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In Luke 5:33..., just after Jesus had outraged the Pharisees for eating in a tax collectors home. We find the Pharisees questioning Jesus about why His disciples don't fast, but that Johns disciples along with them the scribes and Pharisees do fast. Well you might ask the ? what has this to do with anything. What are they on about? Jesus makes it quite clear why His disciples don't fast. He says can wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? He says however the days will come when the bridegroom is not with them and then they will fast. He then gives them a parable about not patching old clothes with new cloth and not pouring new wine into old wineskins because the old wineskin will burst and be destroyed. So the question in your mind is what is this all about? To understand first of all about why some were fasting is that it was usual for Israel to fast while she still was in the 70 year exile in Babylon. If we go to the book of Zachariah we see this happening. They are fasting in the seventy years they spent in exile. The fast is to mourn for their sins which saw them being punished with exile. The fast was also to look forward to the time of her restoration and for God to bring that about. So to cut to the quick, Jesus is saying the one who brings the end to her exile is here. That is why the disciples of Jesus don't fast. The consolation of Israel has come and Jerusalem will be redeemed.But when Jesus goes away His disciples will fast again for His return. But now that Israels delivering King is with her and delivering Israel, his disciples have no need to fast.So Jesus is saying that fasting is an inappropriate action at the time because the one who will bring an end to her exile is here.. |
