everything to his Lord and Master.
3. Duties and responsibilities. The children of the bridechamber must be always in waiting. While the term of their service lasts they are a part of the family, and the bridegrooms house is their home. So Christians attend continually upon the Saviour; follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth; wait on Him in the way of His judgments, ordinances, sacraments; ever looking unto Jesus, and conforming their life and temper to the example set by Him.
II. The general temper of Christians, as rejoicing in the Lord always (Mar. 2:19).
1. The presence of the Divine Bridegroom, the converse of Him who spake as never man spake, was to our Lords immediate followers as a continual feast.
2. The same should now be true of Christians in general; for although, in one sense, the Bridegroom is taken away from us, where is He? See 1Pe. 3:22. This cannot be the taking away to which He refers, as an occasion of mourning to His friends; since He Himself said, at another time (Joh. 14:28). Not only if we love Him, but if we love ourselves, we shall rejoice at this temporary separation. Whatever accession of dignity or influence accrues to the Bridegroom, His friends are sure to reap the benefit of it. Nor, because He is in heaven, is He the less present with us on earth. This is a great mystery, but an infallible and most comfortable truth. See Joh. 14:18-19; Mat. 28:20.
III. The occasional seasons when Christians mourn and fast.
1. This cannot refer to any temporal afflictions; for we are expressly told that no worldly tribulation or distress is able to separate us from the Saviour; but that it is in the nature of such things rather to endear Him to us the more, and to make us the more worthy of His love.
2. We must therefore understand by these words times of spiritual trouble and heaviness, such as will occasionally happen, in this imperfect state, even to those who have the best reason to abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. The Bridegroom Himself had such seasons. See Mat. 4:1-2; Mar. 14:33-36. It is evident, then, that our spiritual garments will not be always white, and that tears may be shed in a bridal chamber. Let us, at such seasons, have recourse to the divinely appointed means of grace, in the assured confidence that, if rightly improved, these occasional interruptions of our wonted cheerfulness will minister to our more abundant consolation in the end.
3. Hitherto we have had in view those dark and distressing times of the soul which come unsought, of which we cannot give a satisfactory account, and which it is our duty as much as possible to bear up against. Other times there are when we should rather invite than resist the entrance of sad thoughts into our hearts. The solemn season of Lent is one of these, and especially the Holy Week with which it ends, when we commemorate the Passion and Death of our Redeemer.
Fasting.It is quite clear, to start with, that no practice of this kind can be an end in itself; it must be a means: equally clear that it must be a spiritual means to a spiritual enda means by which the spirit may control the body, so as to fashion it into its noble destiny of being a spiritual body; that so the whole man may be moulded for the service, and, in some sense, into the likeness, of God, who is a Spirit.
I. It is a method of bodily discipline.It aims at making us like God, who is a Spirit, and who, as such, is superior to and able to control material things. It trains us in the power of detachment, in the power of saying No, not only to the sins of the flesh, but to its indulgences; it recalls the command, Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and the example, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me; it keeps the body braced for action, and prevents luxuries from growing into necessities. It is in St. Leos favourite phrase a prsidium, a protection to the spirit against the encroachments of the bodyasking us, with importunate persistency, whether we have our body well in hand, whether we should be ready for a call to do missionary work in some part of the Masters kingdom which is not yet civilised. We need this protection for our own sakes, with its reminder of the need of fasting from all sin; and we need it also for the sake of the poor and of the Church, that we may have the means and the will to help their necessities. It is interesting to note that, in the recently discovered Apology of Aristides, one of the characteristics attributed to the early Christians is that, if they have not enough money to help a poor brother, they fast two or three days, that they may supply the needy with their necessary food; and St. Leo constantly insists on the duty of a liberal benevolence being the accompaniment of fasting. Detachment, bodily discipline, sympathy with the poor, liberalitythese are virtues which spring from fasting; yet most assuredly fasting did not spring from the desire for them. We shall miss its true value if we stop at these. We must go deeper still.
II. It is also the expression of sorrowand, for the Christian, of sorrow for sin: it becomes thus a great training in the true nature of penitence and the right purposes of sorrow. Why was it that our Lord expected His apostles to fast? It was because He was to be taken away from them. And why was He taken away? Because of sin. The Incarnation, which might have been like a perpetual joyous intercourse of Bridegroom and bride, was marred and checked by sin. And in what sense can the Bridegroom be said to be taken away from us now, so that we should mourn? He is gone wherever our sin has grieved His Spirit and driven Him from our hearts. The Christian life should be one of joyous service, of conscious spiritual communion with the Master; and who can say how different it is for many of us, with selfishness and ill-will marring its beauty, so that we get only now and then faint glimpses of what a loyal and loving service of the Master might be? Now the reason of this is sin, our own sin, our past sin, our present sin, whereby we have crucified the Son of God afresh. Friday has to be a Good Friday in every week, giving us time and quiet to learn that individual and detailed knowledge of our own personal sinfulness, whence the real love of our Redeemer can alone flow. The most fatal enemy of the spiritual life is self-complacency, and the recurring fast day is our protection against this; the wound of our just remorse needeth touching very often. We need to be reminded that nothing less than the Death of the Son of God was sufficient to redeem us from our sins, that those sins were real acts of our own will affecting our whole nature, so that we can never be as though we had not sinned, but must always be penitent before God, always on our guard against the temptations which have proved fatal to us, prepared beforehand for any suffering which God may send us in consequence of our sins, and willing to welcome it as His means of purifying our souls. It is notGod forbid!that the atonement on the Cross was insufficient; but it is that we ought to feel and act as those whom He has redeemed, to share His hatred for sin, to war against it actively in our own personsto be like our God, who is a consuming fire.
III. The reason for common Church fasts on fixed days.George Herbert has tersely put it, The Scriptures bid us fast, the Church says now; and the reason for this is not only that so brother helps brother to keep up his spiritual life, and that the common action of the Church is more prevailing with God, like its common prayer, but it is also a reminder that we have to be not self-centred in our penitence, but to fast and sorrow for the sins and shortcomings of the whole Church.
IV. Fasting does not end in itself; it is always in the Churchs system a preparation. It was the preparation for baptism as early as the second century. An almost universal instinct has regarded it as the fit approach to the Holy Communion. After Friday comes Sunday with its worship and Communion. After Lent comes Easter. This fact seems to say: grief, weakness, sinthese are not the end. We sorrow that we may know the power of the Resurrection; we feel the touch of human weakness that we may rest on spiritual strength, and know that power is perfected in weakness; we recall our sinfulness that we may realise the love of the Atonement. Fasting does for us the work which that good man, the clergyman, did for the simple maiden in Tennysons poem: He showed me all the mercy, for he showed me all the sin. And it keeps joy Christian. Christian joy has to stand in relation to Christian grief. If we have learnt to grieve for sin, we shall rejoice for the triumph of righteousness. If we have mourned for the failures of the Church, our joy will rise above selfish family prosperity into delight in the progress of the Church.
V. Two words of caution.
1. Remember Mr. Kebles advice, Keep a medical conscience, either in your own bosom or in that of some friend who may be trusted. Fasting sometimes causes a distressing reaction: if you have reason to fear that, you had better use hard and unpleasant diet than actually going without.
2. It was especially in connexion with fasting that our Lord insisted on the break with the old spirit of Judaism. Our fasting may not be a mere forma desire to win Gods favoura trust in ourselves. It must be done in love and gratitude, with desire to imitate our Lord, with prayer to Him that it may be united with His fasting, and get all its virtue from Him.W. Lock.
OUTLINES AND COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Mar. 2:18. A common evil.It is a posed persons observe such days of Pharisaic and very common evil that men are very much more troubled about setting others right in their living than about correcting their own.Starke.
The busybody begins by talking about others, and comes afterwards to himself but makes the best of his own case (1Ti. 4:8).P. Quesnel.
All men not alike.It is spiritual pride when, in matters which God has left to our freedom, people try to make others regulate themselves by their rules. What benefits one mans soul may harm anothers.
Mar. 2:20. The right use and end of fasting.When godly and well-disposed persons observe such days of abstinence in a right manner, and to a right end; when they look upon fasting not as an essential part of natural or revealed religion, but only as an auxiliary or instrumental duty; when they do not rest in it as absolutely and in itself good, but make use of it as a proper help for the better performance of those duties, which are strictly and properly acts of religious worship; when they do not acquiesce in the bare outward performance of this duty, or think they have discharged it as they ought, till by the use of these means, and Gods blessing upon them, they have attained those graces, to which these means ought to be subservient; when they strive thereby to mortify the flesh, and to subdue the lusts thereof, to spiritualise the soul, and to dispose it for more exalted acts of devotion; when to these ends they choose to set apart those days which they find have been set apart to the same ends by the generality of Christians in all ages; when they are willing to keep up a custom which they find hath been kept up by all or by most of the Churches of God; when they dutifully comply with the usages of that Church in which they live, and are afraid of despising the lawful commands of their superiors; when, how strict soever they are towards themselves, they are not rigorous in their censures of others who do not think themselves bound to the same observances; when they do not hope by abstinence at some times of the year to compound for criminal excesses at other times, but are temperate and sober through the whole course of their lives, and at some stated periods sequester themselves more than usually from the business and from the pleasures of this world, that they may more freely and uninterruptedly attend to the concerns of the next; when they are in their consciences fully persuaded that one day or one meat of itself is not more holy, more pure, or more clean than another, but that all days and all meats be of their own nature of one equal purity, cleanness, and holiness, and yet on some days abstain from some meats not as in themselves unlawful, but as less subservient to the keeping under the body and bringing it into subjection; when they do not rigorously tie themselves up to fixed and unchangeable rules, from which they may in no case swerve, to the ensnaring and perplexing of their consciences, but in things of themselves indifferent use such a latitude as may neither entrench too much on Christian liberty, nor on the other side open a gap to licentiousness,when, I say, sober, judicious, and devout Christians observe the fasts of the Church with these cautions, restrictions, and limitations, such an observance cannot be justly accused of superstition, cannot indeed be condemned without superstition. Such an abstinence as this our Church recommends; such, if we shall practise with the same intentions, with the same piety and moderation, as she recommends it, we shall thereby reap great benefit to our souls, and the better prepare and dispose them for the reception of Gods grace here, and the communication of His glory in the world to come.Bishop Smalridge.
Mar. 2:21. Consequences of false conservatism in the Church.
1. These attempts at tailoring in spiritual matters are opposed even to common sense and every-day practice.
2. The old forms are destroyed by the new life, and the new life by the old forms.
3. The work of destruction is continued while they clamour against destruction, until the new and the old are finally separated.J. P. Lange, D.D.
The threefold mark of the new life.
1. It assumes a definite outward form.
2. It cannot continue in the false and antiquated forms.
3. It must create for itself corresponding forms.Ibid.
Mar. 2:22. Form and spirit.As the wineskin retains the wine, so are feelings and aspirations aided, and even preserved, by suitable external forms. Without these emotion would lose itself for want of restraint, wasted, like spilt wine, by diffuseness. And if the forms are unsuitable and outworn, the same calamity happensthe strong, new feelings break through them, and the wine perisheth, and the skins. In this respect how many a sad experience of the Church attests the wisdom of her Lord; what losses have been suffered in the struggle between forms that had stiffened into archaic ceremonialism and new zeal demanding scope for its energybetween the antiquated phrases of a bygone age and the new experience, knowledge, and requirements of the nextbetween the frosty precisions of unsympathetic age and the innocent warmth and freshness of the young, too often, alas! lost to their Master in passionate revolt against restraints which He neither imposed nor smiled upon.Dean Chadwick.
Christian development.The old stage-coaches could not have been utilised for steam-engines; the new thoughts respecting locomotion required new machinery. So did the thoughts of Christ require new habits and practices. These were not fully initiated by Christ, but He laid down the basis of all subsequent Christian development.
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 2
Mar. 2:21. External reform insufficient.We may try from without to make human character lovely; but there is sin in its very fibre, and the blemishes will ever work out and mar all. The only way is to have a new heart, and then the beauty will be real and will endure. A mother lost by death a lovely and precious childher only child. To occupy her heart and hand in some way about her vanished treasure, and thus fill the empty hours, she took up a photograph of her child and began to touch it with her skilful fingers. Soon, as she wrought, the features became almost lifelike. The picture was then laid away for a few days, and when she sought it again the eyes were dimmed, and the face was marred with ugly blotches. Patiently she went over it a second time, and the bewitching beauty came again. A second time it was laid away, and again the blotches appeared. There was something wrong in the paper on which the photograph had been taken. There were chemicals lurking in it which in some way marred the delicate colours, and no amount of repainting could correct the faults. So is it in human lives. No outside reform is enough, for all the while the heart is evil within, and it sends up its pollution, staining the fairest beauty. The change that is permanent must be wrought in the heart.J. R. Miller, D. D.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
7. DISPUTE ABOUT FASTING 2:18-22.
TEXT: 2:18-22
And Johns disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say unto him, Why do Johns disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then will they fast in that day. No man seweth a piece of undressed cloth on an old garment: else that which should fill it up taketh from it, the new from the old and a worse rent is made. And no man putteth new wine into old wine-skins: else the wine will burst the skins, and the wine perisheth, and the skins: but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 2:18-22
90.
Was there something wrong about the fasting of Johns disciples or of the fasting of the Pharisees? Why did they fast?
91.
Was Jesus saying that He and His disciples were as happy as a bridal party? If not what did He say in Mar. 2:19?
92.
Are we living in the day when the bridegroom has been taken away? If so are we to fast? If so why do we fail to do it? Cf. Act. 13:1-2.
93.
What is represented by the undressed cloth in the figure of speech Jesus used? What was the old garment?
94.
What worse rent would be made? What was the point of the parable?
95.
Was the point the same in the figure of new and old wine skins?
COMMENT
TIME(Same as the call of LeviEarly Summer A.D. 28.)
PLACEMany feel this conversation took place around the table in Matthews house.
PARALLEL ACCOUNTSMat. 9:14-17; Luk. 5:33-39.
OUTLINE1. The question of Johns disciples, Mar. 2:18. 2. The answer of the bridegroom, Mar. 2:19-20. 3. The answer of the garment, Mar. 2:21. 4. The answer of the wine skins, Mar. 2:22.
ANALYSIS
I.
THE QUESTION OF JOHNS DISCIPLES. Mar. 2:18.
1.
Asked during a fast by Johns disciples and the Pharisees.
2.
Why do Johns disciples fast and the disciples of Christ fail to fast?
II.
THE ANSWER OF THE BRIDEGROOM, Mar. 2:19-20.
1.
The joy of the bridal party prevents fasting.
2.
When the bridegroom is gone there will be fasting.
III.
THE ANSWER OF THE GARMENT, Mar. 2:21
1.
New cloth cannot patch old clothes.
2.
The results prevent such action.
IV.
THE ANSWER OF THE WINE SKINS, Mar. 2:22.
1.
New wine cannot go in old skins.
2.
Results prevent such action.
EXPLANATORY NOTES
I.
THE QUESTION OF JOHNS DISCIPLES, Mar. 2:18.
Mar. 2:18. Johns disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Perhaps they chose the very time of the feast for a fast. This would indeed produce a contrast and conflict. We believe Johns disciples were sincere in their questions and offered no criticism. We could not say the same of the disciples of the Pharisees. The law of God prescribed only one fastthe great Day of atonement(Lev. 23:27). During the captivity of the Jewish nation fasting was practiced by many. Fasting undoubtedly was associated with the repentance John preached.
II.
THE ANSWER OF THE BRIDEGROOM, Mar. 2:19-20.
Mar. 2:19. Sons of the bride-chamber. What a beautiful way to describe the attitude of our Lord for His work! Jesus was as happy as a bridegroomHis disciples shared His joy. How could they be sad or fast when they had just made the greatest discovery in time and eternity? It was time to rejoice, they had found the Messiah!
Mar. 2:20. Then they will fast in that day. We now live in that day. We look for the coming of the bridegroom for His bridethere are many occasions when we need to fast. The church in Antioch fasted (Cf. Act. 13:1-2). This is not a legal requirement but it can be a wonderful spiritual exercise. There are mental, emotional, physical and spiritual benefits for the sons of the bride-chamber who will commit themselves to a period of prayer and fasting. The immediate reference here is probably to His crucifixion and the sorrow felt at that time. It can have a more far-reaching application as we have indicated.
III.
THE ANSWER OF THE GARMENT, Mar. 2:21
Mar. 2:21 . . . . . a piece of undressed cloth or an old garment. This is an answer to question about fasting. Jesus is saying His mission is entirely new. It will not be added to that of the law as reflected so poorly through the Pharisees, nor even a part of the work of Johnwhich was only a preparation for the new kingdom. The Messiah was not sent to patch up the old but to offer an entirely new garment. The garment of praise for the worn-out garment of law.
IV.
THE ANSWER OF THE WINE SKINS, Mar. 2:22
Mar. 2:22. New wine in old wine-skinsThis is a Hebrewistic manner of presenting parablestwo with the same point for emphasis. The point in the use of the parables is that the using of the ill-chosen patch and the unsuitable bottles defeats the purpose of him who resorts to it, and the purpose is defeated because of an unwise uniting of the new with the old. The new is the living, expanding, divinely-vigorous kingdom of Christ; the old is that which pertains to the Jewish dispensation, which was decaying and ready to vanish away (Heb. 8:13) (W. N. Clarke)
FACT QUESTIONS 2:18-22
116.
At what time and place did this question of fasting occur?
117.
What was the probable motive behind the question?
118.
Why call the disciples of Jesus sons of the bride-chamber?
119.
In what day did Jesus promise that His followers would fast?
120.
What is represented by the piece of undressed cloth? What is the garment?
121.
What is represented by the new wine?
SIDELIGHTS
Mar. 2:13-22.Levis feast: the moral questions it occasioned. 1. Mar. 2:13-17. Eating with publicans and sinners. In calling Matthew (Levi) from the receipt of custom, our Saviour made him relinquish all his old pursuits and companions, and conferred upon him an unexpected honour. The feast given by him was, therefore, partly a farewell, partly a celebration. In overstepping the boundary line of Jewish religious and social etiquette, the Lord performed an act of great significance, which was sure to call forth remark.
I. Superficial knowledge, when linked with malice, will put the worst construction upon the best actions. Conventional morality was invoked to condemn Christ in mingling with the publicans. No trouble was taken to ascertain the true character of the feast. By their criticism the Pharisees exposed their own hollowness and unspirituality. They condemned themselves in seeking to condemn Christ. For such judgments men are responsible. The greatest care and most spiritual view should be taken ere judgment is passed upon the actions of others, especially when their character is known to be good.
II. It is the motive which is the true key to the nature of actions. 1. This applies absolutely in the case of actions in themselves indifferent, or only conventionally forbidden; but in all actions it is an indispensable canon of ultimate judgment. Even where the external nature of an action is unmistakable, the utmost care should be taken in forming an opinion. Absolute and unqualified judgment is for God alone. 2. When challenged for our conduct it is well to explain the principle upon which we act. Christ at once makes known his motives, and with no anger. Yet in so doing he judged his accusers. They pretended to be whole, and so could not object to him doing good to those who required his aid. Why were they dissatisfied, if not from secret disquietude with their own condition and attitude? Irony proceeding from deepest spiritual discernment!
III. The holiest sought out and companied with sinners that He might make them holy. It is only by sympathy, and by appeals to their highest nature, that sinful men can be won to God.(Muir)
LESSONS
1.
Jesus was first, last, and always a teacher. No occasion went by unimproved for teaching.
2.
If we do not speak to all we meet about Christ how shall we discover the hungry hearts like Levi?
3.
Could we have dinners for sinners and introduce Jesus to them at the meal? It has been done with good success.
4.
We should not be surprised at criticismmuch of it unfoundedthis is part of the price of progress.
5.
How glad we should be to take the particular prescription the Great physician gives for us.
6.
We should be as happy in our labors for Christ as a bride and groom on their honeymoon.
POINTS FOR TEACHERS
The Calling of Matthew
(A wonderful lesson for every teacher)
We know three things about him:
(1)
He was a Hebrew.
a.
Justifiable pride.
b.
Understandable narrowness.
(2)
He was a publican.
a.
A consciousness of an authority under which he served.
b.
Responsible for accuracy in keeping of records.
(3)
A profoundly religious man.
a.
His remarkable familiarity with the Scriptures of the Hebrew people. No less than 99 references in his gospel.
b.
He applied his knowledge.
How our Lord dealt with this man:
1.
Found him in the midst of work.
a.
All the brooding of his mind lay behind the outward activity of the tax collector.
b.
Perhaps he knew very much about Jesus since his place of work was at Capernaum.
c.
The decisive momentthe command of Jesus.
2.
Jesus asked for submission.
3.
He promised fellowship.
4.
He called Matthew into an enterprise.
The results are self-evident in the gospel he wrote. (G. Campbell Morgan)
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(18-22) And the disciples of John. . . . used to fast.Better, were fasting. See Notes on Mat. 9:14-17. The only difference in detail between the two accounts is that in St. Matthew the disciples of John are more definitely specified as being the questioners.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they come and say to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, and yet your disciples do not fast?”.’
The incident begins with this question about fasting. With the stricter Jews fasting was a regular practise. While the Day of Atonement was the only day on which fasting was actually compulsory (according to the general interpretation of Lev 16:29 in those days), they also fasted on other occasions such as at the Feasts of Dedication and Purim, and the fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months (Zec 8:19). And this included fasting on two days every week, (probably on Mondays and Thursdays), for the whole day until sunset (compare Luk 18:12). They felt that somehow this fasting would help them to achieve a higher standard of covenant life and give them credit with God (compare how David hoped that his fasting would move God – 2Sa 12:16; 2Sa 12:21-23). Within the idea of fasting there may well have been that of mourning over sin and of a greater determination to seek God unhindered by earthly restraints. And this could only be for the good. But sadly some of those who fasted had other ideas in mind. They made sure that it was brought to people’s attention. They whitened their faces and dishevelled their clothes, ‘that they might appear to men to fast’ (Mat 6:16). And it thus made them self-righteous and did them great harm. But as men always will, others admired them for their self-sacrifice.
This would appear to have been a recognised fast when all pious men could be expected to fast, made even more potent for the disciples of John because of their master’s imprisonment or martyrdom. This last fact would make Jesus remarks all the more telling, as does His warning that one day His disciples will need to fast because of what will happen to Him. In the case of the Pharisees and that of John’s disciples, the fasting was clearly noted and admired by many.
Thus the failure of Jesus’ disciples to fast brought comment. Those who claimed to be extra-religious and to claim a special dedication to God were expected to fast at certain times, and to show that they were doing so. Why then did they not? Was there something lacking in their genuine dedication and mourning over sin? Jesus’ reply contains the idea that when fasting we must always consider what the purpose is. But it went further than that, for He seized the opportunity of further revelation concerning Himself.
‘The disciples of the Pharisees.’ An expression only used here but the same idea is conveyed by Mat 22:16 and possibly also by Mat 12:27; Luk 11:19. Perhaps they are mentioned especially because it was the learners who made the greatest efforts to make sure that people (and their own mentors) knew that they were fasting.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Heavenly Bridegroom Has Come To Call His Bride and Provide New Truth (2:18-22).
In this passage Jesus defends His disciples right not to fast. John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, seemingly at a season when fasting was expected of pious men. His point is that fasting indicates mourning and sorrow for sin as men hope for a better future, while for His disciples that is not necessary because a better future has already come. It was not right therefore that they fast, because the One is now among them Who will fulfil all God’s promises so that they should be rejoicing. For He Himself has come as the heavenly Bridegroom promised in the Scriptures, come to be united with His bride (compare Mat 12:49-50; Heb 2:11 where He is their Elder Brother). That is why what they should be doing is rejoice. He then goes on to point out that what He has brought for men replaces the old rather worn out teaching. He is referring, not to the Scriptures themselves, which did not need to be replaced, but to what men had made of those Scriptures, which did.
Analysis of 2:18-22.
a
b And Jesus said to them, “Can the sons of the bridechamber fast while the Bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the Bridegroom with them they cannot fast” (Mar 2:19).
c “But the days will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day” (Mar 2:20).
b “No man sews a piece of undressed cloth on an old piece of clothing, otherwise that which should fill it up (or ‘the patch’ – to pleroma) takes away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made” (Mar 2:21).
a “And no man puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the wine will burst the skins, and the wine perishes, and the skins. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins” (Mar 2:22).
Note that in ‘a’ the question is why Jesus’ disciples do not behave like other dedicated religious men, and in the parallel the answer is because new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. In ‘b’ Jesus says that the Bridegroom’s special friends cannot fast while the Bridegroom is with them, because by His presence a new situation has arisen and the old methods will spoil the new, and in the parallel no one tries to repair old clothing with a patch of new cloth, again because they are incompatible. Centrally in ‘c’ is what the future holds, that the Bridegroom will eventually be forcibly removed. Then indeed the disciples will fast (compare Joh 16:20).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting ( Mat 9:14-17 , Luk 5:33-39 ) Mar 2:18-22 gives us the account of Jesus being questioned by the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees regarding fasting.
Mar 2:21
Mar 2:22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
Mar 2:22
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
A question of fasting:
v. 18. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast; and they come and say unto Him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not?
v. 19. And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
v. 20. But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. The disciples of John, after the rigorousness of their master, were inclined to be very severe in the mortification of their flesh. They may not have done so with the belief that they were meriting much in the sight of God, but the thought of the necessity of such practices was ever present with them. The Pharisees, on the other hand, made their boast of their fasting, Mat 6:16; Mat 9:14; Luk 18:12. They took a great measure of pride in the fact that they were exceeding the commandment of God in this respect. In addition, they expected others to follow their lead. At this particular time they were fasting. And in carrying out the demands of their self-appointed sanctity, they were kept busy in straightening out the conduct of others instead of attending to their own affairs. They wanted Christ above all to regulate His piety by theirs. And, in doing so, they wanted to hold themselves up as models in order to shine before the people with their holiness. In this case either the Pharisees, together with the disciples of John, or men that were acting as their representatives, came to Christ. They want to know why the custom of the Pharisees and John’s disciples is not followed in the immediate neighborhood of Christ. They speak of the disciples of Christ, but their criticism is directed against Him. The explanation of the Lord is simple. He is the Bridegroom, in whose company the children of the bride-chamber, the best man and his companions, are at the present time, so long as He is in the world. Now they were surely aware of the fact that fasting was commonly looked upon as a sign of bereavement, sorrow, and repentance. It surely would not be right and proper for the disciples, therefore, since they were in the midst of the joys of the marriage-feast, to assume doleful faces as though they had suffered a great and bitter bereavement. That time, indeed, was coming, when the Bridegroom would be taken out of their midst, then they would have reason for showing every manifestation of grief, Joh 16:20.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mar 2:18-22 . See on Mat 9:14-17 . Comp. Luk 5:33-38 .
] considered by Kstlin, p. 339, as meaningless and beside the question, is taken by the expositors as an “archaeological intimation” (de Wette, comp. Fritzsche). There is nothing to indicate its being so (how entirely different it is with Mar 7:3 f.!); we should at least expect with some such general addition as (Mat 9:14 ). It is to be explained: And there were the disciples of John , etc., engaged in fasting (just at that time). This suggested their question. This view is followed also by Bleek and Holtzmann, the latter thinking, in the case of John’s disciples, of their fasting as mourners on account of the loss of their master, a view for which Mar 2:19 does not serve as proof.
. . .] Both , naturally by means of representatives from among them. The text does not yield anything else; so we are neither to understand the questioners of Mar 2:16 (Ewald, Hilgenfeld), nor mentally to supply (Weisse, Wilke). In Matthew the disciples of John ask the question, and this is to be regarded as historically the case (see on Mat 9:17 , Remark).
. . .] Not inappropriate, but more definite and more suited to their party-interest than (in opposition to de Wette).
] might be the dative (the disciples belonging to Thee), see Bernhardy, p. 89; Khner, II. p. 249. But in accordance with the use frequent also in the N. T. of the emphatic , it is to be taken as its plural. Comp. Luk 5:33 .
Mar 2:19 . . . .] superfluous in itself, but here suited to the solemn answer. Comp. Bornemann, Schol. in Luc. p. xxxix.
] in the midst of themselves .
Mar 2:20 . ] Not a negligence (de Wette) or impossibility of expression (Fritzsche), but: is the more general statement of time: then , when, namely, the case of the taking away shall have occurred, and , is the special definition of time subordinate to the : on that day , having demonstrative force and consequently a tragic emphasis (on that atra dies !). Comp. Bernhardy, p. 279. If the plural were again used, the time previously designated by . would be once more expressed on the whole and in general , and that likewise with solemnity, but not the definite particular day. Aptly, moreover, Bengel remarks: “Dies unus auferendi sponsi, dies multi ejusdem ablati et absentis.” The Lord from the beginning of His ministry had made Himself familiar with the certainty of a violent death. Comp. Joh 2:19 .
Mar 2:21 . ] In the contrary case , even after a negative clause, Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 336 [E. T. 392], and see on 2Co 11:16 .
The correct reading: (see the critical remarks), is to be explained: the new patch of the old (garment) breaks away from it . See on Mat 9:16 f. The Recepta signifies: his new patch (that which is put on by him) breaks away from the old garment . According to Ewald, ought to be read (following B, which, however, has the after ), and this is to be interpreted: “thus the new filling up of the old becomes of itself stronger.” He compares the phrase ( ratio evincit , Polyb. vi. 5. 5; comp. also Herod. ii. 33; Plat. Crit. p. 48 C, al. ), the meaning of which (reason teaches it ) is, however, here foreign to the subject.
Mar 2:22 . A combination from Matthew and Luke is here contained only in the interpolated Recepta . See the critical remarks.
As to the form instead of , see Ruhnken, Ep. crit. I. p. 26.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
Third Conflict.The Fasting of Johns Disciples and of the Pharisees. Mar 2:18-22
(Parallels: Mat 9:14-17; Luk 5:33-39.)
18And the disciples of John and [of] the Pharisees 10 used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.11 21No man also seweth a piece of new [unfulled] cloth on an old garment; else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, 12and the rent is made worse. 22And no man putteth new wine into old [skin] bottles; else the new wine doth burst 13 the [skin] bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the [skin] bottles will be marred: but new 14 wine must be put into new [skin] bottles.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. See on the parallels of Matt. and Luke.The offence at Christs meal with Levi, as it might represent similar meals, was twofold: 1. As an eating with publicans and sinners; 2. as the opposite of fasting. In the former view the Pharisees took umbrage; in the latter, the disciples of John,the Pharisees also joining them. This offence was a point in which the legal Pharisees and the ascetic disciples of John, as spiritually related, might meet.
Mar 2:18. Used to fast: .Meyer: They were then in the act of fasting. It may be easily supposed that the imprisonment of John would give occasion to his disciples, and with them to many of the Pharisees, for an extraordinary fast (see art. Fasten in Winer). An ordinary legal season of fasting is not meant; for Christ and His disciples would not have neglected or outraged that. But if an extraordinary fast, occasioned by the Baptists imprisonment or by any other cause, formed the primary reason of this question, yet we think that the participle is to be taken as emphatic, according to the parallels in Matthew ( ) and Luke ( ).And they come.Of course only some, as representing the mind of all (Weisse); not necessarily all, as Meyer thinks. The combination of both parties on this point does not exclude the prominence of Johns disciples, according to Matthew.
Mar 2:20. In those days.Emphatically, in those dark days.
Mar 2:21. Else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.The new piece is rent away from the old: the most approved reading is also the most expressive. The inappropriate and disproportionate is again made emphatic by the antithesis.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. See on the parallels.
2. Compare the word concerning fasting, Mat 6:16. We may distinguish: 1. Legal-symbolical fasting (Lev 16:29; Lev 23:27); 2. personal, real fastingMoses (Exo 24:18), Elias (1Ki 19:8), Christ (Matthew 4); 3. ascetic, penance fasting (the Baptist); 4. hypocritical fasting (Isa 58:3-4), which may easily combine with 1 and 3. Fasting generally is the ascetic symbolical exercise of real renunciation of the world, in which all true fasting is fulfilled.
3. Application of the two parables concerning old garments and old bottles to the history of Ebionitism, of the Interim 15 in the Reformation age, and of analogous incongruities in the present day.
4. The meal of Christ everywhere a sacred, spiritual feast.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
How often do sincere legal souls suffer themselves to be led away by traditionalists into an assault upon the freedom of the Gospel!The greatest danger of the weak brethren (Rom 14:1; Rom 14:15), that they fall under the bondage of false brethren (2Co 11:26; Gal 2:4), and thus become separated from the peace of the Gospel.Wrong alliances of Christians in the Church lead to wrong alliances of ecclesiastical things, even in opposition to the right alliances of both.Openness a characteristic of Johns disciples as of their master: they apply themselves, as later the Baptist did, with their offence to Christ Himself.Yet they are infected with the policy of the Pharisees; for they ask, Why fast Thy disciples not? (see on Matthew).Christ at once the Physician and the Bridegroom: 1. The Bridegroom as the Physician; 2. the Physician as the Bridegroom. Or, Christ is the supreme festal end, and the only means of salvation, in the kingdom of God: 1. He is the means of healing, while He calls souls to the participation of His blessedness; 2. He is the Prince of the blessed kingdom in the midst of His redeemed.We should think, on our feast-day, of our coming fast-day.Even in the greatness of His fast, Christ with His disciples leaves far behind Him all the severe penitents of the old theocracy.The secret fasting of Christians; or, the great, silent, and festal renunciation of the world: 1. Its form; 2. its reason, the reconciliation of the world; 3. its goal, the glorification of the world.
Starke:It is a pharisaic and very common evil, that men are very much more troubled about setting others right in their living than about directing their own.Quesnel:The busybody begins by talking about others, and comes afterwards to himself, but makes the best of his own case, 1Ti 6:8.Cramer:Fasting is good; but to make a merit of it, or even to burden the conscience with it, is opposed to Christian freedom.It is spiritual pride when, in matters which God has left to our freedom, people desire that others should regulate their piety by their rules.The fasting of a penitent does not consist only in abstinence from food, but in abstinence also from all the pleasures and all the occasions of sin, Joe 2:12.Where Jesus is the Bridegroom of the soul, there is joy and refreshment; where He is not, there is mourning and grief of heart.Canstein:The right measures of pacification in religion are those in which truth and sincerity are consulted.Majus:The nakedness of sin cannot be covered with old traditions.
Gerlach:Jesus terms Himself the Bridegroom of His Church.Longing for the Bridegroom is the feeling of the Church, when He is away; bridal love and delight, when He is present again.Braune:It is a special temptation to good-natured, well-meaning souls, not reconciled to Christ, His doctrine, His discipline, His life, His Church, when evil-minded cavillers fall in with them.The disciples of Jesus a wedding company.In all Christians there is more or less interchange of cheerful joy and gloomy sorrow, although the joyous temper when the Lord is near predominates.New wine, new bottles.Schleiermacher:How Jesus would have us understand and treat the great new period which He came to bring in.Thus the Redeemer compares Himself with John, Mat 11:18 seq.That day: the interval of uncertainty concerning the further course of the divine economy for mans salvation.The old garment: He would thereby intimate that it was by no means lawful to cut up and divide the spiritual power with which He was furnished by God that He might communicate it to men, in order to repair and set in order again that which was obsolete and effete.In our joyous fellowship with the Lord, let us preserve the happiness which He declares to be the prerogative of His people.Gossner:They have now once more discovered something. Envy looks at and judges only others, without caring about correcting itself. Another failing of the Pharisees was, that they required all pious people to measure according to their standard, and adopt their usages. The third error was, that they began to speak about others, in order that they might come to themselves, and exalt their own reputation at the expense of others.
Footnotes:
[10]Mar 2:18.The reading of the Rec., , is not supported. Griesbach, Scholz, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Fritzsche read .
[11]Mar 2:20.Rec.: is an emendation. Griesbach, Lachmann, Scholz, Tischendorf read
[12]Mar 2:21.We follow the reading: ; adopted by Tischendorf and Meyer.
[13]Mar 2:22.The Present is more vivid than Lachmanns Future, , found, also, in B., C., D., Vulgata.
[14]Mar 2:22.The addition new, , is from Luk 5:37.
[15]An ordinance of Charles V., that all his Catholic dominions should, for the future, inviolably observe the customs, statutes, and ordinances of the universal church, etc.; by which he endeavored to restablish Popery among the Protestants.Ed.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
(18) And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? (19) And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. (20) But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. (21) No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. (22) And no man putteth new wine into old bottles, else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
In addition to what was offered on this scripture, Mat 9:14 , etc, it may be further remarked, that in cases where the outward ministry of the word is heard and received into the old unrenewed heart of the Adam-nature, as the fermentation of new wine will burst the old dried skins into which it is put, so men, unrenewed by the HOLY GHOST, will burst with hatred, both against CHRIST and his people. Perhaps no hatred is equal to that which the carnal mind fosters against the people of GOD. And not simply the carnal, but the professor, in whose heart no saving work of grace hath been wrought. It is painful to flesh and blood, sometimes, to meet the malice of the ungodly and openly avowed profane. But the persecution of professors of godliness, in the Pharisees and Self-righteous, under the cover of sanctity, comes with a deeper malignity. The LORD JESUS himself noticeth this in Judas. Psa 55:12 , etc.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
Ver. 18. The disciples of John and of the Pharisees ] Beza notes, that only here, and Mat 22:16 ; Luk 5:24 , is mention made in the gospel of the Pharisees’ disciples, unhappy doubtless in such perverse tutors, somewhat akin to Protagoras, of whom Plato writeth (in Menone.) that he bragged of this, that whereas he had lived sixty years, he had spent forty of them in corrupting of youth.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
18. . . .] Mark here gives a notice for the information of his readers, as in ch. Mar 7:3 , which places shew that his Gospel was not written for the use of Jews. It appears from this account, which is here the more circumstantial, that the Pharisees and disciples of John asked the question in the third person , as of others . In Matt. it is the disciples of John , and they join . In Luke, it is the Pharisees and Scribes , and they ask as here. Me [7] . understands it, that the disciples of John and the Pharisees were at that particular time keeping a fast , and that this gave occasion to the question. The verb subst. with the part. may mean this, and Mark himself apparently uses it so, ch. Mar 10:32 , and Mar 14:4 : but much more frequently it describes a practice or state, e.g. , Mat 19:22 , . . . , ch. Mar 13:25 . See also ch. Mar 1:6 ; Mar 1:22 ; Mar 1:39 . I cannot think that the fact of their being at that time keeping a fast would be thus expressed: it certainly would be further specified .
[7] Meyer.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mar 2:18-22 . Fasting (Mat 9:14-17 , Luk 5:33-39 ).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mar 2:18 . , and , connection purely topical, another case of conflict. , either: were wont to fast (Grotius, Fritzsche, Schanz, etc.), or, and this gives more point to the story: were fasting at that particular time (Meyer, Weiss, Holtz., H. C.). ., they come and say, quite generally; they = people, or some representatives of John’s disciples, and the Pharisees.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar 2:18-20
18John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 19And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.”
Mar 2:18-20 “fasting” The Pharisees and John’s disciples were culturally conditioned to fast twice a week, on Mondays, and Thursdays (cf. Luk 18:12). The Mosaic Law only had one fast day a year, the Day of Atonement (cf. Leviticus 16). These twice-a-week fasts are a good example of developed traditionalism (cf. Zechariah 7-8). Fasting loses its spiritual value when it becomes mandatory and draws attention to itself (cf. Mat 6:16-18).
SPECIAL TOPIC: FASTING
NASB, NKJV”they came”
NRSV”people came”
TEV, NJB”some people came”
Mar 2:18 starts out noting that John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting for some occasion. Some others took note of this and came and asked Jesus about why His disciples did not fast on this occasion.
Mar 2:19 Grammatically this question expects a negative answer.
“‘bridegroom'” There is so much OT imagery involved in the concept of “bridegroom.” In the OT YHWH is the bridegroom or husband of Israel. In this context Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is the bride (cf. Eph 5:23-32). In Mar 2:20 “the bridegroom is taken away” refers to a time when a separation will occur.
Now, as interpreters we have two choices. First, we can see this as a cultural metaphor about a time of joy connected to a wedding. No one fasts during a wedding! Second, we can see it as parabolic of Jesus’ time on earth and His coming crucifixion. Mark (Peter’s interpreter) would have known the full implication of these metaphorically laden terms (in Judaism the bridegroom was a metaphor, not of the Messiah, but of the coming Kingdom of God). Is this a prediction of Jesus’ death? He has clearly revealed His Messiahship and deity through His words and deeds (i.e., exorcisms, healings, forgiving sins). However, the Messianic Secret of Mark causes one to wonder! But the parabolic language and its implication of Mar 2:21-22 make me see the entire context in a vicarious, yet eschatological, setting (i.e., the bridegroom dies, but the Son of God returns and remains). Between the death and return (i.e., the Messianic banquet), His followers will fast in an appropriate way and at an appropriate time.
Mar 2:20 “‘taken away'” This may be an allusion to Isa 53:8 in the Septuagint. After the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension Peter fully understood the significance of Isaiah 53.
“‘they will fast'” This is a future active indicative (a statement of fact), not an imperative (command).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
used to fast = were fasting: i.e. were then observing a fast. It is not the custom that is referred to, but the fact.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
18. …] Mark here gives a notice for the information of his readers, as in ch. Mar 7:3, which places shew that his Gospel was not written for the use of Jews. It appears from this account, which is here the more circumstantial, that the Pharisees and disciples of John asked the question in the third person, as of others. In Matt. it is the disciples of John, and they join . In Luke, it is the Pharisees and Scribes, and they ask as here. Me[7]. understands it, that the disciples of John and the Pharisees were at that particular time keeping a fast, and that this gave occasion to the question. The verb subst. with the part. may mean this, and Mark himself apparently uses it so, ch. Mar 10:32, and Mar 14:4 : but much more frequently it describes a practice or state, e.g. , Mat 19:22,- . . . , ch. Mar 13:25. See also ch. Mar 1:6; Mar 1:22; Mar 1:39. I cannot think that the fact of their being at that time keeping a fast would be thus expressed: it certainly would be further specified.
[7] Meyer.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mar 2:18. , fasting) This seems here to imply both their custom and their actual fasting at that present time; comp. note on Mat 9:14.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Mar 2:18-22
3. ABOUT FASTING
Mar 2:18-22
(Mat 9:14-17; Luk 5:33-39)
18 And John’s disciples–His converts. They (some, not all) were still holding John as their captain. A part of his disciples did not accept the leadership of Jesus as readily as did John. John recognized Jesus immediately as the Son of God and captain of the new movement and received him as such. He said: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Joh 3:30.) Had John’s disciples possessed the spirit he himself had and followed his precepts, they too would have accepted Jesus as their great leader without delay. (Joh 1:29-36; Joh 3:27-34.) But while John was baptizing some of them manifested a spirit of rivalry (Joh 3:26) and much more now since his imprisonment. Those who held aloof from Christ really sympathized with the Pharisees. (Luk 5:33.) and the Pharisees were fasting:and they come and say unto him, Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not–A statement of what John’s disciples and the Pharisees were doing. Both the foundation for and the question asked are plainly stated. They left no room for quibbling. A third ground of opposition to Jesus is now introduced. The opposition to Jesus about him eating with publicans and sinners had no sooner been disposed of than the question about his disciples not fasting was introduced. This question probably came up the day Matthew spread his feast, however, some think it is doubtful. Whether this charge was made upon the same or a different day is unimportant. John’s disciples and the Pharisees fasted, the disciples of Jesus did not, so they ask for the reason why they did not. The question was fair and legitimate. The Pharisees fasted twice a week (Luk 18:12), and John’s disciples imitated them, and did not understand why Jesus did not require his disciples to do likewise. There was a great difference between John’s disciples and Christ’s in the matter of fasting. John’s disciples imitated him, who “came neither eating nor drinking.” On the other side, Christ’s disciples followed him, who “came eating and drinking” as other men did. (Mat 11:18.) Thus did John’s disciples and Christ’s–the one fasted often, the other fasted not. The Pharisees fasted as well as John’s disciples.
From this we learn that wicked men may be, and sometimes are, as strict and forward in the outward duties of religion as the holiest and best of Christians. They pray, they fast, they hear the word, they partake in the Lord’s Supper; they do, yea, it may be, they outdo and go beyond the sincerest Christian in external duties and outward performances. Fasting was always connected with sorrow and humiliation. When the Jew sinned God forsook him or punished him. Under a sense of sin and sorrow he humbled himself, fasted and prayed that he might be freed from sin, might draw near to God, so that God would draw near to him. So fasting and mourning for sin are connected. Fasting rather grows out of a sense of sinfulness and a desire to humble the flesh before God than out of any command to fast. Fasting, like prayer, grows out of our sense of need of help from God, and leads us to draw close to him in spirit. The Pharisees fasted often as a display of piety. This was hypocrisy.
19 And Jesus said unto them,–In the question about eating with publicans and sinners, the complaint was made to the disciples about Jesus; but this time the complaint is placed before Jesus about his disciples. In both instances, Jesus makes the reply. The reply to this question is as unexpected and as logical as was the former, and made still more striking by its being borrowed from a well-known custom of that country, namely, from its marriage ceremonies, and especially from the practice of the bridegroom bringing home his bride accompanied by select friends, rejoicing over them and for them.
Can the sons of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.–The form of the question here asked by Jesus is idiomatic, being that used when a negative answer is expected. The nearest approach to it in English is a negative followed by a question–they cannot–can they? The incapacity implied is not a physical but a moral one. They cannot be expected or required to fast; there is no reason why they should fast. The general principle involved or presupposed is that fasting is not a periodical or stated, but a special and occasional, observance, growing out of a particular emergency. This doctrine underlies the whole defense of his disciples, which proceeds upon the supposition that a fast, to be acceptable and useful, must have a reason and occasion of its own, beyond a general propriety or usage. It is also assumed that fasting is not a mere opus operatum, but the cause and the effect of a particular condition, that of spiritual grief or sorrow. (Mat 9:15.) “Sons of the bridechamber” were the male attendants of the bridegroom, who, on the day of marriage, accompanied him to the home of the bride, to bring her home. This would remind John’s disciples that he taught them Christ is the bridegroom (Joh 3:29); and the Pharisees that their prophets, in speaking of Christ, used the same figure to illustrate the relation between God and Israel (Psalms 45; Isa 54:5; Isa 62:5). Jesus compared himself to the bridegroom, his disciples to the children of the bridechamber, or friends who were eating at the bridal feast; and that he, as the bridegroom, was with his friends.
The guests at the wedding cannot mourn. Mourning or fasting on such occasions would be out of order. It is a time of rejoicing and feasting, instead of mourning and fasting. While Jesus, the bridegroom, was with his disciples, they were enjoying a wedding feast, and it would be out of order to fast as if they were mourning. But when he left them they would fast, because that would be a time of sorrow. Real fasting takes place when there is real occasion for it. (Act 13:2; Act 14:23; 2Co 6:5; 2Co 11:27.) Probably John’s disciples were mourning and fasting, because John, their friend, had been taken from them and placed in prison. If so, it was a time of fasting with them. But with the disciples of Jesus, it was a time of festivity and rejoicing. Their sorrow had not as yet come upon them. There must be a reason, something that calls for fasting and makes it appropriate. The arbitrary appointment of fast days, such as has been made by the Romish and other churches, is out of harmony with the teaching of Jesus.
20 But the days will come,–The time will come when Jesus, the bridegroom, will be put to death–when the circumstances will be changed, and fasting with his disciples will be becoming and very appropriate. When he is taken away, then their festivity will be ended, then will be the proper time of sorrow and fasting.
when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them,–A prediction of the death of Christ.
and then will they fast in that day.–The day or time of Christ’s death and removal. That will be a special time of sorrow and of fasting for his disciples. That will be the time to use the tokens of sorrow and grief. The duty of fasting, being thus dependent upon circumstances, may and will become incumbent when those circumstances change, as they are certainly to change hereafter. The bridegroom is not always to be visibly present, and when he departs, the time of fasting will be come. To express this more strongly, he is said to be removed or taken away, as if by violence. Then, at the time of this removal, as an immediate temporary cause of sorrow, not forever afterwards, which would be inconsistent with the principle already laid down, that the value of religious fasting is dependent on its being an occasional and not a stated duty. There is no foundation therefore for the doctrine of some Romish writers, who evade this argument against their stated fasts, by alleging that, according to our Lord’s own declaration, the church after his departure was to be a fasting church. But this would be equivalent to saying that the Savior’s exaltation would consign his people to perpetual sorrow. For he evidently speaks of grief and fasting as inseparable, and in Matthew’s narrative of his reply, the former term is substituted for the latter. (Mat 9:15.) Even the plural form, in those days, has respect to the precise time of his departure, much more the singular, in that day, which the latest critics have adopted as the true text.
21 No man seweth a piece of undressed cloth on an old garment:–Jesus in reply to his interrogators used three illustrations, all of them going to establish the same thing, namely, that we should observe a fitness and propriety in things. The first is taken from a marriage. Having fully stated the facts and made the applications of this illustration, Jesus here introduces a second which was familiar to all his auditors –namely, putting new cloth as patches on old garments. This, like the first illustration, shows that there is a propriety or fitness of things. Mark states how the patch is put on by the word “seweth.” He points out to his hearers what no one of them would think of doing.
else that which should fill it up taketh from it, the new from the old, and a worse rent is made.–Jesus here gives the reason why an old garment should not be patched with new cloth. A patch from new cloth would shrink and tear the old cloth and make the slit in the old garment larger. Such patching would be folly. But it would be just as unbecoming and foolish to unite fasting, which is a sign of sorrow and grief, with the joyous work of the disciples of Jesus, while he, the bridegroom, is with them. “What is meant is not simply new cloth, but cloth which has not been completely dressed. A part of the process of preparing woolen cloth for use consists in shrinking it, and a patch of unfulled cloth not duly shrunk would contract the first time it became wet; and, as the older and weaker cloth around it must give way, the result would be a worse rent. We must remember that Jewish garments at that day were all wool;and if unfulled, would shrink like our flannel.” (Broadus.)
22 And no man putteth new wine into old wineskins; else the wine will burst the skins, and the wine perisheth, and the skins: but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.–This is the third illustration to demonstrate that we should observe a fitness and propriety in things. It, like the other two, was familiar and well understood by his hearers. [He presents the incongruity of applying the rules and practices that had grown up under the Jewish law, or even the preaching of John the Baptist to the disciples of Jesus, by another comparison: putting unfermented wines into old, dried skins, that had been stretched and dried until they had lost all their elasticity. Under the fermentation of the wine in the new skin, the skin would yield and stretch so there would be no danger of the skin bursting and losing both it and the wine. In the dried skin the fermentation of the wine would cause the skin to burst, and the wine would be spilled, the skin worthless.] The argument drawn from these two examples is not, as some have supposed, that it would be absurd to patch the old Jewish garment with the unfulled cloth of the gospel, or to put the new wine of the gospel into the old Jewish bottles; for the question at issue was not one concerning the proper relation of the gospel dispensation to the old Jewish law, but one concerning the propriety of fasting on a certain occasion. Moreover, in Luke’s report of this answer we find the additional argument, “No man having drunk old wine desireth new; for he saith, The old is good.” (Luk 5:39.) To carry out the interpretation just named would make Jesus here argue that the old dispensation was better than the new. But the argument is the same as in the first example. It shows that it would have been absurdly inappropriate to the occasion for his disciples to fast, as much so as to mourn at a wedding, to patch an old garment with unfulled cloth, or to put new wine into old bottles. The arguments not only vindicated his disciples, but taught John’s disciples that fasting has value only when it is demanded by a suitable occasion.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the disciples: Mat 9:14-17, Luk 5:33-39
Why: Mat 6:16, Mat 6:18, Mat 23:5, Luk 18:12, Rom 10:3
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Chapter 16.
The Law of Congruity
“And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto Him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man also soweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.”-Mar 2:18-22.
Fasting-the Law and the Tradition.
Our Lord’s refusal to conform to the religious practices in vogue amongst the Jews often brought Him into collision with the rulers. This paragraph tells us of a controversy He had with the Pharisees and the disciples of John on the matter of fasting.
Fasting, by the law, was only prescribed for one day-the great Day of Atonement. But tradition had here, as in so many other things, added much to the written law, so that zealous Jews-like the Pharisee in Christ’s parable-had come to fast on two days in the week. The disciples of John also seem to have had this much in common with the Pharisees, that they made much of this ascetic practice. Jesus, on the other hand, paid practically no attention to their fast days. And this nonconformity of His caused no little scandal to the Pharisees, and no little difficulty to the disciples of John.
The Appeal to our Lord.
Thus it was that on one of their fast days they came to Jesus-the disciples of John being put forward as spokesmen-and asked Him: “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not?” (Mar 2:18, R.V.). Jesus answers these puzzled men by an exquisite little illustration, justifying His own practice, while at the same time not condemning theirs. It was impossible, He said, for the sons of the bride-chamber to fast while the bridegroom was with them. But when the bridegroom was taken away, then would they fast in those days.
The Underlying Principle.
Now, without pausing to note the tremendous claim Christ puts forward in applying the Divine name “bridegroom” to Himself, let us notice the principle that underlies our Lord’s answer. It is the principle of appropriateness, the law of congruity. It was ridiculous, He said, to expect the sons of the bride-chamber to fast in the wedding week. The outward must always be the expression of the inward, and there is absolutely no merit in the outward form unless the inward feeling is congruous with it.
Now fasting was originally just the expression of penitence and sorrow and abasement for sin. But with the Pharisee, fasting had become, for the most part, a matter of rule, a mere bit of routine. All this was offensive to Jesus. He insists upon the law of congruity. It is the principle St James lays down when He says, “Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise” (Jam 5:13, R.V.). It is equivalent to saying that the religious life must be absolutely single and true and sincere; that there must be about it no trace of hypocrisy or deceit.
-And its Application.
This is a very searching rule, which has its pertinent modern applications. The act of worship, for instance, according to this law, is of little or no value in God’s sight, unless it is the expression of a worshipping spirit. “Saying one’s prayer’s” is a barren and profitless exercise, unless behind the uttered words there is the praying soul. Even participation in the Holy Communion will profit us nothing, unless it be the expression of a lively faith in Christ, and an entire consecration of ourselves to His service. The inward feeling must accompany the outward form. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer” (Psa 19:14).
An Underlying Assurance.
Notice, further, what our Lord’s answer implies-that to possess Christ is to possess the secret of perpetual joy. “As long as they have the Bridegroom with them they cannot fast.” The one real cause of grief and pain is the loss of Christ. “When the Bridegroom is taken away, then shall they fast.” There is no sadness like that of those who are without the Bridegroom. But while the Bridegroom is with us we cannot fast. No matter what comes!
Heaven is associated not with fasting, but with feasting. We read of the marriage supper of the Lamb, and of ceaseless music and song; in a word, of perpetual joy. Do you know why the life of the world to come is not a fast, but a feast? It is because they have the Bridegroom there. “The Lamb is the light thereof.”
Fuente: The Gospel According to St. Mark: A Devotional Commentary
8
Fasting was never commanded as a general practice, but it was customary to do so in times of distress or anxiety. John the Baptist was dead and his disciples were fasting in his memory. They (the Pharisees) came and criticized the disciples of Jesus for not fasting.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 2:18. And Johns disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. This explanatory remark, peculiar to Mark, may point to some particular fast, which these classes were then observing. The form of the question in Matthew and Luke indicates the habits of these classes.
They come. Matthew says the disciples of John asked the question. Luke seems to put it in the mouth of the Pharisees, while this phrase joins both classes as inquirers. The two were gradually coming together. See on Mat 9:14.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe here, 1. A great difference betwixt John’s disciples and Christ’s in the matter of fasting. John’s disciples imitated him, who was a man of an austere life, and much given to fasting; therefore he is said to come neither eating nor drinking, Mat 11:18.
On the other side, Christ’s disciples follow him, who came eating and drinking, as other men did; and yet, though there was a great difference betwixt John’s disciples and Christ’s in matters of practice, they were all of one faith and religion.
Thence learn, That there may be unity of faith and religion among those who do not maintain an uniformity in practice. Men may differ in some outward religious observances and customs, and yet agree in the fundamentals of faith and religion. Thus did John’s disciples and Christ’s; the one fasted often, the other fasted not.
Observe, 2. In that the disciples of the Pharisees used to fast as well as John’s disciples, we may learn, That hypocrites and wicked men may be, and sometimes are, as strict and forward in the outward duties of religion, as the holiest and best of christians; they pray, they fast, they hear the word, they receive the sacraments: they do, yea, it may be, they outdo and go beyond, the sincere christian in external duties and outward performances.
Observe, 3. The defensative plea which our blessed Saviour makes for the not fasting of his disciples; he declares that it was neither suitable to them, nor tolerable for them, thus to fast at present. Not suitable, in regard of Christ’s bodily presence with them. This made it a time of joy and rejoicing, not of mourning and fasting.
Christ is the Bridegroom, and his church the bride; whilst therefore his spouse did enjoy his bodily presence with her, it was a day of joy and rejoicing to her, and mourning and fasting were improper for her. But when Christ’s bodily presence shall be removed, there will be cause enough to fast and mourn.
Again, this discipline of fasting was not at present tolerable for the disciples; for they were raw, green, and tender, not fit for austerities; nor could bear as yet the severities of religion, no more than an old garment could bear a piece of new stiff cloth to be set into it, which will make the rent worse, if the garment comes to a stretch; or no more than old bottles can keep new wine.
As if our Saviour had said, “My disciples at present are tender and weak, newly called and converted; they cannot therefore bear the severities of religion presently; but ere long I shall leave them, and go to heaven, from whence I will send down the Holy Spirit upon them, which shall enable them to do all the duties which the gospel enjoins.
Now the intended lesson of instruction from hence is this, That it is hurtful and dangerous for young converts, for weak christians, to be put upon the severer exercises of religion, or to be urged to the performance of such duties as are above their strength. But they ought to be handled with that tenderness which becomes the mild and gentle dispensation of the gospel. Our Saviour here commends prudence to his ministers in treating their people according to their strength, and putting them upon duties according to their time and standing.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Mar 2:18-22. The disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast The evangelist here relates another occurrence, which happened while Jesus was in Levis house, and bore some resemblance to the former. But of this see the notes on Mat 9:14-17, where the whole passage occurs.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Mar 2:18-22. The Question of Fasting.Both the followers of John and the Pharisees agree in the practice of fasting to express repentance. Jesus called men into an experience of joy, surely the joy of forgiveness. By His presence and call He made men feel as if they were taking part in a bridal feast while they waited for the kingdom. They were keeping festival in anticipation of yet intenser joy. This new life could not consort with the old traditional forms of religion. This is the broad sense of the section. In many details it is difficult. The union of disciples of John and the Pharisees seems unnatural. Mar 2:20 is clearly a prediction of the Masters death. But it is only after the great confession (Mar 8:29) that Jesus begins to speak of His death even to His disciples. If genuine, the saying belongs to a later period. Some scholars treat Mar 2:20 as the evangelists afterthought. In that case Mar 2:19 in its present form must be surrendered too, as it is bound up with Mar 2:20 (see Wellhausen). Possibly some simpler saying has been recast by Mk. That Mar 2:20 refers to the death of John the Baptist is improbable. His disciples did not begin to fast after his death. Fasting was part of his call to repentance. In Mar 2:21 and Mar 2:22 we have two brief parables drawn from home-life. The piece of undressed cloth tends to shrink, and if used to patch an old garment will make a fresh rent in it. Wineskins worn thin with use and time cannot resist the fermentation of new wine. They crack if men attempt to preserve new wine in them (cf. Jos 9:13). These parables do not necessarily belong to the discussion that immediately precedes them. The protest against half-heartedness and false compromise might have been spoken on many occasions. They indicate the breach between the original Christian temper and Judaism in general. Mar 2:22 especially shows that the new religion must make new forms for itself. For Jesus use of illustrations in couples, cf. Oxford Studies in the Synoptic Problem, 195.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Mar 2:18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? Mar 2:19
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. Mar 2:20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
Several things to note:
1. The disciples of John fasted. We know that he preached repentance as preparation for the kingdom and since his disciples fasted, it must have related to that repentance and/or preparation. Fasting must have been a practice in the Old Testament since John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees practiced the ritual.
2. The disciples of the Pharisees fasted. One might conclude that since these men were strong proponents of the Law, even though they strained at the letter of the law, thus their fasting might indicate that the Law required fasting in some manner.
Neh 9:1 pictures all the children of Israel fasting in sackcloth and dirt. This was in the context of reading of the Word and confession of their sins. In Est 4:3 the Jews were shown in sackcloth and ashes fasting. In Psa 35:13 fasting is in the context of sackcloth and ashes as well. See Psa 69:10 also. Dan 9:3 mentions confession once again, thus part of fasting is related to getting right with God as well as prayer.
Psa 109:24 mentions being weak in the knees because of fasting. “My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.” This would indicate more than just giving up one meal a week for prayer time, though once a week is preferable than not fasting.
Jer 36:6 mentions a fasting day thus the Jews in the time of the prophets had a day set aside forthat purpose. Dan 6:18 mentions the king fasting all night and in the context of not sleeping and no music. We might draw from this that the Jewish thought of fasting was to go without food and possibly sleep and amenities such as music.
Thus far we have seen nothing from the law itself. It seems more of a common practice for the common person rather than a national or spiritual leader sort of item. It was called for as a people at times, but individuals as well are shown fasting. The term is also missing from the early part of the Old Testament and seems to be something that was in place in the time of David (there is one reference in Judges), but not much earlier. Most of the references begin in the Psalms and Nehemiah.
The concept of food in relation to God is not new. In Exo 12:1-51 we can recall the Jews were told to take a lamb and eat it before the angel of death was to cross Egypt taking the firstborn of every house. Food or no food has a specific relation to God at times in the Word. It should be assumed that the Pharisees fasting was on these ideas in the Old Testament, though possibly not wholly on the law.
Life Application
Bible makes the following comment about fasting. “Fasting is both an outward sign of humility and regret for sin, and an inner discipline that clears the mind and keeps the spirit alert. Fasting empties the body of food; repentance empties the life of sin.”
Fasting is not an item we hear much about in the church today. If we hear the word it is usually in the Scripture reading rather than any instruction. We hear nothing of fasting because the draw to McDonalds and Burger King is too great. We hear nothing of fasting because we are in too big of a hurry to take time to do such things, since fasting also usually requires time in contemplation or prayer and we can’t do that. Eating can be done on the run, fasting takes time away from the hustle of the day.
3. The disciples of Christ did not fast. It is of note that Christ’s response was not from the Old Testament nor from the coming message of grace, but from the disciples relationship to Him. This is not a dispensational issue, but a Messianic issue.
4. Christ prophesied of his coming death (“the bridegroom shall be taken away”). This would be the first indication to the disciples and the public that He was going to be crucified, though the crucifixion itself was still unknown to them.
5. Christ spoke directly to those that had gone behind His back to talk to the disciples.
6. If the disciples fasted not while Christ was with them, then does it not follow that when we are with Him in eternity, we will not fast? It seems logical to me.
Note should be made that this is a strictly Messianic context and Christ speaks of the Bridegroom. Some in recent years have suggested that the bride of Christ is the Jewish nation. This might be one good proof text to that thought. Others suggest that the bride is the Independent Baptists that follow that belief. While others would suggest that the church is thebride of Christ.
Since this is a Jewish context it might, on the surface, seem Jewish in nature, however the disciples were the foundation of the church. I believe that Christ was looking through his Messianic message to the message of Grace that He knew was the outcome of His life on earth.
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
2:18 {3} And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
(3) The superstitious and hypocrites rashly put the sum of godliness in matters which do no matter, and are reprehended for three reasons. First, by not considering what every man’s strength is able to bear, they rashly make all sorts of laws concerning such things, without any discretion.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. The religious leaders’ question about fasting 2:18-22 (cf. Matthew 9:14-17; Luke 5:33-39)
The third objection the religious leaders voiced arose from the failure of Jesus’ disciples to observe the traditional, not Scriptural, fast days that the Pharisees observed (cf. Lev 16:29). Jesus’ association with tax gatherers and sinners seemed to them to result in the neglect of devout practices.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
We do not know why John the Baptist’s disciples were fasting. Perhaps it was because he was then in prison or as an expression of repentance designed to hasten the coming of the kingdom. The Pharisees fasted twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays (cf. Luk 18:12). [Note: Wessel, p. 636.] The feast in Levi’s house may have occurred on one of these days.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
CHAPTER 2:18 (Mar 2:18)
THE CONTROVERSY CONCERNING FASTING
“And John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say unto Him, Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not?” Mar 2:18 (R.V.)
THE Pharisees had just complained to the disciples that Jesus ate and drank in questionable company. Now they join with the followers of the ascetic Baptist in complaining to Jesus that His disciples eat and drink at improper seasons, when others fast. And as Jesus had then replied, that being a Physician, He was naturally found among the sick, so He now answered, that being the Bridegroom, fasting in His presence is impossible: “Can the sons of the bride chamber fast while the Bridegroom is with them?” A new spirit is working in Christianity, far too mightily to be restrained by ancient usages; if the new wine be put into such wineskins it will spoil them, and itself be lost.
Hereupon three remarkable subjects call for attention: the immense personal claim advanced; the view which Christ takes of fasting; and, arising out of this, the principle which He applies to all external rites and ceremonies.
I. Jesus does not inquire whether the fasts of other men were unreasonable or not. In any case, He declares that His mere presence put everything on a new footing for His followers who could not fast simply because He was by. Thus He assumes a function high above that of any prophet or teacher: He not only reveals duty, as a lamp casts light upon the compass by which men steer; but He modifies duty itself, as iron deflects the needle.
This is because He is the Bridegroom.
The Disciples of John would hereupon recall his words of self-effacement; that he was only the friend of the Bridegroom, whose fullest joy was to hear the Bridegroom’s exultant voice.
But no Jew could forget the Old Testament use of the phrase. It is clear from St. Matthew that this controversy followed immediately upon the last, when Jesus assumed a function ascribed to God Himself by the very passage from Hosea which He then quoted. Then He was the Physician for the soul’s diseases; now He is the Bridegroom, in whom center its hopes, its joys, its affections, its new life. That position in the spiritual existence cannot be given away from God without idolatry. The same Hosea who makes God the Healer, gives to Him also, in the most explicit words, what Jesus now claims for Himself. “I will betroth thee unto Me forever . . . I will even betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord” (Hos 2:19-20). Isaiah too declares “thy Maker is thy husband,” and “as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (Isa 54:5; Isa 62:5). And in Jeremiah, God remembers the love of Israel’s espousals, who went after Him in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown (Jer 2:2). Now all this is transferred throughout the New Testament to Jesus. The Baptist is not alone in this respect. St. John regards the Bride as the wife of the Lamb (Rev 21:9). St. Paul would fain present his Corinthian Church as a pure virgin to Christ, as to one husband (2Co 11:2). For him, the absolute oneness of marriage is a mystery of the union betwixt Christ and His Church (Eph 5:32). If Jesus be not God, then a relation hitherto exclusively belonging to Jehovah, to rob Him of which is the adultery of the soul, has been systematically transferred by the New Testament to a creature. His glory has been given to another.
This remarkable change is clearly the work of Jesus Himself. The marriage supper of which He spoke is for the King’s son. At His return the cry will be heard, Behold the Bridegroom cometh. In this earliest passage His presence causes the joy of the Bride, who said to the Lord in the Old Testament, Thou art my Husband (Hos 2:16).
There is not to be found in the Gospel of St. John a passage more certainly calculated to inspire, when Christ’s dignity was assured by His resurrection and ascension, the adoration which His Church has always paid to the Lamb in the midst of the throne.
II. The presence of the Bridegroom dispenses with the obligation to fast. Yet it is beyond denial that fasting as a religious exercise comes within the circle of New Testament sanctions. Jesus Himself, when taking our burdens upon Him, as He had stooped to the baptism of repentance, condescended also to fast. He taught His disciples when they fasted to anoint their head and wash their face. The mention of fasting is indeed a later addition to the words “this kind (of demon) goeth not out but by prayer” (Mar 9:29), but we know that the prophets and teachers of Antioch were fasting when bidden to consecrate Barnabas and Saul, and they fasted again and prayed before they laid their hands upon them (Act 13:2-3).
Thus it is right to fast, at times and from one point of view; but at other times, and from Jewish and formal motives, it is unnatural and mischievous. It is right when the Bridegroom is taken away, a phrase which certainly does not cover all this space between the Ascension and the Second Advent, since Jesus still reveals Himself to His own though not unto the world, and is with His Church all the days. Scripture has no countenance for the notion that we lost by the Ascension in privilege or joy. But when the body would fain rise up against the spirit, it must be kept under and brought into subjection (1Co 9:27). When the closest domestic joys would interrupt the seclusion of the soul with God, they may be suspended, though but for a time (1Co 8:5). And when the supreme blessing of intercourse with God, the presence of the Bridegroom, is obscured or forfeited through sin, it will then be as inevitable that the loyal heart should turn away from worldly pleasures, as that the first disciples should reject these in the dread hours of their bereavement.
Thus Jesus abolished the superstition that grace may be had by a mechanical observance of a prescribed regimen at an appointed time. He did not deny, but rather implied the truth, that body and soul act and counteract so that spiritual impressions may be weakened and forfeited by untimely indulgence of the flesh.
By such teaching, Jesus carried forward the doctrine already known to the Old Testament. There it was distinctly announced that the return from exile abrogated those fasts which commemorated national calamities, so “the fast of the fourth month, and of the fifth, and of the seventh and of the tenth shall be to the house of Israel joy and gladness, cheerful feasts” (Zec 7:3; Zec 8:19). Even while these fasts had lasted they had been futile, because they were only formal. “When ye fasted and mourned, did ye at all fast unto me? And when ye eat, and when ye drink, do ye not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?” (Zec 7:5-6). And Isaiah had plainly laid down the great rule, that a fast and an acceptable day unto the Lord was not a day to afflict the soul and bow the head, but to deny and discipline our selfishness for some good end, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, to deal bread to the hungry, and to bring home the poor that is cast out (Isa 58:5-7).
The true spirit of fasting breathes an ampler breath in any of the thousand forms of Christian self-denial, than in those petty abstinences, those microscopic observances, which move our wonder less by the superstition which expects them to bring grace than by the childishness which expects them to have any effect whatever.
III. Jesus now applies a great principle to all external rites and ceremonies. They have their value. As the wineskin retains the wine, so are feelings and aspirations aided, and even preserved, by suitable external forms. Without these, emotion would lose itself for want of restraint, wasted, like spilt wine, by diffuseness. And if the forms are unsuitable and outworn, the same calamity happens, the strong new feelings break through them, “and the wine perisheth, and the skins.” In this respect, how many a sad experience of the Church attests the wisdom of her Lord; what losses have been suffered in the struggle between forms that had stiffened into archaic ceremonialism and new zeal demanding scope for its energy, between the antiquated phrases of a bygone age and the new experience, knowledge and requirements of the next, between the frosty precisions of unsympathetic age and the innocent warmth and freshness of the young, too often, alas, lost to their Master in passionate revolt against restraints which He neither imposed nor smiled upon.
Therefore the coming of a new revelation meant the repeal of old observances, and Christ refused to sew His new faith like a patchwork upon ancient institutions, of which it would only complete the ruin. Thus He anticipated the decision of His apostles releasing the Gentiles from the law of Moses. And He bestowed on His Church an adaptiveness to various times and places, not always remembered by missionaries among the heathen, by fastidious critics of new movements at home, nor by men who would reduce the lawfulness of modern agencies to a question of precedent and archaeology.