Today is Ash Wednesday. It is the first day in our 40 Day Journey to Lent. In this season, we fast, we pray, we focus on Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and for the world. Ashes are symbolic for repentance. Ashes … Continue reading
Today we are looking at Mark 2: 18-28, two sections that have a very similar theme, a theme we are going to see emerge in the coming days’ readings. They are entitled “The Question about Fasting” and “Pronouncement about the Sabbath.”
The Question about Fasting
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? 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 on that day. 21 “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”Pronouncement about the Sabbath
23 One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? 26 He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” 27 Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; 28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
We see two questions here that deal with the law. One with fasting, one with the Sabbath. Both of these things are spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplines are very important. They help us grow. They help us become more faithful. They are commands of Jesus Christ. He tells to fast, and He tells us that we are supposed to keep the moral law of the Old Testament.
So, yes, these things are important. But these things do not take the place of loving and following Jesus. When Jesus called Levi yesterday, and Peter, Andrew, James, and John, He didn’t call them to fast or pray, but to follow Him. Now stay with me here. Here’s the thing. If we love and follow Jesus, we will fast. We will pray. We will the disciplines. Not because we have to. But because in doing these things, we are being drawn closer to God.
Religion is not bad. I know it’s cool to do that, to put down religion. Religion is not bad. It’s a good thing. I’m religious about things I love. Like, for instance, Jesus Christ. Religion doesn’t save. Jesus saves. But in following Jesus, we follow Him religiously.
So, in this passage, He doesn’t say don’t fast. He says now is not the time to fast. He doesn’t say don’t keep the Sabbath; He says that the Sabbath was made for man. Fasting and keeping the Sabbath are very important. But they don’t save you. Jesus saves.
Here’s the thing, though. They are for our benefit. Our good. Our faith. Our life.
But we do them not do make God love us. We do it because God loves us. Hear that again. We don’t keep these disciplines to make God love us. We keep them because He loves us, and we love Him and we want to know Him better.
With religion, we never need to put the cart before the horse. I love Jesus. And I love religion. And I am thankful for both. But I want to keep them in the proper order.
Today, may you be faithful. May you be religious. And may your religious lifestyle help you to love Jesus and love your neighbor more and more and more.
What questions do you have? How does this strike you? Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.
Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 3:1-6.
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of the Christian season of Lent. The season of Lent is a time of reflection. This season started this past Wednesday, at Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday starts this time where as a church and as individuals where we reflect our sin, our need for Jesus, and the power that He brings to our lives.
This season began thousands of years ago as new converts to the Christian faith were baptized and became fully part of the church. However, before they were baptized, they had a time of reflection, of prayer, of fasting, of preparation. They were getting themselves ready to make this decision, to take this plunge. But before they did, they made sure that they were ready.
We do the same thing today in this season of Lent. We know that God has called us to great things. And for preparation for that, we need to get ready for that, ready to be faithful. We prepare.
So, with that, a couple of things. First, I would encourage you to fast from something this Lenten season. Fast from a meal, from a food, from an activity, from something.
And second, when you fast, pray. Let this fasting draw your heart and your mind to God. Let it make you pray!
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what Jesus said in Matthew 6: 16-18, and I’m making it my key verse to focus on during Lent this year. Listen to what Jesus said:
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The thing that is sticking with me is this. Jesus didn’t say “if you fast.” He said, “when you fast.” Jesus, tells us that as Christians, fasting is not options. It’s like loving. And serving. And showing grace. And forgiving. It’s what we are supposed to do.
It’s what we are called to do.
Why? Fasting helps us pray better. It helps us focus on God. It helps us to see the desires that control us. It draws us closer to God. It causes us to pray. It gives us wisdom and dependence. It strengthens us. It makes us cling to God.
In short, it truly, truly, truly strengthens our faith.
This Lent, I encourage you to fast in some way from something. And see what God does in your life.
Starting today and leading to Easter, I pray you have a Holy Lent.
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Our biggest battle in life is not external. Our biggest battle in life is not them. It’s not their sin. It’s not their mistakes. It’s not their faults. It’s not their stuff.
It’s really not.
Our biggest battle is not them. Our biggest battle is us. Our biggest battle is our stuff, our faults, our mistakes, our sin.
I have no control over “them.” Most times, I have very little control over “me.” But here’s the thing. I still have more control over me than I do over them.
I think that’s one of the reasons why Jesus says things like He says in Matthew 6: 16-18:
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
He says when you fast (by the way, to my detriment, he doesn’t say “if” you fast. But when. I haven’t, and most churches haven’t taught fasting as we should) don’t make a big deal about it. Don’t walk around looking sad. Don’t act like it’s a big deal in front of others.
Don’t do it for them. Don’t do it for them to see. Do it for you. Do it so you can learn. So you can grow. So you can be more faithful and learn.
Do it to fight the battle within you. It’s not about them. It’s about you.
So is your biggest battle. It’s about you, and your daily battle to be faithful and to grow.
So, when you fast, or do any other act of faithfulness, it’s not about them. It’s about you and your own walk. Do it for that reason.
If you do it for your own pride, or your own recognition, that’s it. That’s all that you will receive from it.
But when you do it for your own soul, God will do amazing things in your life. That’s our biggest battle. Not with them, but with us.
Today, may we fight the good fight. May we look within. And may God do amazing things within us.
Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!
We’ve been reflecting this week on different scriptures that point the way to things that deepen our faith. These things that help us grow closer to God, these things are what Wesley called a “Means of Grace.” In these things – God gives us grace to grow.
Thus far they’ve been things that we all like and agree are important. Prayer. Scripture. Things such as that. Listen today, though, to this important thing talked about in Acts 14:23:
Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
With prayer and fasting. Fasting. Oh my. Yes. Fasting.
Fasting is something that we don’t talk about in church as much as should because, well, it’s not fun. None of us want to fast. None of us want to give up something. None of us, in the end, want to do it.
You don’t, I don’t, no one does. It’s not what we’d think about as “fun.”
Yet, in scripture, we see it over and over again as a command. We see it over and over again as something that God’s people are instructed to do. We see it as something that the church is challenged do to. It’s important.
Why?
I can just tell you, from my experience, that fasting gives us two major benefits. First, it drives us to prayer. When you fast (by the way, fasting, for those that aren’t familiar, is giving up something, normally food, for a time period, to seek God) we are driven to prayer. When you miss that chocolate, pray. When you miss that coke, pray. When you miss whatever you give up, pray. Every time we see fasting mentioned in scripture, it’s in relation to prayer. Fasting is useful in that drives us to pray.
Second, in my experience, when you give up something, you see what really controls your actions. We see that our actions are not controlled by our needs, or many times, by God, we see that our actions are controlled by our desires. Our wants. Us. We aer driven so many times in our lives not by what God wants. But by what we want.
That’s not the way that God wants us to live. That’s not what God has for us. That’s not His desire for us.
So, while it won’t be something that we look forward to doing, I do believe it’s something that can change our lives and our walk with God. Fasting is still important.
And today, in some way in your life, I pray that you can find a way to experience that gift in your life!
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