Celebration, Separation, and the Spirit-Filled Life

Main Idea

The Kingdom is not an upgrade to your old life—it’s an entirely new way to live.

Do any of you have trees at your house? At my house in Boone, we had two trees—a pine tree and a gum tree. Where we live now, we have several oak trees. They are large, mature, and beautiful. They bring a wonderful aesthetic to our property, but there is a downside. Right now, we can’t park underneath them because they are shedding their acorns so heavily that it sounds like rain hitting our cars. It's absurd how many acorns are falling all around us right now!

We cannot walk on the driveway without crushing an acorn with every other step we take. As I was walking this week, this actually made me think as I looked over the minefield of acorn dust on my driveway. Specifically, I was contemplating their design. The purpose of acorns, of course, is to perpetuate the species. The acorn falls to the ground, dies in the soil, but new life springs from it. What I was doing as I walked was destroying these acorns, but there would never be new life. In both cases, the acorn had to die, but its design was to die with purpose, so that new life might grow out of it.

I want you to keep that mental picture in your mind as we read the passage of scripture today.

Passage

Mark 2:18–22 CSB

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”

I - Joyless Customs

The scene begins with John the Baptist’s disciples and the Pharisees fasting, while Jesus and His disciples are not. It’s likely they are still at Levi’s great banquet, but it’s also a day of fasting for the Jews. With that in mind, let’s examine the nature of fasting.

Scriptural fasting. In the first century, fasting was a common practice, but it’s important to understand what it signified in the Jewish world of Jesus’ time. According to the Old Testament, God only required His people to fast once a year—on the Day of Atonement. That day involved humbling oneself before the Lord, mourning sin, and seeking His mercy. Besides that, there were additional fasts connected to moments of national tragedy, like remembering the destruction of the Temple, or during times of crisis, such as drought or war. Individuals might also choose to fast personally when seeking God’s help or repenting of sin. In every case, biblical fasting was about dependence on God—setting aside food for a time to humble oneself and seek His presence. It was an internal act of humility that sometimes manifested outwardly.

Pharisaical fasting. By the first century, the Pharisees had taken this one requirement and expanded it into a detailed system of rituals. They had turned fasting into a regular act of piety. Twice a week—on Monday and Thursday—they fasted publicly as a sign of devotion. Fasting like this wasn’t commanded by God, but it became a badge of religious commitment. And they didn’t just fast quietly; they wanted everyone to see it. Jesus Himself later said, “When you fast, don’t look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so their fasting may be seen by others” (Matt. 6:16). The Pharisees made themselves look miserable—unwashed faces, drooping expressions—so everyone would notice their supposed holiness. What God intended as a humble act of seeking Him had, in their hands, become a display of pious pride.

Another aspect of fasting for many was the belief that their religious devotion could hasten the arrival of God’s kingdom and Messiah. To fail to fast, then, was sometimes seen as disloyalty to God and His promises. This is why the question arises in Mark 2. John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples were fasting, while Jesus’ disciples were feasting at Levi’s house. And for the onlookers, that didn’t make sense. How could Jesus claim to bring God’s kingdom, and yet His disciples ignore this central act of piety? But what they didn’t yet understand is that the kingdom they longed for had already arrived in the bridegroom Himself. They had mistaken the shadow for the substance. They believed their acts of righteousness and outward expressions of misery would bring the Messiah, while the true Messiah was sitting among them, offering joy, forgiveness, and life!

II - The Joy of the Bridegroom

Wedding Feast. To answer their question, Jesus offers an illustration that everyone can relate to. The celebration of a wedding and the week-long festivities that follow are well known and established in Jewish culture. Humanly speaking, a wedding signifies completeness—two parts coming together to form a new, unified whole. If you're familiar with John’s gospel, you might recall that Jesus’ first miracle occurred at a wedding feast. In Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ first description of His mission is also a wedding feast. Perhaps we should recognize that Jesus wants us to see that a key aspect of the Kingdom He is bringing is like a wedding feast! With that in mind, let’s explore further, starting with God’s self-description in the Old Testament.

God is Israel’s Groom. Relationally speaking, this is how God describes His relationship with His covenant people:

Isaiah 62:5 CSB

5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you; and as a groom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

Hosea 2:19–20 CSB

19 I will take you to be my wife forever. I will take you to be my wife in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion. 20 I will take you to be my wife in faithfulness, and you will know the Lord.

Jesus is the Bridegroom. Now, the difference in this passage is that Jesus is the Bridegroom. Think about that for just a moment. It is easy for us to understand this reference since we have the entire New Testament, which talks about us being the bride of Christ and how we are one with Him (He is the head, we are the body… the two shall become one). For the Jewish disciples following Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, however, this would have been strange. Why? Because no Old Testament scripture describes the Messiah as being a bridegroom. He is God’s Son, He is a king, a ruler, a Savior, a Suffering Servant… but not a bridegroom. This reference introduces a few new, important elements of His nature.

1. Intimacy. If it is true that we are all collectively His bride, then our relationship with Him is much more intimate than that of a king and his subjects. We are fully known and loved by Him, as well as being protected and provided for. 

2. Jesus is God. Because Jesus is the Bridegroom and only God describes Himself as the husband of His wife, then this is a subtle declaration from Jesus that He is God.

And what’s more, we aren’t just the wedding guests who attend the wedding… we are the bride of Christ! We are the bride given to Christ by the Father (as we see in John 17:6, when Jesus says “I have revealed your name to the people you have given me from the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me…”). These are all declarations of who He is and who we are, but that’s not all Jesus is communicating. He is also contrasting the gloomy dispositions of the Pharisees, which they like to project when they are fasting, with the JOY that radiates from a wedding feast.

A Joyful Occasion. Besides the love that is obvious in the bride and groom, another main expression of the human heart that was always present at these celebrations was joy. According to rabbinical teaching, the happy couple and guests could refrain from any kind of fasting, even the one the law required, to make sure the joy of the week-long wedding feast was not disrupted. This is central to the Kingdom that Jesus is bringing. The Pharisees became proud, arrogant, and stubborn. They had a joyless religion. Some passages in scripture almost make you think that their lack of joy was an act of piety toward the Lord!

Brothers and sisters, the kingdom of God isn’t a dull life of rule-following and gloomy fasting. That isn’t the kind of living sacrifice Paul was talking about! Jesus isn’t a strict taskmaster; He is the Bridegroom who delights in His bride and sacrifices Himself for her sanctification. Our lives in Christ should be filled with joy and celebration—knowing Him, being loved by Him, being seen and poured into by Him. As we submit to Him, we are filled with His Spirit! As the psalmist says, “in His presence, there is fullness of JOY!” If you are living a joyless Christian life, let this passage encourage you to see Jesus differently and encounter Him as a loving Bridegroom who desires to see you become everything you were meant to be.

Foreshadow of the Cross. Jesus ends His illustration with an unexpected twist. At a wedding feast, the guests celebrate for a week, and then they go home—but the groom always stays because that is when the new couple officially begins their married life. Yet Jesus says a day is coming when “the groom will be taken away,” and then His disciples will fast. Why? Remember… in Scripture, fasting is tied to moments of grief, crisis, or repentance—especially the one day it is required… the Day of Atonement, when Israel mourned its sin and the High Priest interceded for the nation’s forgiveness. By using this odd phrase, Jesus hints that the time will come in Gethsemane when He will be “taken away” to the cross, bearing the sins of His bride. In that moment, sorrow and mourning will replace the joy of the wedding feast. But this, too, is part of the picture: His death during Passover fulfills the ultimate atonement, offering complete forgiveness and inaugurating a new covenant of joy for His people.

III - Separation

Have you ever wondered why Jesus immediately transitions to these two micro-parables? They seem a bit out of place, don’t they? What do these stories have to do with the initial question about fasting? The answer is, they don’t. The connection isn’t with the spiritual discipline of fasting. It’s entirely about His mission and kingdom.

The first element of the kingdom is separation. In this parable, a person is warned not to use a piece of new cloth on an old garment. That would be unwise because the new cloth hasn't shrunk yet, so if you sew it onto a worn-out, already-shrunken garment with no more stretch, it will tear away when washed. As a result, your pants will have a bigger hole. Jesus emphasizes the incompatibility of these two things.

No intermingling systems. You cannot intertwine the old system of Judaism with God’s kingdom. Jesus is not an add-on. He didn’t come to fill a gap in the existing system. The current system is outdated and disheveled. It doesn’t need fixing; it needs replacing. The truth is that, like the acorn, their current religious system has fulfilled its purpose.

As the author of Hebrews writes:

Hebrews 8:13 CSB

13 By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.

The Old Testament testified to the coming of the Messiah, and now He is here. The aspects of religious life all pointed to Jesus. Now that He is here, they are no longer needed. Jesus is the head of a new body that is the temple of God; He is the High Priest over His people, and the permanent Passover lamb has arrived, so there is no need for a temple, a human High Priest, or animal sacrifices. Those things were shadows… He is the substance!

Secondly, the nation of Israel had repeatedly broken her marriage covenant. They had adulterated themselves with other false gods and idolatrous pursuits. That is why Jesus called it a new covenant. It isn’t a reformation of the old covenant; it is a completely new covenant established through the leadership and sacrifice of the crowned Messiah. So again, Jesus is not just an add-on… He is a whole new garment!

No intermingling selves. Just as two types of fabric cannot blend, we are called to live a new, resurrected life. When you accept Jesus as Lord, you are raised to new life and become a new creation. The old you is dead. The new you is alive! Jesus once asked, “What does light have to do with darkness?” The answer… nothing. Likewise, your past sinful self has no connection to the new creation that has blossomed out of your spiritual rebirth. That new person is not compatible with the old. The old person DIED. The new person is holy and set apart… separated from the old for God’s purposes. Don’t try to patch your new life in Christ onto your old, sinful lifestyle, your former sources of identity, or outdated ways of thinking. Study the scriptures to learn who you now are in Christ and pursue growth relentlessly as that beloved person.

IV - Filling

The second micro-parable is about new wine and old wineskins. In those days, wineskins were typically made from goat skin because of its durability and flexibility. The reason they needed to be flexible is that the wine’s fermentation process produces gases that expand and build pressure inside the container. Think about what happens in a 2-liter soda bottle when you shake it up. Inside, you see the fizz bubble up. The plastic bottle is hard to compress when you squeeze it. And what happens when you unscrew the lid? You can hear all the built-up pressure whoosh out, right? Now, think about the bottle being made of something incredibly brittle like the plastic used to wrap Little Debbie cakes. What do you think would happen if you shook up a bottle of carbonated soda in one of those? It would likely rupture, spill the soda, and leave you beverage-less, right?

That is the picture here, where wine was much more valuable and time-consuming to produce. Over time, the goat skins would become brittle. No one would reuse those skins to ferment and make new wine because both would end up ruined.

No intermingling systems. So, like the garment parable, Jesus is explaining that His kingdom is incompatible. You do not intermingle the kingdom with the old Jewish religious system any more than you would pour your precious new wine into an insufficient and unworthy vessel.

No intermingling selves.This parable again emphasizes that these two natures are incompatible. One is old, worn out, and brittle, while the other is new, purposeful, and expanding. The two cannot coexist. In this way, Jesus repeats the same points made in the first parable.

Be filled. The main difference in this second parable is about filling. In Christ, you have been separated from your old self and made new. Now, you must be filled. The religion shown by the Pharisees was dull, lifeless, and lacking any visible joy. But dying to self and living for Christ is like a wedding feast filled with love and joy! As you live your life for Jesus, let the Spirit continue to fill you with His presence so that His fruit (the spiritual fruit mentioned in Galatians) grows, ripens, and increases in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

🔥 Application:

The Kingdom of God changes everything about you.

It brings joyful intimacy, total separation from the old, and Spirit-filled renewal. Jesus didn’t come to enhance your old life—He came to end it and raise something entirely new. His Kingdom is marked by joy in His presence, a decisive break from dead rituals, and a filling that makes obedience possible.

Don’t cling to old rhythms, old habits, or old ways of thinking. They can’t contain the new wine of the Kingdom.

➤ Reflect: Reflect on these three questions this week:

Where have I tried to “fit Jesus in” rather than surrender everything to His Kingdom reign?

Am I living with the joy of being loved by the Bridegroom—or stuck in a rut of duty and gloom?

What “old wineskins”—old mindsets, old patterns, old identities—need to be surrendered so I can be filled anew?