Matthew 9:14-17 "New Perspective"

Read Matthew 9:14-17.

"...they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." NIV

Fasting was a practice used for penitence, mourning, or petition. Since Christ was with the disciples, they could worship him in person rather than through fasting. Jesus is once again being challenged by the Pharisees -- this time through John's disciples. And once again He answers them clearly from our perspective, but probably in a riddle from theirs.

They wanted to continue to practice a ritual without recognizing the significance. The focus of their practice was standing in front of them and they never recognized Him. That's why He talks about the new cloth and the new wineskins. The old cloth or the old bottles refer to the Pharisees and the new to the sinners Christ was reaching. Being filled with Christ required a fresh heart ready to be stretched. The religious leaders had lost their tenderness or suppleness to the workings of God in their lives. They had become hard and brittle. Whereas, the sinners Jesus was reaching out to were ready for a new word, a healing, a refreshing that only Christ could offer. They came just as they were without predjudice or hyposcracy, and Christ could fill them with His Spirit and exact change in their hearts.

We, as believers, must be constantly on the alert to becoming old, dry and complacent from ritual, duty, or lukewarm attitudes. Our hearts need to remain fresh to the filling of His Spirit so we can be stretched and grow. If we have become set in our ways, judgemental, and hypocritical, we will break. Christ wants to mold us into His image, not the image we have placed in our minds. And it cannot come from ritual, but from heart action, a desire to serve Him and worship Him alone.

Lord, keep my heart and my mind new and fresh to receive more of You. May I never become lost in ritual, but live for service.

Further Thoughts:

1. How do we become complacent? What happens in our walk with the Lord to cause that? How do we return to that newness? Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 and other Scriptures to support your answer.
2. Read my other post on fasting.

Matthew 6:16-18 "Called to a Fast"

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash for face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and you Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." NIV

For the third time, Jesus addresses an act of righteousness that He assumes you are doing. It's not a suggestion, but a discipline to follow. But like giving to the needy and prayer, fasting is to be a very private act between you and God. Jesus, here, refers to some of the people's public displays demonstrating that they were fasting, i.e. ashes on their faces. That's why He told them to wash their faces. By fasting, we are not to be showing off to the world that we can go without food, but separating ourselves from the demands our body makes on us for food to focus on our Lord. In a simple way, fasting moves us from an earthbound demand to a spiritual freedom that allows us to place our focus on the Lord and His will in a given situation.

The three reasons for fasting were lamentation/penitence, mourning, and petition and often done as a group called to a fast. In a modern day, Christian usage, fasting is usually done as a private, personal directive for petition - asking God for direction, healing, salvation for another person, etc. You won't always get some supernatural revelation or miracle out of a fast -- at least not one that you will know in this life. But it is an act of obedience to the Master. And He "who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Further Thoughts:

1. Read here a wonderful description of fasting and relevant Scripture references.
2. God has been impressing on me to fast recently. What am I fasting for? Personal direction and my Mom's salvation. Is He speaking to you? (NOTE: I am borderline hypoglycemic and fasting is very difficult for me to do. I usually just drink a ton of juices to get through. But recently, I found a colon cleansing fast, The Lemonade Diet, that will take care of my bodily needs, but I still have hunger to remind me to hunger after the Lord. Just an idea you can look into if you have physical limitations to fasting.)