My Walk Through the Book of Mark by Annette Godtland

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting (Mark 2:18-22)

18The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"

19And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

Why do people fast? As I understand it, it is to come closer to God. But when Jesus is among them, there is no need to fast to become closer to God. Rather, they must listen to Jesus and follow Him in order to become closer to God. This opportunity of a lifetime should not be spent in fasting! There will be time enough for fasting after Jesus' death.

I think Jewish law had reached a point of requiring fasts quite often. Here is where I think Jesus is referring to applying the old Law with the new relationship that is developing with God. He will be creating a new covenant with us. It would not simply be matter of adding a couple new laws to try to enhance the old Law. That would only make matters worse. The laws governing fasting will need to be redone, not added to. This passage serves as a great indication of huge changes to come. Are people ready for it?

I think this passage is also a statement of preparedness. Jesus can't bring us the new covenant till we are ready for it. Those that are trying so hard to follow the old Law would not understand the new and would have a very difficult time trying to follow the new law and still keep the old Law. While trying to follow both, they would not be able to follow either one, thus losing both, just as new wine in old wineskins would ruin both. Therefore, everyone must be renewed through baptism and be ready to accept the new covenant with Jesus in order to prepare themselves for what the new covenant provides.

Note the metaphor here: "the wine must be put into new wineskins". If we make of ourselves the new wineskin (i.e. renew ourselves), the wine (the Holy Spirit) will be poured into us. Through the Holy Spirit we will be better able to understand the new Law and will receive the help we need in order to follow the new law. We do not fill ourselves with the wine ourselves. It is given to us freely if we but prepare ourselves.