Mark wrote about Jesus, “when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eats and drinks with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he said unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples fast not?”, and in chapter two and verse nineteen of his book, Mark shares how Jesus asked “Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?” where we read:
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
The verse reads, “And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?” Mark began with the words, “and Jesus said unto them” which means “and the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate whose name means Jehovah is Salvation uttered, declared and proclaimed to the religious leaders”, “Can the children” or “are the descendants and posterity able whether by virtue of their own ability and resources” “of the bridechamber” which means “belonging to the chamber containing the bridal bed in which the marriage ceremonies are held” “fast” or “abstain as a religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but a single day, or from customary and choice nourishment, if it continued several days, “while the bridegroom” or “during the time the groom who is to be married” “is with them” which means “is among them”? Mark shared how Jesus answered the religious leaders with a question concerning the “descendants and posterity” of a groom abstaining from food and drink while the “groom” is still among them.
The verse goes on to say, “as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.” Mark continued with the words, “as long as they have the bridegroom with them” which means “for the length of time the children of the bridegroom still have the groom among them”, “they cannot fast” which means “the children of the bridegroom do not abstain from food and drink as a religious practice”. Mark shared how Jesus said the “children of the bridegroom” are unable to “abstain from food and drink” which the “groom” is still among them.
When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we see how Jesus attempted to show the “religious leaders” that He as the Christ and Messiah was among His disciples, and there was no need for them to “fast” from food and drink as a religious practice. Jesus spoke of “fasting” in Matthew chapter five, and He gave the manner in which people should “fast”, however, as long as He was with His disciples, there was not need to “relate” to Him by abstaining from food and drink. God's desires is to have a personal relationship with every person, and when they receive Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, He comes into their life, changes them, and promises they shall have “everlasting life” with God without a need for “fasting” anymore.
Next time Mark shares how Jesus says, “the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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