Mark 2:18-3:5 Fasting involves emptying ourselves of worldy substance so that we may focus on being filled with spiritual food and the Holy Spirit. The disciples were truly fasting in the sense that they left their old lives and jobs to follow Jesus in new life. The Pharisees fasted two days a week, but failed to understand other areas of sacrifice in their lives, most importantly, failing to show mercy. Matthew reports in this story that Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 for the second time following the calling of Matthew - "God wants us to show mercy, not offer sacrifices." We need to make sure that we are feasting on Jesus, the bread of life, doing good works, and fasting from the world.
In Jesus' day the sabbath was reduced to a set of rules, over 600 by Jesus' day. One couldn't drag a chair across the floor for this would be "plowing the field". Candles had to be lit before sundown because they couldn't be lit after Sabbath had begun. And the disciples were "harvesting grain" by picking and eating a handful of heads of wheat.The Pharisees were about self-righteousness, trying to obey written laws to gain God's favor by their own efforts. You cannot measure your relationship with Jesus by anything but the time you spend with God, whether that is at church or not. The sabbath was originally intended to remember the Lord and give rest to the people. The Pharisees had turned it into a mere chore. We must be careful not to be guilty of the same thing. We can do nothing to make God love us more or less, but we should do everything, even menial tasks, for the love of God. The following sums this idea up well: Brother Lawrence, a 17th century monk who worked in the kitchen and who was known for continually living in God's presence says in his book, "I would not pick up a straw from the ground unless it were for the love of God." (Practice of the Presence of God)
Jesus uses the imagery of bridegroom and celebration to connect our union with Jesus as his bride, the church. Wine as a symbol of the old testament was that of God's blessing and presence - usually found in the triad of grain, oil, and wine - symbols of the Father, Holy Spirit, and the Son. God through Jesus now poured out His love and grace on humanity and the law, the old wineskin, simply could not contain it. Grace swallows up the law. and we cannot forget Jesus changing the meaning of the passover cup to that of his blood of the new covenant - it is all about grace through Jesus' sacrifice.
This is connected to the teaching of the new patch and the new garment. The old garment is an allegory of our old lives which have been swallowed up in grace. We have a new garment of a new life, clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:27). While the new wine refreshes us from within, the new garment makes our lives new as we are the presence of Jesus to the world through our love, compassion, and generosity. The filling with the new wine should show itself outwardly in our love to the world.
The healing of the man with the withered hand is the perfect demonstration of the previous teachings and shows the contrast between the law and grace. Even though Jesus healed through the spoken word, so they could not accuse him of work on the sabbath, they were blinded to the miracle and withered in their own minds. Jesus intentionally did this on the sabbath and in their presence as a witness to their misunderstanding. May we never anger and grieve Jesus by our "stubborn and hard hearts" when Jesus is working a miracle before our eyes of changing people's lives.
Are you a new wine skin, living in God's grace? Are you allowing God to fill you? Is your motive simpy to do things for the love of God? Are you clothing yourself with Christ by being the presence of Jesus to others? This is the new garment - the love of Jesus. The law cannot contain it - we cannot "measure" it.
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