Matthew 9:14-17

Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?”  Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.  No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse.  And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the skins burst and the wine is spilled out and the skins are destroyed. Instead they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved.”

Jesus is referencing here that He will be taken. He is the bridegroom, and after he is taken the disciples will fast. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He is like the feast our souls long for. While His presence is in their midst, the disciples don’t need to fast. Jesus Himself fasts numerous times throughout His life on earth, after all, He’s a resident of heaven. As new creations in Christ Jesus, we also are residents of heaven, and fasting becomes a relevant reality through which we are able to experience increased intimacy with God. Sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit, we are washed whiter than snow. Our rebirth restores our ability to become living witnesses of Jesus’ grace: like new wineskins receiving new wine. Amen!