“Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved." - Matthew 9:14-17
Fasting is a common practice throughout Scripture used to grow a heart-longing for God. Here, Jesus explains the fasting seen in the Old Testament was a longing for the Messiah to come, and since Jesus is present, His disciples do not fast. However, Jesus anticipates His followers to fast when He leaves them, after His Ascension and until His return. With the foretaste of God's glory and goodness shown through Jesus, we have a new perspective on fasting, one that is rooted in God's power, love, and faithfulness that we have already seen, which makes us hunger after Him even more.
Questions:
What characteristic of God have we seen or experienced that we desire more of?
What can we fast from that will increase our longing for more God?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, you are more than enough for me. You have graciously revealed your love and glory to me. Show me ways to increase my hunger for you and decrease my longing for things of this world. Grow my heart to earnestly seek for you to come again.
By David Nauta