The Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week after Trinity

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In today’s Gospel, Christ uses a question about fasting to reveal Himself as the Church’s Bridegroom. If one does not recognize Christ as the Bridegroom who has come to lay down His life for His bride, then he will never understand the nature of fasting, nor will he understand any aspect of the law. The Pharisees fasted from compulsion—not only to publicly demonstrate their piety but also because that is what pious Jewish teachers did. Fasting was considered necessary for mourning over sins and seeking God’s favor upon Israel. The disciples of John the Baptizer fasted for the same reasons. But Christ’s disciples did not fast. Why? Because the Bridegroom was present with them. And it is never appropriate to fast during a wedding celebration. But the Jews did not understand who Jesus was, and so they could not understand the nature of fasting. So it is that today’s text teaches us that: All works of the law, including fasting, must be understood with Jesus as the end and goal.

Under the old covenant, fasting and other works of the law were compulsory. For one’s status as a part of the people of God was dependent upon adherence to the law. This is the way that the law was structured at Mount Sinai. Because sinners cannot dwell in the presence of the Holy God, the Lord God provided a way for Israel to be purified to live in His presence. Their life together would be centered around the Tabernacle (and later the Temple), and each person was responsible for managing his own state of cleanness and ritual holiness. Sacrifices were offered at different times and for different purposes, but all served the goal of allowing sinners to remain in the presence of God. The sacrifices and other Levitical laws were, in a sense, a gracious gift of God. And yet, this grace was founded in the law: If a man does them, he shall live by them (cf. Leviticus 18:5). And so, the Israelites who lived under the old covenant were compelled to keep the law. Fasting, therefore, became viewed as a way to remain in the good graces of the Lord by self-discipline and devotion. And so, the one who did not fast and devote himself to the Lord was viewed as impious and halfhearted in his faith.

But Christ reveals to the Pharisees that His coming changes everything. He has come as God in the flesh. He is the Bridegroom—the one whom Israel’s prophets foretold would come to deliver His betrothed from their slavery to sin. Christ came to keep the law perfectly where we have failed so that He could consummate the marriage by giving Himself up for us upon the cross. It is this Bridegroom who is present with the disciples. And while the Bridegroom is present, one must rejoice! As we said, fasting is not appropriate at a wedding celebration because a celebration reflects the nature of the wedding. And Christ’s coming brings ultimate joy to the Lord’s people. For Christ has fulfilled the law perfectly for us, thus putting the compulsory nature of the law to an end. The law is no longer a necessity which enables us to live in the presence of the Lord. However, it has not been done away with entirely, for Christ did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (cf. Matthew 5:17). Rather, the law’s nature has changed. For after His atoning death and justifying resurrection, Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father. This means that He is not physically present on earth in the same way that He was with His disciples.

Therefore, the purpose of the law has changed under the new covenant. No longer does the law compel us to keep it so that we can remain in fellowship with our God. Rather, the law now has three functions. First, the law serves as a curb, preventing blatant outbursts of sin in the world—a function which is necessary for Christians and non-Christians alike so that peace and lawful order may be maintained. Second, the law serves as a mirror, revealing our sin and driving us to Christ our Savior, who has kept the law perfectly for us and who freely offers us forgiveness and justification on account of His death and resurrection. Third, the law functions as a guide, showing the Christian how to live in this sin-filled world as we war against the sinful flesh and seek to live sanctified lives as people redeemed by the blood of Christ. And so, whether the law functions to prevent sin from overwhelming us, whether the law reveals the depths of our corruption, or whether it guides us in sanctified living, the law’s purpose for the Christian is always to direct us to Jesus.

It is no different, then, with fasting. On the one hand, our Lord is clear that His disciples did not fast while He was with them:

“Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?” (Luke 5:34).

But He is equally clear that there is still a time and a place for fasting:

“But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days” (Luke 5:35).

And so, since the days when Christ was taken away from us in His ascension, Christians have practiced the discipline of fasting, but not for the same reasons the Pharisees fasted. Christians are not compelled to fast. Rather, Christians fast so that the law might be at work in us—with Jesus as the end and goal. This happened primarily in the realm of the second and third uses of the law. In the realm of the second use of the law, Christian fasting helps to make us more acutely aware of our sins. For Christians, willingly depriving oneself of food has always gone hand in hand with devoting oneself to prayer. Through the physical weakness which accompanies fasting and the spiritual focus which accompanies a diligent emphasis on prayer, the Christian becomes more acutely aware of his own sin, a practice which works the godly attitude of humility, and directs us to Christ crucified as our only hope. In the realm of the third use of the law, Christian fasting helps us in our fight against sin, as we teach ourselves to say “no” to things that are not sinful that we might learn to say “no” to things that are sinful.

Dear friends in Christ, the end of the church year will be here before we know it. There is just six and a half weeks until the beginning of Advent. And so, as the church year begins to wind down, it is time to prepare ourselves for what is to come. The season of Advent, as well as Lent which soon follows it, are traditional times for Christians to practice the disciplines of fasting and prayer that we might become more aware of our sins, grow in humility and dependance upon Christ, and wage war against the sinful flesh. To be sure, our works of the law, such as fasting, can never earn God’s favor. For Christ is the end and goal of Christian fasting and all such disciplines. But still, the discipline of fasting, and a renewed devotion to prayer, remain invaluable practices for Christians as we await the return of the Bridegroom.

And so, may the Holy Spirit give us wisdom and strength to prepare, so that we might learn to faithfully resist the allures of sin, confess our shortcomings and sin, and depend more fully upon Christ, as we await His return.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.