Gospel Ministry of Jesus: Redirecting the Wonderers & the Sceptics

Have you ever asked a question, and upon getting the answer, instantly regretted asking such a dumb question? I bet most of us have. Sometimes though, our foolishness doesn’t end with a bad question, but an ignorant response. Rather than admitting we didn’t have a clue about what we thought we knew, we continue to push back against the answer and look even more foolish.

Well, today’s passage, and for the next several weeks, we are going to see mankind’s ignorance of full display. A series of questions will be brought up to Jesus. Some asked in foolishness and ignorance, others in stubbornness and pride. But as Jesus answers these questions, he will not only correct those who asked the question, but will correct all those that hear and read these true words.

Today, we are going to be looking at the question posed to Jesus in Mark chapter 2:18-22.… our title being… the Gospel Ministry of Jesus: Redirecting the Wonderers & the Sceptics. Today, we will focus in not only on how Jesus addressed those that brought questions & critics of Him, but we will also see Jesus’ priority once again on full display, even redirecting our priorities as we listen and obey.

So let’s begin by reading… Mark 2:18-22

Mark 2:18–22 ESV

Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Pray

The first thing we will look at this morning is....

I. The Loaded Question (v.18)

“Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

Before we address the question itself, notice the source of the question. Who is asking it?

A. From a Mixed Group

In our text, we read that it came from a non-disclosed group of “people” at least this is what the ESV states. Some translation though put it as..., “they came and asked him...” Who is the “they”. The surrounding context gives us some clues as to who instigated this question. Right before this event in the synoptic gospels, Jesus is dining with tax collectors and sinners, and who asks His disciples a question… the Pharisees, right. And then following this passage that we are in today, beginning in verse 23-24, who questions Jesus a question about his disciples taking grain from the grainfields on the Sabbath? Once again, it is the Pharisees or the disciples of the Pharisees.

-Pharisees

The pharisees represent a group of religious zeolouts in Israel. They prided themselves on strict obedience to the law and to the traditions and teachings of their way. Their obedience to the law often focused more on their own interpretations of God’s law, then the actual law themself. Many manmade laws and observances were given that were not directly called out from God’s law but were held as equally important. The Pharisees had alot of influence and power in that day.

It’s no surprise that they were once again here, raising their questions to Jesus. From former interactions with them already, we know that their intentions for asking these questions wasn’t to gain understanding, rather it was to flaunt their supposed righteousness while condemning Jesus apparent “lack” thereof. They represent mankind’s ignorance, stupidity, and pride… thinking they know better than the almighty. That they can carve their own path to spirituality and purity… but no man can come to the Father except from Jesus.

So no shock with their involvement here, but what is a shock is who is joining with them in this question...

-Disciples of John

Likely different than the indignant question of the pharisees, the disciples of John eagerly ask Jesus the same question. In fact, in Matthews account of this event, he focuses on the disciples of John as the primary investigators into this matter.

Matthew 9:14 ESV

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

I believe their question was a genuine question of concern and curiosity then out of spite like the Pharisees. Nonetheless, they were just as lost on this matter as were the Pharisees. It would appear that John’s disciples actually lined up/sided with the Pharisees on this point more than they did with Jesus. That seems shocking especially considering how John the Baptist affirmed Jesus as the Messiah.

Couple quick notes from my time of study on why they might have been on the opposite side of Jesus on this matter.

-They may not have known that Jesus was the messiah. John had lots of disciples. Not all of them were present the day Jesus came to be baptized.

Proof verse… Acts 19, almost 30 years later, while Paul was traveling in his missionary journey, finds people who had been followers of John the Baptist and had been baptized by Him, yet had never heard of Jesus. Upon hearing of it, they then repeated of sins and believed in Jesus, receiving the Holy Spirit in that very moment.

-Another possibility is that these men weren’t perfect. On occasion, they would be envious and jealous of the attention Jesus was getting instead of John. John 3:26 records there envious words. John 3:26

John 3:26 ESV

And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

As well as John’s words to them.

John 3:30 ESV

He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John the Baptist was already in prison while these events unfolded, the disciples of John in this text did not have their disciplier to correct their wrong assumptions and understandings.

Speaking of that, let’s now look at what exactly they were getting wrong. Let’s look at their question that came from....

B. From a Faulty Understanding

So what was it that they were having big problems with this time.… fasting… why do we fast, but you and your disciples don’t. Initially, I wasn’t certain when this event happened, but it seems very likely that following the feast with the tax collectors and sinners that now their issue wasn’t just that He ate with these vile people but that He also didn’t set Himself apart in holy living and righteous practices. Pray, almsgiving, and fasting were practices that really set you aside as people were religious and righteous people, but Jesus wasn’t doing what normal people considered to be very religious activity. Therefore the questions came.

What we want to notice though, before we get deeper into Jesus’ response, how faulty the pharisees and the disciples of John view on fasting was.

-Mandate of Fasting

Was Jesus directly disobeying the laws of God by feasting with sinners. Because He is God, can He simply ignore the rules. Does being the boss allow you to make exemptions for yourself. Can He bend the rules? NO, He cannot. Because He is God, He can never disagree with Himself or put Himself at odds with anything He ever did or will do. He is perfectly united and in agreement with all His actions as well as in perfect agreement with the other members of the Trinity. To be even slightly at odds, or have to “bend” or “change” something means He can no longer be God because God is unchangeable. He doesn’t have to make changes because He never makes mistakes. All He ever does and will do will always be perfect.

So Jesus is not bending the rules this one time, even for a good cause. No, rather, it was the Pharisees who are “altering” the rules. In the Old Testament, there was only one day in a whole year where they were required by God to fast. That was on the day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:29-31

Leviticus 16:29–31 NIV

“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.

The Pharisees though added to the law, believing that if you denied yourself “fasting” on such an important day, like the day of Atonement, then that must mean that fasting on others days was equally as spiritual. Therefore, they made it an oral law and tradition that those who are real spiritual would fast twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays as prove of their holiness.

Jesus spoke about this in a parable regarding them in Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:9–14 ESV

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

And so the Pharisees mandated something that wasn’t even law to everyone else, which because of that restricted opportunities like the one Jesus was in, to feast with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus mission was to seek and save the lost, the Pharisees only mission to was seek and save themselves… but it wasn’t going to work because they made up their own rules on how to get saved. Legalism at its finest. Legalism cares little for the needs of others. It only looks to condemn, but finds little truth from the Word of God. And the poor disciples of John were lead astray by the Pharisees false understanding of true christian practice.

So they not only got the mandate of fasting wrong but also the meaning of fasting wrong.

-Meaning of Fasting

Why did God require Israel to fast on the Day of Atonement? Well, the practice was done so that they might mourn over their sin. Mourning, grieving, weeping, lamenting all go hand in hand with fasting.

David mourned and fasted while His son with Bathsheba thru that sinful relationship was dying.

Nehemiah mourned and fasted when He heard news that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and destroyed.

Mordecai tore his clothes, and covered himself in ashes, wept and fasted along with all the Jews upon receiving news that Haman convinced the King to kill all Jews.

Several more examples could be given!

Overall, fasting was created as a way to mourn and meditate and find consolation in God, to not rely upon or be satisfied by anything else but Him. In fact, God wholly rejects anyone who fasts purely for show and for pride. The pharisees should have seen God’s strong words of condemnation to the Israelites in the prophet Isaiah’s account. Isaiah 58:3-4

Isaiah 58:3–4 ESV

‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.

Incorrect piety, comes from incorrect theology, and that theology heavily relies on whom you put your faith in. Yourself or the true Savior.

Let’s no take a look at how Christ answers there question, and corrects their faulty views.

II. The Corrective Answer (v.19-22)

Christ rarely just flat out rebukes anyone without also offering other words of teaching or instruction. Typically, if there were things to rebuke, He would also further that rebuke with a lesson or some sort of teaching to help them contemplate their failure and learn from it. Most of His rebukes though were, like this one, more subtle. He didn’t name call, He didn’t yell, rather with great composition and great patience… helped them see where they stood and where they needed correction.

To answer their question, which was a faulty question to begin with, rather than simply telling them “you’re an idiot”, Jesus directs there thoughts to a certain type of image. Thru this image, they would begin to comprehend the correct answer to why his disciples didn’t fast.

A. Seen thru Wedding Imagery (v.19-20)

Jesus takes their minds to an event that all of them would have been very familiar with.… a wedding. At weddings, guests from all over would be coming, and the party would be quite grand. Jewish weddings typically lasted at least 7 days. The Jews understood how significant marriages were and how joyful they should be. For any of the attendants to come to a wedding in the form of fasting and sorrow would be quite improper and quite frankly rude.… so much so that ancient rabbinic rules forbade them from fasting. Weddings were for a time of great celebration and great joy… when all eyes are meant to be on the bridegroom… sharing in His joy and His excitement.

Jesus took the practice of weddings and applied it to Himself. Why would His own disciples fast… a sign of grief and sorrow, when He the bridegroom is with them. In fact, to fast would be to say that you really never knew the groom. You understood not who He was or what He was about. You missed it. You were too distracted by your own selves and missed the great groom of God’s people. The scripture likens Jesus several times to the groom and the church as His bride. They one whom He loves, whom He lays down His life for, and whom the bride adores with all her heart.

In fact, those that truly loved Him as the groom would indeed fast on account of Him. And at the moment that Jesus describes, it would be appropriate then to fast. He says “the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.”

Mark 1–8: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary A Corrective Answer (2:19–20)

The verb apairō (taken away) conveys the idea of a sudden, violent removal and serves as a clear reference to Jesus’ crucifixion

Smitten, stricken, and afflicted. Those that knew Him, loved Him, and followed Him were greatly distressed, but it was a distress that was short lived… like that of a laboring mother as Christ himself described.

John 16:20–22 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

Mark 1–8: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary A Corrective Answer (2:19–20)

Jesus’ point to His questioners was simply this: Judaism at its most devout level, as exemplified by the scribes and Pharisees, was completely out of touch with God’s plan of salvation. They were mourning when they should have been rejoicing, because they had rejected Jesus the Savior and clung to their own rules and regulations to earn salvation.

So Jesus corrects their ideas about religion and points them to the one that all true religion should lead to. And to make sure that they absolutely got the point, he further clarified by using additional analogies.

B. Clarified by Additional Analogies (21-22)

An analogy is a comparison that explains a complex or unfamiliar concept by relating it to something familiar. Usually, it compares two things that are different in most ways but share a meaningful similarity meant to help understand a concept.

They weren’t fully grasping the significance of how far off they were in their beliefs, revealed in the question they asked. They weren’t just unfamiliar, they were downright wrong. So Jesus gives two additional analogies to them, ones they would be extremely familiar with to help them understand.

- Analogies Listed

The first one is that of patching clothes. We read that no one would patch an old pair of pants if you will with a unshrunk piece of cloth. The reason is obvious. The key word in the passage is unshrunk piece of cloth. Why is it unshrunk? Because it is brand new. Clothes shrink after being used. And if they were to patch old cloths with new, as Jesus said, it would be more disastrous than where it was before starting to patch it.

The second one is similiar but with different items. This time Jesus uses wineskins. Unlike that of patching clothes, the use of wineskins is less familiar to us. In ancient Israel, wine was stored in containers made from animal skins. They usually left the entire skin uncut except at the lefts and neck areas. The legs and the rest of the skin was sealed shut, but the neck region they left open and used it as a spot. Thing is, wine ferments, which causes gas to be released, and leather skins would expand. If you put new wine in old wineskins, that old wineskin couldn’t handle that fermentation (expanding) process. The old skin would have lost it’s elasticity, and would come apart during the process. Therefore, the wine that was in there would be wasted and the skin… no good.

So what’s the purpose of the analogies? What was Jesus trying to convey?

- Analogies Purpose

In both analogies, we see how incompatible old items are with new items. If you try to mix them together, you will end up doing far more damage then good.

What Jesus is describing is too different systems of worship… of religion. The old garment and the old wineskins represent a belief system amongst the Pharisees and even amongst the disciples of John that was not compatible with what Christ represented as the unshrunk piece of cloth or then new wine. Of course, we cannot think that Christ was being critical of the Mosaic law… to say that what He is about to do and what He is proclaiming as truth is incompatible would be a false understanding of this text. Once again, God cannot be divided against Himself. He didn’t come to abolish the law, but fulfill the law. All of God’s laws are righteous and good as the apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 7.

What Jesus is describing is what the pharisees and other religious people in that day had tried to do in adding to the law. All there traditions, all there stipulations, all there extra-Biblical practices that they held up so high was that incompatible part. To put it simple, the old garment and the old wineskin represent the legalistic system of Judaism, passed down by the Pharisees and others, who in their effort actually made greater damage to God’s law than good. They obscured the law of God by adding in their own false religious system. They made religion “heavy” on people, by making it a merit system that no one could ever truly perfect.

Mark 1–8: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Some Clarifying Analogies (2:21–22)

Jesus was not interested in mending the religion of the Pharisees. The good news of salvation by grace through faith in Him could not be combined with the works-righteousness of Judaism

Mark 1–8: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary A Corrective Answer (2:19–20)

The Pharisees accused Jesus of being in conflict with the rules and rituals of Judaism. Jesus responded by pointing out that, in reality, they were the ones who were set in opposition to God’s saving purposes

The sobering thought is this. People love darkness rather than light. In Luke 5, the parallel of this passage, Luke records one additional analogy. It is the saddest reality of them all. Luke 5:39

Luke 5:39 ESV

And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”

If the New is Christ and the old is the manmade traditions of the Pharisees, how condemning is that thought. Macarthur put this one really well.

Mark 1–8: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Some Clarifying Analogies (2:21–22)

Those who would reject the true gospel in favor of a system of works-righteousness are like spiritual drunkards—desensitized to the point that they no longer care about how the wine tastes. Drunk on their old ways, they had no desire for the new. They would rather savor the foul flavors of false religion than imbibe the fresh purity of the true gospel. The Jews with their ancient traditions, passed down from generation to generation, were so deeply ingrained in rituals and ceremonies that it was difficult for them to relinquish them. They had cultivated such a taste for their own superficial system that, when offered something far better, they simply were not interested.

Application:

-Do you cling to religious traditions as your true matter of faith and belief? Are they are as equally important to you as Biblical truth? Do know whether or not what you hold to be true as Biblical truth or merely religious tradition?

-Is Jesus your religion? Is He enough? What would bother you more… if Jesus wasn’t spoken of in your church or you lost your style of music, your favorite furniture, your exact seat, the time we meet, the order of our service, what things our church has to offer.…

Traditions may not be wrong in and of themselves… much like there is nothing wrong with fasting, but it becomes wrong when.....

Traditions become wrong when....

Obedience is replaced by appearance

Human rulings are elevated above God’s revealed will

Excuse neglect of responsibilities (1 Timothy 5:8)

Empty the command of its force—“nullifying the word of God by your tradition” (Mark 7:13)

Elevate these things to the same level as our love for Jesus.