The Ministry of Joy

Mark 2:18-22

If you brought your bibles turn with me over to the gospel of Mark chapter two. The gospel of Mark chapter two and in a moment we are going to read verses 18-22 of the gospel of Mark chapter two.

I want to talk to you about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is something that should bring great joy to our lives. It is something we should celebrate everyday because we are saved by grace through faith.

It is a gift from God it is not something we work for, but it is something He has provided for us.

That is what sets Christianity apart from all other world religions. Every other so called, world religion, is based on what you do to find favor with God. But being a Christian is about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.

Specifically, God sent His Son into the world to die on a cross so that our sins could be forgiven. On the third day, He rose from the grave, so that all who believe in Him could be saved and spend eternity with Him in heaven.

That is the gospel, and it is complete. Jesus + faith = salvation. We don’t work for our salvation but we work because we are saved. The disciplines of our faith; our obedience, our witness, our prayer life, our bible study, those are things we do because we already have a relationship with God, not because we are trying to earn one.

What Jesus teaches us is that following Him is supposed to be a great joy, not a religious activity. it is not about following rules and traditions of men, but it is about the love of God and His forgiveness in our life.

Jesus brought a ministry of joy to God’s people, and it could not be contained by their religion. And that is still just as true today.  (Read)

Mark 2:18–22 KJV 1900

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?

Mark 2:18–22 KJV 1900

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.

Mark 2:18–22 KJV 1900

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. 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.

(pray)

Father, Thank you for this word. I know your word will not return void but will accomplish all you send it forth to achieve.

I pray Lord that you would send it out now. I pray I could speak your word clearly and that it would give wisdom and understanding to your people. In Jesus’ name I pray.

In our passage this morning we see that when Jesus came into the world He turned the religion of the Jews upside down. What I mean is;

The coming of Christ, the Son of God into the world, His sinless life, His saving work, His death on the cross, His resurrection. It ushered in a brand new day. Luke 22:20 Jesus said, “This is the new covenant in my blood.”

And today we don’t live like the Jews lived before Jesus. We have gone from the symbolic to the reality. From the old covenant to the new.

For example, The priesthood has changed. We no longer have a human priesthood that offers sacrifices and serves as a mediator for us. Now we the church are described as a kingdom of priests unto God and Jesus is our only mediator, our great high priest.

The sacrifices have changed. We no longer offer animal sacrifices but we are described as living sacrifices. So, we through the Lord Jesus Christ offer ourselves to God everyday. The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

The temple has changed. We no longer go to the temple to meet with the Lord but we are the temple of the Lord and we bring His presence with us into the church.

Circumcision has changed. No longer is circumcision of the flesh a mark of the covenant people of God but the circumcision of the heart

Our relationship with God is different today because of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is supposed to be a joy. It is supposed to be a celebration. Because Jesus brought a new covenant to the world.

When Jesus came into the world, what He was doing was so incompatible with Judaism, the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Him for it.

To them, Jesus was the ultimate rebel. He was a non-conformist, and He was turning their religion upside down.

That was because Jesus was more interested in changing hearts and saving souls, then He was their religious rules and traditions.

Every word He spoke and everything He did turned up the heat until the water began to boil.  For the Jewish leaders, there can only be one solution; Jesus must die.

 What they did not know is that was God’s plan for His life. God was going to use the Jewish leaders and their dead religion, and their hate-filled hearts to bring about His plan of salvation for the world.

Today, we owe it to Jesus not to turn back toward dead religion, but to celebrate what He has done for us.

That is the ministry of joy. The first thing I want you to see in this passage is,

I. The Question of Joy Vs. 18

Jesus is questioned for not following their rules.

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?”

a. The Question

The first thing we have to figure out in this passage is who the word “they” is referring to. Who is it that comes to Jesus with this question?

We learn that from Matthew’s gospel, 9:14, these are specifically the disciples of John the Baptist.

They come to Jesus and their questioning Him about fasting. But really their question doesn’t have anything to do with fasting, they want to know why He isn’t following their religious traditions.

It is important we understand that Jesus is still in the house of Levi at this point. We see that in Vs. 15. He is still eating with the tax collectors and the sinners.

The Pharisee’s have gone away, but before they leave, they develop this strange coalition with the disciples of John the Baptist.

Their goal is to try and trap Jesus. They want to stop this movement of Christianity before it gets out of control.

So, they send John’s disciples to Him with this question about fasting, but it really isn’t about fasting at all, but sense they brought it up, I want to talk you about fasting for a moment.

B. Fasting & the Law

Fasting was never commanded in the Mosaic law. In fact, there is only one place in scripture where it is even inferred to be a law.

In the regulations concerning the Day of Atonement, Lev. 16:29 God told the people to “afflict your souls.” But by the time of Jesus, fasting had become a big part of Jewish life.

For example, the Pharisees fasted two times a week. They fasted every Monday and Thursday from 6 AM to 6 PM. Yet, their fasting was not done with a sincere heart to the Lord. They fasted to try and impress men.

They wanted everyone to know what they were doing! Not only did they practice and regulate fasting, they commanded other people to do it too.

They expected everyone to follow their lead. They elevated their traditions and acted like it had the same authority as the Word of God.

They would lead the ritual by whitening their faces, and putting ashes on their heads, and tearing their robes to show their repentance.  It was all a big show.

That is what religion is, it’s a show. It takes a principle that God gives us for something good like fasting, and it robs it of it’s meaning and steals it’s joy.

Jesus teaches us that fasting is a way to surrender ourselves to God in repentance and to spend intimate time with Him in prayer.

Matthew 6:16–18 NASB95

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

You see Jesus teaches us that fasting is good thing when we do it with a sincere heart and for the right reason. To do it for any other reason is just meaningless religion.

c. Why does John still have disciples

One thing I find interesting in our passage in Mark is, why does John the Baptist even have disciples at this point?

John himself told his followers, “I am not the Christ, but one is coming after me who is mightier than I. I baptize you with water He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

So, why is anyone following John the Baptist at this point, He pointed to Jesus and said, this is the Lamb of God?

The lesson we learn from this is; there will always be people that will choose religion over a relationship with God, In fact, the majority of people will. These people were choosing to continue to follow John even though the true light had come into the world.

Mark 1:5 tells us that all of Judea and all of Jerusalem were going out to John to confess their sin and being baptized.

John was preparing the way for Jesus and now we learn that most people never followed through on what John was teaching them. They never began to follow Christ.

 And I am afraid the same thing is true in the church today. People will come and they begin this journey of faith, they confess their sins, they are baptized.

And at some point it just becomes religion, and eventually we give up on the church, because religion is unsustainable. And really it is unnecessary. Jesus did not call you to a religion, He called you to a relationship that saves your soul.

 Clearly the people in this story were in the habit of fasting. It had become a regular part of their lives.

And fasting in and of itself is not a bad thing, but how ironic is it, that they were focused on fasting when the Lord Jesus Christ is standing right in front of them.

The question is; what are you focused on? Following the rules of religious tradition or truly being right with God?

 In Luke 18:9-14. There is the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector who went into the temple to pray. The Pharisee stood up and prayed to himself Lord I thank you that I am not like other men, I thank you that I am not like this tax collector, but I fast twice a week and I pay my tithes.

Meanwhile, the tax collector bowed his head and wouldn’t even lift his eyes to heaven and he said, ”Father forgive me I am a sinner.”

Jesus said, “which one do you think went away justified?”  It was the one who was humble and not the one full of pride. The point is, don’t be full of pride because you follow the traditions of being a Christian, but be humble and grateful for what God has done for you!!

Listen, I want you to understand I am not against fasting or any other religious activity if it is done with the right motives.

Anything you do to draw closer to God is a good thing. But if you are doing something so that people will notice, you are wasting your time.

 These men were fasting and practicing religious rituals, and they expected everyone else to follow them.

But Jesus taught us being a Christian is not about following traditions, it is a God’s saving grace. It should fill our lives with joy.

The first thing we see in this passage is the question of Joy. The religious leaders of Israel questioned Jesus for not following their traditions.

II. The Source of Joy. Vs. 19,  Jesus is the source of joy in our life.

“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.

 Jesus turns their question around on them and He has a counterquestion. He says, how are they going to fast when they have me with them?

But, where did this idea of Jesus as the Bridegroom come from? Nowhere in the Old Testament does it mention the Messiah as a bride groom. I want you to look at the Gospel of John 3:26-29. And we see that it came directly from John the Baptist.

“And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness,

behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ,

but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice:

this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.”    

 How ironic that John himself is telling his followers that Jesus is the bridegroom.   And yet in this story they were still following him. 

So, Jesus takes John the Baptist own words, and He reminds his disciples what John said about Him, that he was just the friend of the bridegroom.

Jesus says to them, “as long as they have the bridegroom, they cannot fast, can they?”

It is important we understand in the ancient Jewish culture, when a couple got married, they did not immediately go on a honeymoon like we do today. Instead, they would throw a party.

For a week all of their friends and family would have a celebration. It was actually illegal for someone to fast at a wedding celebration.

The Pharisee’s actually passed a law against themselves to prevent them from fasting at a wedding celebration.

That is what Jesus is talking about here at the end of verse 19, when He says they can not fast, can they? They can’t because they were not allowed too.

 The image for us is clear. Jesus is telling us, when you are with me, it is not a time for a fast, but it is a time for a feast. It is not a time for mourning and sorrow, but It is a time for a party.

The lesson is; we are to enjoy the presence of God in our life. We are supposed to celebrate the life we have in Christ.

Sometimes, I think we take ourselves to seriously, and we rob ourselves of the joy of Jesus.

 Mark does not tell us what happened next, but I am sure when John’s disciples were reminded of what John had said, their hearts sunk and they either joined the party or went away.

Jesus takes the opportunity to announce to them and to us that the Kingdom of God is about Joy and not your religion.

I heard a story this week about a King who pardoned two criminals who were sentenced to die. While they were on their way to be executed, the king issued their pardon.

But the reactions of the two criminals were totally different. The first criminal was full of joy when he received the news. He was excited.

He said, “What a joy to know that I was on my way to death and I have been given new life.

 Meanwhile, The other criminal stood trembling and thinking, “Could this really be true? Was this a joke?” Nobody would do anything like that for me. Look at what I have done.”

So, he was terrified and rather than having joy, he was miserable. He even tried to discourage the first criminal. He said, don’t get to excited about it, it might not be real.

I can’t help but think that the first criminal had joy because he believed in the pardon, but the second criminal had no joy because he didn’t truly believe.

That is the difference between religion and a relationship. Religion will never give you the assurance of your salvation that a relationship will.

Religion says, what do I need to do to be saved? and a relationship believes in what Jesus has already done!!

Religion robs us of our joy and Jesus says, I am the Bridegroom, and you are invited to the wedding.

The Apostle John picks up on this same idea at the end of the book of Revelation in chapters 19 & 21, as he describes the church as a bride being made ready for the lamb.

So, in this passage we have seen the question of Joy and we have seen the source of joy. The third thing I want you to see;

III. The Vessels of Joy Vs, 21-22  

“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.

And no man putteth new wine into old wine skins: else the new wine doth burst the old wine skin, and the wine is spilled, but new wine must be put into new wine skin.”

On the surface, these two Illustrations are confusing, but to me it’s pretty clear what Jesus is saying, you can’t mix the gospel with anything.

Especially not the Old Testament law. But, you can’t mix it with any form of religion today either, If you do, then it is not the Gospel anymore.

 And He gives us these two illustrations here to explain that. They are difficult for us to understand because we don’t patch torn garments anymore. In fact, we buy them that way.

And we don’t use wineskins anymore, we put wine into bottles. But for a Jewish person living in the first century, they understood what He was saying perfectly.

For us today, it would be like trying to install new computer software on an old computer, or like trying to install old software on a new computer.

It doesn’t work because the technology is incompatible. Or it would be like trying to put diesel fuel in a gasoline powered motor, it just don’t operate that way.

That’s what Jesus is telling them here. The gospel doesn’t fit into your old religion. It requires a new attitude. It requires a relationship with God.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus warns us about claiming to be His follower while missing out on a relationship with Him. They say, 'Lord, Lord,' but He said, I never knew you. This Scripture teaches us that following Jesus requires more than rituals it requires intimacy with God.

Consider the parable of the Prodigal Son. He squandered his inheritance but was welcomed home by his father.

Jesus is teaching us that when we stray, He is waiting for us and is ready to embrace us when we repent and return to Him..

You might feel overwhelmed right now because of all the demands on your life. You might feel like it is impossible for you to cultivate a relationship with the Lord.

I want you to understand that Christ is always with you and if you will take a moment everyday to quietly connect with Him in prayer, you will grow closer to Him in your spirit.

The disciplines of our faith come naturally when you have a relationship with God, not when you are trying to earn one.

 So following Jesus is a joy not a religion. It is not about following rules and the traditions of men, but it is about trusting in Jesus, enjoying your life, and your fellowship with God. 

It is supposed to be a celebration. Jesus brought a new covenant to the world, the covenant of grace, and it was unique.

The difference between religion and a relationship is; religion says, work as hard as you can to earn God’s favor and Jesus says, trust me, it’s already been done.

Religion robs us of our joy and Jesus says, I am the Bridegroom, and you are invited to the wedding.

(Pray)

Father I thank you for your grace. Without your grace there is no hope for any of us, but because you love us Lord you have provided your grace to us.

I thank you for Jesus. I thank you for the joy He brings to our lives. I thank you for the sacrifice He made that set us free from the traditions of man. It is in His holy and precious name that I pray, Amen.