People are watching. In skimming through this passage over the years, I had always missed it. Twice in verse 18 the Pharisees are mentioned, and just two verses prior, the scribes of the Pharisees had harangued Jesus for another of his apparent failures. I had always assumed that the Pharisees (or their disciples, or their supporters) were the ones asking Jesus this question about fasting, but the text doesn’t say that.

“And people came and said to Him…”

Who were these people? I’ve got two gut assumptions, and hopefully it will shed better light on their question to Jesus.

Dirty, Rotten Sinners

First, these people could have been the very “tax collectors and sinners” with whom Jesus was then eating in Levi’s house. Recall that the section headings in your Bible are not inspired. There’s no reason to assume that any time has elapsed between verses 17 and 18.

If this is the case, then these people whom the Pharisees so despise (v.16) know a whole lot more about the goings on of religion in their town than the Pharisees realize. These worthless, filthy sinners and cultural traitors whom the Pharisees roll up into a single mass of “people to be avoided” not only can tell the difference between disciples of John the Baptist and disciples of the Pharisees, but they can also tell whether they’re fasting or not.

Now I admit, outfitting might have something to do with it—John’s disciples might wear camel-hair too, while the Pharisees’ disciples might clothe themselves in Pharisaical splendor. Also, Jesus once pointed out that when a hypocrite (i.e. Pharisee) fasts, the whole world knows it (Matthew 6:16-18)!

Still, I think it’s pretty important that this marginalized, non-religious segment of society (to whom Jesus came as Healer, v.17) not only can pick up on small religious discrepancies but are curious enough about them to ask. I think Christians of all stripes too often lump “the unchurched” into a mass of our own, a group of people that don’t know, don’t watch, don’t listen, and don’t care. Wouldn’t we be surprised if we ever thought to engage them, opening ourselves to questions instead of pounding them with preaching or ignoring them altogether!

Seekers

If these questioners in v.18 weren’t the sinners with whom Jesus dined, then they might have been the crowd who always seemed to follow Jesus, now that his reputation has grown (v.13). This group was likely better-versed in the religious culture of the time, and they would have understood that with John the Baptist came something completely different, and with Jesus came something altogether spectacular.

If this is the case, then their curiosity proves to be more specific than that of the “sinner,” not a general question about that strange religious act of fasting, but a true inquiry into the “Why?” of it all. Most Jews in the day had religious upbringing, no matter how they behaved at home. While there likely were some downright evil people walking the streets of Capernaum (of the Barabbas ilk), and there were also some true God-fearers, I imagine that the larger population segment sat on the fence religiously. They did everything necessary outwardly, but it had never become anything personal or life-changing.

I imagine the population surrounding Jesus was not unlike, say, America in its first two hundred years, where “everyone’s a Christian.” Certainly we can no longer claim to be “a Christian nation,” either in practice or in statistics, but what we see now is merely the fruit of that faux Christianity. When the majority of any population claims a certain religion but doesn’t actually live it or believe it, the truth will come out eventually.

Whether the people who were asking this question of Jesus were the open sinners or the nominally religious, it’s hard to say. But whoever they were, they seem to be people who recognized a religious incongruity. On the one hand, the religious people in town do religious things, but they’re also a completely different caste than we who are watching. On the other hand, Jesus seems like a religious teacher yet He and his disciples don’t do religion the way that they’d expect, and they actually seem like one of us. What gives?

Fasting….and then Some

Do you recall the term “synecdoche” from grammar school? That’s the fancy term for “a part representing the whole.” I see synecdoche here in the peoples’ question about fasting. The people ask why Jesus and his disciples don’t fast, but what they really want to know is why Jesus is so incredibly different than the most religious people around them.

“Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? Why, Jesus, are you and your disciples so different than the most religious people we know? How is it that your words simply drip with Truth and that you truly seem to know God, and yet you don’t have a list of rules to follow? You don’t stand out high and mighty from the rest of us, lording your great wisdom over us. I mean, you sit down with us like a friend! You take our children on your knee! You let us crowd you out day and night, and you patiently heal our diseases, teaching us wonderful things about God and life all along the way. Why are you so different?”

Just as the people’s question is a part representing a whole, so I think Jesus’ answer goes way beyond mere fasting. He certainly tells the people why his disciples don’t fast (v.19-20): they don’t need to! Fasting is a physical means of displaying to God one’s need and plea, yet the disciples walked with God daily. Jesus, the Bridegroom, is their joy and He meets their needs. If there were some petition, some supplication, some prayer or thanksgiving they desired to give to God, they would bring it to Christ. These men had no need for fasting…at the time. Soon enough, however, Jesus would depart from them physically. He would send His Holy Spirit to them, yet soon fasting would become a part of their religious lives once more. But not yet.

Jesus then broadens the topic from fasting (the part) to the great religious shift that’s taking place (the whole) (v.21-23). Long have people been confused by Jesus’ metaphors here: “Don’t put new patches onto old garments or new wine into old wineskins. The new must match the new.” The interpretation is not difficult, however. For a great long while, God’s people had shown their allegiance to Him outwardly through spiritual acts like circumcision, sacrifice, and obedience to rules (whether man-made or God-given). But old traditions, no matter how ostensibly sacred, will never compare to the inward relationship He’s offering.

Jesus is reminding the people that God cares far less about the outward than He does about the inward. Anyone can fast (and we all should at times), but the mere act of fasting says nothing of a person’s heart. Even in the Old Testament, God was clear about His desire more for inner change than outer:

• 1Samuel 15:22 – “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”
• 1Samuel 16:7 – “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
• Psalm 51:6 – “Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.”
• Proverbs 21:3 – “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
• Hosea 6:6 – “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings”

These sentiments continue on the New Testament:

• Matthew 9:13 – “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’”
• John 4:23-24 – “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
• Romans 2:25, 26, 29 – “For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but of you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?…A Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”

Whether it’s fasting, baptism, giving to the poor, keeping one’s self pure, reading the Bible, praying, or anything else you can think of, the Lord cares more about the heart than the action. If you do these things to be seen of others, to make yourself feel good, to do your religious duty, to please your spouse, or any other reason besides pleasing God, then you might as well not do it at all.

The same goes for your so-called praise and worship. Anyone can lift his hands and sing praises to God, but if there’s no true worship involved, no humbling of the self, no bowing of the soul before almighty God, no gratitude to the Saviour for His perfect sacrifice, then you’re singing to the wind. It’s that ol’ sounding brass and clanging symbol. Playing Chris Tomlin in the car is great, but it’s not worship unless the words have penetrated the heart and your focus is on Almighty God, that Holy Uncreated One.

Action Points:

1) People are watching you. How do sinners/seekers know that you are truly a Christian?

• Make a list of things you do on a daily and weekly basis that are definitely “religious” in nature (list, but also go beyond, “going to church, reading the Bible, praying”).
• Go through your list and journal whether or not these actions set you apart from the behaviors of nominal Christians or members of “Christian” cults. How do your actions differ from theirs?

2) The people who watch your actions can also sometimes recognize your heart. How do they know you are bearing the Fruit of the Spirit?

• Write down each of the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23
• Return to your list from Question 1 and journal how others might have seen the Fruit of the Spirit in each of those actions listed above.

3) How does your worship of God inform your praise of Him?

• Outward religious acts can sometimes hide a sinful heart. With this in mind, journal how your outward praise of God sometimes hides your stubborn, selfish, and un-worshipping heart.
• List some verses that always help you to worship God, that both humble you and magnify Him.
• List some songs that help you do the same.

See Also:
Mark 1:1-8 – “The Beginning”
Mark 1:9-15 – “How to Fight Temptation”
Mark 1:16-20 – “Follow Me”
Mark 1:21-34 – “A Day in the Life of Jesus”
Mark 1:35-45 – “A Time for Prayer and Healing”
Mark 2:1-12 – “Through the Roof”
Mark 2:13-17 – “The Sinner’s Friend”
Mark 2:18-22 ‘ “Inside and Out”

©2020 E.T.