Snapshot Series: "The New Order"

Snapshot4 Mark 2:18-22 “The New Order”

Vrs 18 Fasting was part of a grievous time of mourning it was also a time of repentance (change of mind about sin) It was an expression of showing the Lord you were serious about your commitment.

According to the law in Lev. 16:29 the Jews were only required to fast once a year on the Day of Atonement as an act of repentance. The Pharisees as an act of piety promoted voluntary fasts on Mondays and Thursdays. The Pharisees believe that their fasting made them more godly then other people.

So here they question…”Why are you (Jesus) not promoting this or having your followers follow in this tradition or law?

Jesus then gives two answers and both staring with questions back..

1. It is not the right time. Vrs 19-20 When Jesus said this no one really understood what He was talking about…not even the disciples.

Jesus was speaking of Himself and How He was now with them and then He eludes to His death, which is the first mention of this in the Gospel of Mark.

2. There is a new order. Vrs 21-22

What is old? The Law John 1:17 “Law through Moses, Grace and truth through Jesus
The law is a Tudor or school master.” The Law was given to instruct people that they were not going to measure up.

So then that brings us to the question…did God deceive the people and make them chase after something that could never save them? The answer to that is no, the average Law abiding Jew had faith if they followed the law that God would deliver them. They were having faith in His promises. But the Pharisees took the law to a different extreme and added to the law and therefore they were the ones who were deceiving the people.
A healthy view of the law was to realize that they did not measure up and were in desperate need of the Lord.

What is the new? Grace & Truth This is a challenge to what we can “works based salvation” although we don’t have Pharisees today we have people who are deceived into believing if they do the right thing or are “good” God will accept them. GOSPEL

Old & New wine This is why we do not mix Judaism with Christianity. (Werner’s Illustration, eventually they lost sight of Jesus and who He is)

-We cannot combine the newness of the Gospel with the old Jewish traditions
-We cannot combine the newness of the Gospel with trying to be good to earn our way to heaven.
-We cannot combine the newness of the Gospel with other religions and philosophies

So what do we do with this?
Should we fast? Yes we can…Biblically the occasion would be a mourning along with a plea to the Lord about sin in our lives or the suffering of another human.

Fasting possesses great power. If practiced with the right intention, it makes man a friend of God. The demons are aware of that.
- Tertullian
Matthew 6:16-18 gives us some parameters. Don’t flaunt it, it is personal

There is a purpose for fasting. By Grudem’s Systematic Theology list
• Increases our sense of humanity and dependence on the Lord.

• Allows us to give more attention to prayer.

• Reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. And this helps us to be reminded of how we should give our entire lives to the Lord

• Exercise in self discipline. We refrain from eating food that we normally desire it strengthens are ability to refrain from sinful behaviors. Along with that if we expose ourselves to small sufferings like hunger we will be better equipped when other sufferings come our way. 1 Peter 4 and Heb. Reminds us that we will suffer for righteousness.

• Takes our focus off the things of this world.

• Communicates our urgency in prayer.

In closing I also want to bring up the fact that fasting can also be abstaining from any desirable activity.

Martin Lloyd-Jones said Fasting, if we conceive of it truly, must not... be confined to the question of food and drink; fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose. There are many bodily functions which are right and normal and perfectly legitimate, but which for special peculiar reasons in certain circumstances should be controlled. That is fasting.