Joy in the New Covenant Head
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”
36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
Introduction
Introduction
1. The Accusation (v.33)
1. The Accusation (v.33)
The encounter between Jesus and the religious leaders begins with a veiled accusation that is posed against Jesus. It may even have been posed as a question, but certainly behind the question was an effort on the part of these religious leaders to discredit the disciples of Jesus Christ.
But it was also designed to descredit and undermine the person and work of Jesus Christ himself as the one that was leading the disciples. If the disciples were not living in a manner that was consistent with what they deemed to be in accord with their own standards of godliness, then clearly the master of the disciples was himself disqualified. So here is a veiled attack on Jesus himself.
We find the accusation in verse 33...
33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
The charge against the disciples, and thus against Christ himself, was a clever one with some important nuances.
Before we get to the actual charge itself, I’d like us to consider who it is that is speaking to Jesus here. In the context of the book of Luke, it is evident in the way that Luke has presented this situation that it is the Pharisees and the Scribes belonging to their sect that are confronting Jesus here. That’s the clear flow of the presentation by Luke here.
It was these precise groups of people that had confronted Jesus’s disciples after they had visited a feast that was hosted by Levi, the tax collector, and was attended by many other tax collectors and sinners. We see this in verse 30. And it’s directly out of that incident that this one flows in Luke’s presentation of it, and the subject here are those same Pharisees and Scribes.
With that said, we must look across to the parallel accounts as well. If we turn our attention to Mark’s Gospel, chapter 2 and verse 18. That verse sets a context that Luke doesn’t record for us, but I think is helpful.
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
Clearly from the context of Mark, this event occured at a particular time when fasting was taking place, and the people involved in that fast were both the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist.
Within the context of Mark, he simply says that “some people” came to Jesus and asked him this question. But there’s not indication of who those people were.
If we then consider Matthew’s account of this event, we find that in his account it is actually the disciples of John that approach Jesus and ask the question…
14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
This may raise a question of who it was that was really asking the question in this account. As an answer (at a possible answer) is that it may have been groups of people that included both John’s disciples and the Pharisees, either approaching Jesus at the same time, or even approaching Jesus at separate times but asking him the same question.
What I will say is that the slight differences that we find between the different accounts is a wonderful demonstration to us that they are factual accounts, as seen by different eye witnesses, giving their views on what took place. This demonstrates that the accounts are trustworthy. Typically you can identify untrue witness statements by the fact that each and every witness says precisely the same thing with the same words. This indicates a collusion, and witnesses being primed. What we have is slight differences of the same event. A wonderful encouragement to know that this really happened.
So, here we have the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist going through a time of fasting. We also have both groups, and perhaps even other members of society, coming to Jesus and asking him this question about fasting. This was a burning question on the hearts of the people.
It is likely that they would have been motivated by different motivations within their hearts. The disciples of John were far more accepting and tolerant of Jesus and his disciples than the Pharisees were. They would have approached Jesus with the view to truly understanding, rather than with a view to condemning or looking down upon. Perhaps they were shocked, but the certainly weren’t looking to condemn.
Not so the Pharisees. They were self-righteous in their perspectives, and they looked down on those who failed to live according to the moral standards that they piled on the burdened shoulders of the people.
But this is the situation. And in this context within Luke’s Gospel, his emphasis is on the Pharisees and their complaint against Jesus and his disciples.
Before we move on, I want to just outline some further details concerning fasting in that day. In order to understand why this was such a burning issue for them, and also in order to understand the response of Jesus, it’s helpful to understand what the requirements were by the Law of God given in terms of the Covenant through Moses, and how the fasting was practiced in that day. What we’ll see is that fasting was practiced well beyond even what was required in the law.
Turn to Lev. 16:29-31...
In terms of the Jewish law, there was only one fast that was commanded / prescribed by God, and that was the fast that was to take place on the day of atonement.
29 “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 an alien living among you— 30 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. 31 It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.
The phrase in the NIV to “deny yourself” had some argument between different Jewish groups as to whether it actually referred to fasting, or merely to the act of generally denying oneself and not working. The same word is however used in Deuteronomy 8:3...
3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
It is evident from that use that the word certainly carried the idea of denying oneself food for the day of atonement, from the evening of one day, until the evening of the following day, which marked out the day of Atonement. Certainly the practice of fasting on the day of atonement was practiced by the Jews.
With that said, there was no other stipulated regular requirement for the people of Israel to fast.
But what did happen was that the people held other fasts at various times, sometimes in response to a crisis. Sometimes in response to a call from God to remember.
By way of example, it became a common practice of the Jews to hold a fast in commemoration of the fall of Jerusalem when the Israelites were taken into captivity in Babylon. During that 70 year period in exile, in captivity in Babylon, the Israelites would fast regularly as they remembered the life they had when they were free people.
2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech, together with their men, to entreat the Lord 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?
There were other times that the people of Israel fasted, particularly with a view to looking to God in humility and demonstrating utter dependence upon him. Recall the account of the Israelites in the book of Esther, where they were going to be destroyed as a result of a command by they king following the wicked scheming of Haman, who wanted them put to death. When Queen Esther was to appear before the king, she called on the people of Israel to hold a 3-day fast in order to call on the Lord.
16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
By the time of the New Tesatement, this was a very well recognised spiritual discipline. But it was one that had been taken to great new extreme levels, particularly by the Pharisees. They saw it as so important for people to fast, and seek after God in this way in order to demonstrate their piety.
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Fasting was performed (quite literally) by the Pharisees in order to show off to others around them just how “righteous” they were. It became a demonstration of their great piety.
They did this so regularly that some of them would even do so as much as twice a week, every week. You recall the account of the Pharisee praying alongside the tax collector. Part of his prayer demonstrating his own piety was the extent to which he fasted…
12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
This man was extremely religious and zealous for serving God. He would fast, even as much as twice every single week.
The disciples of John also had the practice of fasting. We are not told the reasons that they were fasting, but it need not be for the same reasons that the Pharisees were fasting. It may even be that John the Baptist had already been beheaded by Herod at this stage, and they may even have been fasting in mourning over their leader.
But in any event, it seems from all the accounts that this was something that was done fairly regularly, both by the Pharisees and the disciples of John.
Now, we can begin to understand just why this was such a big deal for both the Pharisees and John’s disciples. They really did see this as a critical demonstration or evidence of your commitment to God. If you did not fast, you simply were not making the grade. Your relationship with God was defunct.
And this thinking will be exposed shortly as Christ will go on to address their concerns.
This leads us to consider the second main point, and that is...
2. The Answer (v.34-35)
2. The Answer (v.34-35)
The answer by Jesus is very striking, and is found in verses 34 and 35. Notice firstly with me what Christ says to these Pharisees in verse 34...
34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?
In response, Jesus begins by presenting them with a picture of the bridegroom, clearly indicating that there is also a bride involved in some way.
What they would have understood very clearly from the picture that he presented was the the kind of celebration that would have been typical of the bridegrooms presence at a wedding feast. When the bridegroom was present, it was a time of great rejoicing and celebration. It was a time of feasting. In was a time of indulgence in delighting in the event being celebrated.
To tell a person that had come to a wedding feast and celebration that they needed to now fast, would be entirely inappropriate. This much the Pharisees would have understood.
What may have puzzled them somewhat would have been the meaning of the picture that Christ was giving. They would probably have had some questions in their mind in this regard.
But this was a picture that was loaded with significance in terms of Christ’s relation with His people, the church.
The first indication of this significant picture is found through a reference that John the Baptist himself used about Jesus Christ.
Look with me at John 3… from v.27...
The context of these particular verses that we’ll look at is that the disciples of John had come to John and voiced their concerns that Jesus was baptising more people than he was. They were concerned about the popularity of John being undermined by this man Jesus. But John responds to them in a beautiful manner...
27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.
John the Baptist was very clear in his own mind that Jesus Christ was the bridegroom, and that the people belonging to Him, that is the church, was the bride. And he saw himself as being a part of that bride of Jesus, and this brought Him great joy. He even says that his joy is now complete!!
John recognised that with the coming of Jesus Christ there was reason for jubilant celebration that should not be contained. The work that he was doing was all about Jesus Christ. the life that he was living was all about Jesus Christ. The focus of his life was to be on the increase of the exaltation of the name of Christ. As important as the work of John the Baptist was in preparing the way for Jesus, that was all it was - a preparatory work.
Jesus was the focus.
He must increase… i must decrease.
Taking this picture just another step further, there is another account in the Gospels where Jesus is clearly portrayed as the bridegroom, and that is in the account of the 10 virgins who were waiting for the coming of the bridegroom. I won’t delve into that passage (from Matthew 25) at this stage, but suffice to say that Jesus is there pictured as the one that will be coming for His bride. And the call is that the bride is to be ready and prepared for his coming.
Again, I won’t delve into this now, but there is also the picture that is given in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians - chapter 5, where Paul speaks to the church in terms of how husbands and wives are to love one another and treat one another. He goes into the deatails of husbands loving their wives, and thus being prepared to give themselves up for their wives, even as Christ did for the church. he also addresses wives, and tells them to submit to their husbands, as the church submits to Jesus Christ as Lord. And then he says those amazing words right in the middle of that discourse...
32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
Marriage is a picture of Christ and the church.
And so, as Jesus answers this question of the Pharisees, he brings out a beautiful picture of Him being the bridegroom, and the people that will follow Him in obedience and submission are the bride who are deligthed that he has indeed come into the world.
Can you imagine a bride being sullen and sad over the presence of her beloved bridegroom - it’s impossible!!!
But Christ knew that difficult days lay ahead for his disciples. And so he goes on to say in verse 35...
35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”
In this verse, Christ specifically fortells of the time where he would be crucified and thus taken away from the disciples, and this would produce in the disciples a deep sense of grief, and would lead them to mourning. This is truly the focus of his words here.
The message that Christ brings certainly calls to mind Isaiah 53. In that chapter, the suffering servant is spoken of in detail. This one who came to serve would be oppressed and afflicted. He would be crushed for the iniquities of the people.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
When Jesus would be crucified, it would be a time of great mourning for the disciples. This would be a time for fasting. It would be a time when the bridegroom was, as it were, snatched away from the bride.
But we must also note that this would not be an extended time of mourning. Jesus indicates this even to his disciples in John 16.
Turn to John 16:16...
16 “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17 Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
Was this not a reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ? He would be taken away from them, but he would return. He would rise from the dead. He would conquer death. He would rise victorious from the grave, and would appear even to his disciples in order to demonstrate that he lived.
Their mourning would be turned to great joy.
But Jesus doesn’t stop here in terms of the question of fasting. Rather he goes on to present his arguments for a completely new time that is being introduced which renders the question of the Pharisees utterly misplaced.
So notice thirdly with me...
3. The Arguments (v.36-39)
3. The Arguments (v.36-39)
He presents the same argument, but he makes use of two different pictures in order to convey something very important for his listeners.
The first argument is found in verse 36...
36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.
The argument is simple enough. You do not take a brand new garment, and then tear that brand new garment up in order to try and repair an old garment. It makes now sense. In doing so, you will break / tear the new garment, and that cause damage to that which is new, and the patch will in any case not match the old garment.
Other Gospel writers include that Jesus spoke about the new garment tearing the old. They speak of an unshrunk cloth (that is the new garment) being placed on an old shrunk garment, and thus causing damage - an even greater tear - when that repaired garment is washed.
I’m not going to delve into the differences at this point. There may have been two analogies given that were very similar, and Luke records one particular version, with the others recording another. But at the end of the day, the same picture and argument is brought across. It is utterly foolish to take that which is new and attempt to use it as a patch on that which is old. You cannot do that.
Before moving onto the meaning, we must consider the second picture that Christ brings here…
37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.
The picture for the original hearer would have been very clear. The wineskins of that day were made of animal skins - either of a sheep or a goat. And this skin of the animal would stretch as the wine fermented within the skin. But once the skin had stretched, it couldn’t be used to put fresh wine in, because as that wine fermented and expanded, it would cause the wineskin to burst open, and the wine would end up being spoiled.
It was thus essential that the new wine be placed in new wineskin.
The meaning of both of these examples can be found in the fact that Christ was ushering in a covenant and an era that was completely new. The Pharisees (and even the Jews as a whole) had looked to the law of God, and obedience to the law of God, as their means of being at peace with God. There hope was being placed in an obedience to God.
Christ was ushering in a time where the Old Covenant Law had served its purpose as a schoolmaster, showing the people of God that they were unable to keep the requirements of the law of God. What was needed was something new. Not a patch on something old. This was not a quick fix to that which was ineffectual. Rather this was a new covenant that would be entered into that was far superior.
6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
Dear friends, there is great joy and delight in the work of the New Covenant Head. Jesus Christ came to usher in a covenant that was far superior to the old.
The Pharisees were trying to earn their way to heaven by doing good deeds. They were trying their utmost to demonstrate that they were good enough. Christ says to them that they are not good enough!! They cannot do it. This old way, this way that was focused on obedience to the law, was of no value. What they needed was something new.
Jesus Christ is the new, the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through Him.
It is only through His finished work on the cross that people may come.
Turn to Galatians 3:19...
I can’t delve at this point into all the details of the book of Galatians, and the wonderful arguments that Paul uses there. But they are important. Just a few verses from that book...
19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,
The point that is being made is that the law was pointing to the need for the Saviour. It was guiding to Christ. But when Christ came, there was to be a radical shift in the way in which people would serve God.
As Christ’s spirit entered into the lives of His people through their conversion, they would find that service of God came through a transformed heart, and a life empowered by His very presence within them.
One commentator writes…
Luke C. Two Illustrations in Support of that Answer
the new wine of rescue and riches for all who are willing to accept these blessings, even for publicans and sinners, must be poured into new, that is, fresh, strong wineskins of gratitude, freedom, and spontaneous service to the glory of God. Judaistic, legalistic, joyless fasting is out of line with the salvation Jesus is bringing.
Sadly, the Pharisees would in all likelihood not see this. Notice the sad indictment of Jesus against them in verse 39...
39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
This is not a statement of truth that Jesus is saying that the Old Covenant is better than the New. He’s simply saying here that these Pharisees have drunk so deeply of the wine of the old, they are so steeped and stuck in the traditionalism and their works-based righteousness, that they will not accept what Christ has come to give them in terms of great hope and freedom. They will continue in their old ways of trying to earn their way to God.
They rejected the New, life-imparting teaching of Jesus Christ.
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
A.1. Trust in Christ!
A.1. Trust in Christ!
If there is one thing that we must take away from this text, it is that we are to have an implicit trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the head of the church. He is the lamb of God that came to take away the sin of the world. If you place your trust in any good works in order to obtain salvation, then you will not be saved. Christ is not a patch on the places where you haven’t matched up to the standards of God in the law. He is new wine.
This just leads me to say, be careful of those who today talk about God doing new things, and then referring to the picture of the new wine in the new wineskins… And they will tell you that if you don’t follow what they’re teaching, then it’s because you cannot take the new wine… you’re locked int he old.
Christ is the New wine… and he came 2000 years ago, and did all that was needed in terms of this new wine. And there is nothing else new that he’s going to be doing, except that he will return to take His people home and so to rule with all things having been placed under His feet!
A.2. Are we to Fast Today?
A.2. Are we to Fast Today?
Firstly, we must note that the only command to fast is in the Old Testament times - day of atonement. In the New Testament, there is no command to fast.
Secondly, we must understand that when Jesus speaks about fasting to those he was preaching to, he was preaching into a context that fasted regularly as a practice. Jesus certainly wasn’t against fasting, but he did speak about the appropriate manner to fast, when you do fast. Not like the Pharisees; not showing off to others that you’re fasting. It’s something between you and God.
But there never has been, and there never will be, a requirement on Christian’s to fast. This is a matter entirely of freedom of conscience, and something that is to be done as believers are led to do, between themselves and the Lord. It will usually be during a time of particular seeking after God; or in a particular struggle. There certainly is a place for it, but it simply isn’t a requirement.
It’s never commanded by God - not like prayer is commanded; rejoicing is commanded; loving one another is commanded etc.