David W Palmer
(Matthew 9:14 NKJV) Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
John’s disciples learned from John. They came up through a strategic season of spiritual breakthrough and preparation for Jesus. John the Baptist prepared the hearts of the people by preaching repentance; but from the above passage, we can infer that he and his team also prepared the way spiritually through fasting. Fasting is very important; and I have certainly experienced both the discipline of regular fasting, and focused seasons devoted to extended fasting and prayer. From this, I can testify to great acceleration in ministry progress and spiritual breakthrough. I was happy to do it whether anyone else fasted or not; the Holy Spirit led me to fast, and I had a vision for the outcome, and was never regretful or disappointed.
However, when John’s disciples came to ask Jesus, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” I wonder if this was genuinely motivated by doctrinal interest, or was it driven by rivalry and self-pity. Certainly, if they were likening themselves to the Pharisees, who fasted to be seen of men, their motivation was probably religious self-sacrifice (See: Mat. 6:16-18).
(Matthew 6:16–18 DKJV) “When you fast, do not look sad like the hypocrites, for they disguise their faces that they may be seen by others to be fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. {17} But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face {18} so that you will not be seen by others to be fasting, but only by your Father in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.”
I encourage you today; don’t do spiritual exercise like fasting just because you want to fit in, or because you think that your sacrifice will make a big impression on those around you. If you fast, do it because you believe the Holy Spirit is leading you to, or because you have a strong vision for the outcome—the fruit of fasting. If this is truly your reason, and if you keep your fasting private, you will reap a reward from it and grow in your relationship with the Holy Spirit. But if it leads to feeling sorry for yourself, and/or comparing your sacrifice with others who are not doing it, check your motivations … today.
How did Jesus respond to John’s disciples’ question? What did his own on-the-job apprentices learn from this mystifying question, and Jesus’s response to it?
(Matthew 9:15 NKJV) And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
In answering, “as long as the bridegroom is with them,” Jesus implies a short season of impassioned celebration—in contrast to the stoic lifestyle of fasting in John’s season. His next word is “but.” “But” changes everything; it’s a word used to introduce a contrast. Jesus said, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them.” Without doubt, this spells the end of that particular season; and when it concludes, Jesus clearly says that in those days, “they will fast.”
Our Lord stated unequivocally that his disciples would fast—at a future time. It wasn’t to be at that moment when Jesus said this, but it would be at a time when the “bridegroom will be taken away from them.” This is said in the passive voice, not indicating who will take him away, only that he will be removed. But it does say that the season will change from feasting and celebration to fasting when that happens.
Jesus was with them for many more chapters in Matthew; but in chapters 26–28, we see that he was taken away from them by the Jewish council, then the Romans, then death. He was restored for a short burst of celebration when he arose from the dead, but was then taken away by God into heaven. Jesus’s graduating apprentices probably fasted during those ho
