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Home , Mark 2

Series: Being faithful disciples in a God-defying world. (A study of Mark) Sermon Text: 2:13-22 Kids Word:

We’re studying the fast-paced book of Mark, which presents as the Son of God. • In our last study, we were challenged with the question, “What kind of Christian am I?” We follow a Savior, who defied social and religious norms by inviting outcasts into God’s family. Today, we’ll consider this... BIG IDEA: Am I following Jesus or old human traditions?

Let’s consider some key ideas in our text. 18 Now John's disciples and the were fasting. And people came (:14 says, “John’s disciples”) and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Fasting. (2:18; cf. Matthew 9:14-17; :33-39) • Fun facts about fasting: 1) The only fast mandated in the was an annual time leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (cf. Leviticus 16:29-17:16; Acts 27:9). 2) voluntarily fasted at other times like during a national crisis, mourning, and . 3) Zechariah 8:19 describes 4 new fasts the Jews instituted after the exile. 4) The prophets often had to caution Israel about showy, unrepentant fasting (cf. Isaiah 58:3-6; Zechariah 7:5-6). • The Pharisees fasted twice weekly to impress God and others (cf. Luke 18:9-12; Galatians 6:12). John’s disciples were a little different--they followed a wilderness man with limited dependence on the Roman government, which freed him to speak against their oppression (cf. ). While John had pointed his disciples to Jesus, they still seemed distracted by their religious rituals, like the Pharisees, who turned personal preference into a law for everyone. • Fasting is basically, “avoiding stuff we enjoy” (food, video game, marital relations, etc.). Why would we ever do this? To move our hearts, not to get God’s attention! Fasting can help realign our will with God’s, remind us to pray, or help us focus on Scripture. While the Bible never commands Christians to fast, there’s plenty of examples and guidance if we choose it as a spiritual discipline (see article below; Matthew 6:16-18). Fasting is a (helpful) private and personal choice, just not a requirement nor a sign of being super holy.

19 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. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. Celebration. (2:19-20) • Jesus answered the Pharisees with an allegory--a story with hidden meaning(s). He used the image of a Jewish wedding, which typically lasted a week! Here’s how we might rephrase His question, “Who in their right mind would fast during a week-long celebration?” • One meaning is the Pharisees didn’t grasp what time it was--time to feast, not fast. In Mark 1:14-15, Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is right in front of you.” These guys were so busy trying to appease God & avoid sinners, they couldn’t enjoy God’s presence. I’m convinced the world needs to see more Christians enjoying & celebrating God’s presence. • Another meaning relates to marriage. Revelation (7:9-10, 19:6-9) describes God’s kingdom in terms the Pharisees weren’t comfortable with--as a huge wedding feast with guests from every

Mark 2:18-22 Sermon Page 1 of 4 nation, tribe, people, and language. This is also another claim Jesus is God b/c bridegroom is an OT metaphor for God (cf. Isaiah 54:5–8). Marriage, itself is a major Bible allegory, which believers take seriously as an act of worship (cf. 2Corinthians 11:2-3; Ephesians 5:22-33). • In verse 20, Jesus mentioned the bridegroom would be taken away, i.e. Jesus will ascend back to , then they will fast in that day. Remember, Mark’s audience was oppressed by the Romans. Jesus was predicting His disciples might fast out of a longing to sense His presence. So, another meaning of His allegory could be that Jesus was reframing their view of fasting from a showy, religious exercise to an intimate, longing to enjoy God’s presence.

How can Mark’s 1st century writings help our discipleship in today’s God-defying world? 21 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. Let go of “patchwork” . (2:21) {*This phrase came from R.C. Sproul} • Why did nobody sew a non-shrunken cloth onto pre-shrunken cloth? New cloth would shrink, tearing the old worse. The point is, “Patchwork Christianity” doesn’t work b/c has ruined us. The is unique & can’t be weaved into old human traditions or religions b/c its goal is to make us new, inside and out. We don’t add Jesus to our human story, the gospel re- writes us into a story about Jesus (cf. Isaiah 61:10; 2Corinthians 5:17-18; Revelation 4:11). • Are you a patchwork Christian? Scripture repeatedly calls us to put off our old self & be made new--to be clothed in Christ, not patched up (cf. Romans 13, Ephesians 4, Galatians 3). The core of the Christian gospel is self-denial, not improving our minor holes and imperfections.

22 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." Quit putting God in a box. (2:21-22) • Why did nobody put new, non-fermented wine into old goatskin bags? Fermentation releases gases that would expand & burst the old bags. The point is, trying to fit/contain God in or mix God with human ideas/structures, doesn’t work and can cause spiritual damage to us and others (i.e. ripping, bursting). God is not required to operate within our limited understanding of what He is like, what He’s about, or what He should be up to. He is not a genie waiting to grant us wishes, nor are we, by the way, pets who perform for God, so we get treats. He is our Creator, we are His creation. He’s eager to make us into new wineskins and fill us with newness of life. Walk in the newness and freedom Christ gives. (cf. Romans 6:4; Galatians 5:1-6) • Luke’s record of this event includes one more thing Jesus said, “No one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good'” In other words, when people develop a taste for the familiar (comfortable), they aren’t interested in anything else, even if it’s better. • The freedom Christ’s gospel offers rarely makes sense at first in a world of rules, structures, human traditions, and the status quo. The Pharisees resisted God’s kingdom by holding onto these things for identity, power & security. Jesus, the official representative of God’s kingdom, embodied new values which don’t fit into this old, human kingdom--He ate with those labeled unclean, healed at unapproved times, touched a leper, and forgave burdened sinners. Pharisees were into self-, Jesus preached grace. They denied their sinfulness, He preached repentance from sin. They were proud of their religious activity, He preached humility. They were into external ceremony, He preached a transformed heart. They held tightly to old ways,

Mark 2:18-22 Sermon Page 2 of 4 He offered new ways. They loved man’s approval, He offered God’s approval. They had ritual, He offered a relationship. How about you, are you following Jesus or old human tradition? • Before we end, we should note Jesus was not condemning His Father’s OT laws which were given as shadows & signposts pointing to Jesus--He is the fulfillment of the Law, embodying all God wanted for humanity, and He (not the law) was God’s means to restore it. The problem is never God’s ways, it’s our love of human traditions, rituals, and institutions to the neglect of human needs and helping people know God. We’ll see that a little more clearly next week.

So, what’s your NEXT STEP? • Remember, our next step always begins with in Christ. Either placing faith in Him for the first time or exercising faith to repent, change, and grow. Either way, His Spirit will help you.

Quotes/Additional thoughts: • This Pharisees’ question came from believing that, fasting and other rule-keeping, would impress God and save Israel. They were implying Jesus and his disciples didn’t care about Israel’s salvation, which was simply untrue. Jesus went all over Israel inviting Jewish people to follow Him back to God, and at one point, even wept over (cf. Luke 19:41-44)! His love for Israel (and the world) proved the self-righteous Pharisees were the unloving ones. • God’s presence should be celebrated, and if our “rules” are occupying, burdening, and keeping us from enjoying God and others, we need to re-evaluate them. In Zechariah 8:19, God told His people their fasts should lead to “seasons of joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts”, not gloom, doom, and separation. The presence of God’s kingdom should bring excitement and hope! • NT Wright said, “Jesus’ actions and words ring out like a great bell into today’s world, telling us what time it is (time for the doctor to see the patients), warning us to look at things from God’s point of view (human respectability can so easily mask reality), encouraging us to extend his healing welcome, his transforming party, wherever it’s needed.” • Chuck Swindoll wrote, “When Jesus dined with tax collectors and other kinds of rabble (Mark 2:15-17), His critics complained about His eating with the wrong people...on the wrong days. The Pharisees had elevated their own tradition to the level of scriptural truth. In fact, they also tried to pit the followers of against the followers of Jesus, driving a wedge between allies in ministry. Legalists do the same...They tend to believe that everybody has to do everything the same way. This kind of insistence on man-made uniformity crushes the freedom Christians have to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23) ...The problem wasn’t in the observance but in the attempt to force the freedom to fast on those who had freedom not to.” • “This world is not around serving human need, but about domination and drawing clear boundaries between insiders and outsiders to preserve power and status. Thus, living in the way Jesus does -- and that he calls his followers to do -- will inevitably lead to conflict with those powers. But Mark plays a trick on us that shows this is not a conflict between the “good” church on one side and “bad” on the other: More than any other Gospel, he portrays the disciples as also lacking the insight and knowledge necessary to hear and follow Jesus, due to the same fear of such a radical new way of being in the world; they are also blind and deaf, and their own hearts are hardened (e.g., :17-18). This is Mark’s way of turning the spotlight on his audience -- on us. The fearful striving for self-preservation that prevents

Mark 2:18-22 Sermon Page 3 of 4 people from crossing boundaries for others is a human problem, and we see it today in both Jewish and Christian communities. Do we have the courage to stand with Jesus?” Articles: • https://www.gotquestions.org/how-to-fast.html Songs/Videos: Helpful thoughts for discussion leaders: 1. Go for a single, not a home run…don’t drag the night out; realize more people = less deep sharing. 2. Keep discussion around 30mins. Once you hit the “sweet spot”, spend your time there.

Challenge Questions Review the BIG IDEA: Am I following Jesus or old human traditions? -Simple questions…What is God teaching you? What are you going to do about it? How will it help you love & serve others?

Preparation questions for Mark 2:18-22. • What is fasting? How did the Pharisees fast differently than John’s disciples? (2:18) • Why did Jesus disciples not fast? (2:18-20) • What could the marriage allegory mean? (2:19-20) • What could the cloth and wine allegories mean? (2:21-22) • What do you think Jesus is saying in this section? (2:18-22)

Application questions from Mark 2:18-22. • Do you view fasting as a “get to” or a “have to”? Explain. • List other spiritual disciplines that help your heart move toward God. • In what areas are you rejecting the gospel in trying to patch yourself up? • In what ways does the “familiar” keep you from believing the gospel? • What are some specific ways the gospel not make sense to you? • What might you need to let go of to increase your enjoyment of God’s presence? • How is our life before salvation like an “old garment” that cannot be merely patched up? • How is our relationship with God in Christ like “new wine” that cannot be contained within our old way of life?

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