Mark 2: 18 And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting. And they came and said to Him, Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? 19 And Jesus said to them, The sons of the bridechamber cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? For as long a time as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
Both groups of disciples--the disciples of John and of the Pharisees--practiced fasting. This indicates that if we are in religion, we need to fast. Those in religion are empty and hungry; they do not have anything to satisfy them. To be a disciple in any kind of religion is to have trouble, hunger, thirst, weariness, and anxiety. In pointing this out I am not criticizing anything; rather, I am simply speaking the truth. Those in religion certainly have reason to fast. Religion requires and demands. It tells us that we cannot do this and that we cannot do that. However, religion does not enable us to fulfill its requirements. Because those in a religion cannot fulfill the requirements of their religion, they need to fast. Therefore, both the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees were fasting. In contrast to the disciples of John and the Pharisees, could they [the Lord's disciples] fast when the Bridegroom, the most important factor of their joy, was with them? Here [in v. 19] the Lord refers to His disciples as sons of the bridechamber. For them to fast when the Bridegroom is with them would be a shame to Him. Suppose you are the best man at a wedding. While the wedding is taking place, you, the bridegroom's best man, are fasting. That would be an insult to the bridegroom. No bridegroom wants to see his best man fasting during his wedding. Instead, he wants to see him joyful, properly dressed in good clothing, and enjoying the food provided. This is an illustration of the Lord's word in 2:19. Here the Lord seems to be saying to the disciples of John and the Pharisees, "Why do you ask Me why My disciples are not fasting? I am the Bridegroom, and they are all the sons of the bridechamber, a corporate best man. Matthew the tax collector is one of the sons of the bridechamber. They cannot fast when I am with them." We all should testify strongly that we are part of the Lord's corporate best man. All those who have had their sins forgiven by the Lord Jesus have become sons of the bridechamber. (c) Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Mark, pp. 83-84. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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