Matthew 9:14-17 "Then the disciples of John came to him, saying "Why do we and the Pharisees..."

"Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, 'Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?' And Jesus said to them, 'The wedding guests cannot mourn so long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved'" (Matthew 9:14-17).

Comment:

Jesus clearly had the highest of respect for John the Baptist; he followed him, was baptized by him and only assumed his own ministry when John was imprisoned and could no longer continue his work. But Jesus also recognized that his own ministry was dramatically different from that of John the Baptist. He tells his disciples that while John is preeminent among “men born of women,” even the least in the kingdom is greater than he. John was still rooted in the beliefs and traditions of the past. He was expanding them and re-interpreting them, but rituals such as fasting were still important. The entirely new relationship with God that Jesus teaches is completely different. It's a relationship that is immediate and personal. God is not a distant Power to be sought after through rituals such as fasting. God is rather a very real Presence within each of us. Jewish prophets had often spoken of Israel as a bride, waiting for the bridegroom (God) to come. Jesus is saying that the bridegroom is already here. This radical new message cannot be contained within the old wineskins of religious tradition. It requires a container that is equally fresh and new.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed