Jesus the Bridegroom
Text: Mark 2:18-22
Core Idea: Jesus is the Bridegroom who brings joy to our hearts. But embracing Him means that we cannot remain status quo – He will bring newness to our lives. Then for all of us waiting for His return, we’re called to desperately long for Him knowing that one day, our fasting will cease, and feasting will begin.
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. It’s my joy to spend this time worshiping our God together. Many of you must have heard that the government will be lifting some of the public health measures starting tomorrow. So, considering all things, the leaders decided to offer in-person service again starting next Sunday (Feb. 6). We’ll start small (limiting our number to 40) to maintain proper distancing; but hopefully, we can increase that number sooner than later. So, if you want to join us, please register from our website. The form will be made available soon after this service. And just as a note for the parents: we will not be resuming the children’s ministry for the month of February, but we’ll continue to monitor the situation.
I want to say one more thing before we dive into our passage. While I am incredibly grateful for our online services (and those who made this possible), I pray that all of us have been growing in our longing for one another – this longing to worship together and do life together. Don’t get me wrong – I understand that online service for some of us is a necessary compromise which is why we’ll continue to make this available. But for many of us, it has become more of a convenient option. So, I want to speak to those of us who are able: I want to encourage you as your pastor, as a brother in Christ to join us in-person. We must recognize that we’re losing so much when our church experience is nothing more than a weekly livestream. So, for example, we naturally think less about one another. Others in the community don’t necessarily come to our minds because our faith has become more about information than relationship. We feel like we’ve done our duty as long as we’ve “watched” the service. But we must remember that the Christian life is much more than just an information transfer; it’s journeying together with those who have been interlocked by Christ Himself. We are the Body of Christ. I understand that COVID is a serious threat – which is why we’ll do everything we can to be careful and be cautious. I also understand that fear is a real issue which is why I’m inviting you to take that to God. Wrestle with God. And I pray that you’ll receive peace and courage from Him because we would love to have you back in-person. As this pandemic continues, one of the detrimental effects on all of us is the depletion of joy in our hearts. Friends, we must realize that our individual joy is intimately connected to our Christian community. Then may the truth from Hebrews 10:24-25 intensify our longing for one another. It says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Last Sunday, we learned that Jesus is the Great Physician. He calls sinners like us because He desires to heal us, free us, and dine with us. As I said before, the primary focus of the Gospel of Mark is on knowing the identity and the work of Jesus Christ. So, Mark is systematically building his case to show his readers that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior King (Mk. 1:1). Today, we’ll learn that Jesus is the Bridegroom who comes to bring something completely new. So, if you have your Bibles, please turn to Mark 2:18-22. Let me read this for us.
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but Yours are not?” 19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? They cannot, so long as they have Him with them. 20 But the time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
CONTEXT (V. 18)
In order to better appreciate this story, it’s important to understand the background. As many of you know, fasting is abstaining from eating in order to focus on a spiritual need. It’s denying your physical cravings in order to channel your heart and mind on your spiritual cravings. In the OT, there’s only one place where fasting was made mandatory for God’s people – it was the Day of Atonement recorded in Leviticus 16. But there were other occasions when people fasted. For example, some fasted as an expression of mourning (2 Sam. 1:12); some as an expression of repentance and remorse for their sins (Neh. 9:1); and some as a way to ask for God’s help, guidance, or protection (Ezra 8:1; Jud. 20:26-27; 2 Chr. 20:3-4). All this to say, there were a lot of reasons why God’s people fasted.
By this time, the Pharisees made it a duty to fast twice a week – driven by two main motivations. First, it was their way of mourning the spiritual condition of Israel – lamenting the sins that have been committed by the people. Second, they were longing to see the Messiah come – pleading for Him to come and save Israel. These were noble reasons, godly reasons. But unfortunately, these motivations were lost for many of the Pharisees, and fasting simply became a badge of their personal piety – feeding their pride and using it as a measuring stick to judge others. You can read more about this in Matthew 6, but they weren’t seeking God anymore. They weren’t broken before God. Fasting for them had become a tool to build themselves up. And this really was the reason why Jesus and the Pharisees collided all the time. But the point I want to make is this: that their external lifestyle gave an impression to other Israelites that those who love God and the nation of Israel fasted. No wonder we see some people quite taken aback, quite outraged that Jesus’ disciples weren’t fasting. So, they asked in verse 18, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but Yours are not?” They were essentially saying, “Jesus, how can we take You seriously if You’re not fasting regularly?” I divided Jesus’ answer into three parts which will guide us through this message. So, the three things He says in response to that question are:
I AM THE BRIDEGROOM (V. 19)
I BRING NEWNESS (V. 21-22)
YOU WILL FAST (V. 20)
1) I AM THE BRIDEGROOM (V. 19)
Let’s take a look at verse 19. “Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? They cannot, so long as they have Him with them.’” Jesus was saying that there’s time and place for everything, but this was not the time to fast. Why? Because the Bridegroom was here. In Jesus’ days, the wedding celebration lasted for a whole week. When I visited India for missions, a few times, it coincided with a wedding that was taking place in the neighborhood that we were staying at. Similar to a Jewish wedding, a traditional wedding in India lasted for five days – and they went all out. They danced, ate, partied all day; and they paraded through each street blasting music every night. At first, it was really cool to witness it, but when you were struggling with jet lag and couldn’t sleep well, it just drove you crazy. Anyways, in Jesus’ days, it would’ve been a whole week of partying and everybody in the village would’ve been invited – all paid by the bridegroom and his family. Now, we all know that a wedding is not a time to grieve. I mean it would be horrendous if you read in a wedding invitation, “Please join us as we grieve the joining together of the groom and the bride.” No one does that. Or can you imagine the groom and the bride fasting at their own wedding? “You all enjoy; we’re going to wear sackcloth and put ashes on our head – weeping and pleading in the corner.” No, that would be ridiculous – that’s not what we do. A wedding is a place of celebration, a place of joy.
You see, John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting because they were still longing for the Savior. But Jesus was saying the reason why His disciples didn’t fast was because the Savior has come. “I’m that Savior you’ve been waiting for.” And that His coming was like the start of a wedding ceremony. Jesus saw Himself as the Groom and the people collectively as the bride. Then the implication was that it wasn’t time to fast; it was time to feast. It’s really incredible to see the way Mark tells these stories – he’s trying to build up his case. Think about it. In chapter 2 alone, through the story of the paralytic, we saw that Jesus had the authority to forgive sins. But He doesn’t just forgive sins, through the story of Levi, we saw that Jesus wanted to dine with the sinners. But He doesn’t just dine with them, through this story, we see that Jesus brings joy to the sinners – and He calls us, the sinners, His bride.
This truth has two massive implications. First, in saying that He is the Bridegroom, Jesus was claiming to be God. Throughout the OT, God depicted Himself as the Bridegroom and His people as the bride. For example, in Hosea 2, God says, “‘In that day,’ declares the LORD, ‘you will call me “my husband”; you will no longer call me “my master” … I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD” (Hos. 2:16, 19-20). Isaiah 54:5 says, “For your Maker is your husband – the LORD Almighty is His name – the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.” And here we have Jesus saying, “That’s me. I’m your husband. I’m your God.” Unfortunately, the Pharisees weren’t able to see that. They were so bound up in their tradition, blinded by their pride that they missed this glorious truth that was presented to them. Jesus was right in front of them, yet they couldn’t see Him for who He was. Friends, what’s blinding you from seeing Jesus for who He is? Are you more occupied with something other than the gospel that’s blinding you from seeing who He is and what He is doing? If this is you, I pray that God will open your eyes to see Jesus as our beautiful Bridegroom; because until this happens, it will continue to keep you from celebrating. But when you do see Him for who He is, you’ll learn to rejoice in all circumstances because that’s what Christ brings – this unshakable joy in our hearts.
Second, in saying that He is the Bridegroom, Jesus was telling us something about what it means to be a Christian – namely, that we are entering into a covenant relationship with Him. The significance of this truth is so vast that we won’t have the time to go through this in depth today; but let me just say this: this means that we are loved with an everlasting, faithful love of Christ. When Jesus says that He’s our Bridegroom, He’s telling us, “I’m not just your master. I’m your husband, which means that I’m committed to you. I will never leave you or forsake you. My love for you has no limits. My love for you will never be circumstantial. My love for you will be forever.” And when we hear this, when we experience this love, everything changes. Some of you know that this transition at home and church for me was not without its challenges. But one of the things that sustained me through this was my marriage. Despite the difficulties, it was Alicia’s simple words of encouragement, her presence, her support, her prayers that strengthened me to persevere. Then listen to what Pastor Tim Keller insightfully says, “Marriage has the power to set the course of your life as a whole. If your marriage is strong, even if all the circumstances in your life around you are filled with trouble and weakness, it won’t matter. You’ll be able to move out into the world in strength. However, if your marriage is weak, even if all the circumstances in your life around you are marked by success and strength, it won’t matter. You’ll move out into the world in weakness.” If this is what an imperfect human marriage can do, can you imagine what Christ’s perfect love for us in our covenant relationship with Him can accomplish in our lives? Paul says in Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Christ literally gave Himself up for us to make us holy and blameless – a beautiful bride that we’re meant to be. He’s telling us, “I became naked so that you could be clothed with my righteousness. I became disfigured so that you could be made beautiful.” Then brothers and sisters, do you know this love? Have you tasted this love? Because if you have, it will change your life. It will be the source of your strength for all things. And nothing – no circumstance, no setback in life – will ever take away the joy you have in Jesus Christ. This is what Christ does as our Bridegroom.
2) I BRING NEWNESS (V. 21-22)
We’ll come back to verse 20, but let’s jump down to verse 21. Here, Jesus gives these two illustrations to explain the broader significance of His ministry. First, it’s an image of a new patch. We all know that clothing shrinks when you wash it several times. So, if you take a piece of new fabric and patch it onto an old clothing, the new piece is going to shrink and pull at the seams, making the tear worse. Second, it’s an image of a new wine. In the ancient world, when new wine was put in a new wineskin, the wine would produce gas as a result of fermentation which would then cause the wineskin to expand and stretch. Now, every Jew in Israel would’ve known that new wine could not be put into old wineskins because they had already been stretched to the max. New wine would cause an old wineskin to burst which means that both the wine and the wineskin would be lost.
The point that Jesus was making was the same in both of these examples. Jesus was saying, “You can’t just take the new and force it into the old because the old will not be able to bear it.” Jesus wasn’t condemning fasting or the OT law in general; He was condemning the traditions that had developed among the Pharisees. The problem was that these traditions were treated like the Word of God by the Pharisees. It was as if the Pharisees had drawn their boundaries with these traditions and concluded that anyone who doesn’t fit into what they have created would be considered unacceptable. Knowing this, Jesus wanted to break that down. He wanted them to see that they can’t just fit God into their own expectations, plans, and lives. He was saying to them, “I’m not an add-on to your life. When I come, it can’t be just business as usual. I didn’t come to upgrade what you already have. I’m not a patch for your life. I bring something completely new – something so radical yet unbelievably good. And if you want this for yourself, you must put off your old self and put on this new self that has been made possible by me.”
I wonder if some of us have been treating Jesus like a new patch to our lives. We were never really willing to start over with Jesus. We just wanted to put Jesus like a patch to a problem we had or a trouble we were going through. I wonder if we’ve even prayed something like this: “God, I want you to do something amazing in my life. I want you to start a revival. Accomplish great things in and through me” – while deep down, you’re still thinking, “But I don’t want any change in my life. I want everything to be exactly the same. I like where I am. I like where things are.” If this is you, listen to His warning: trying to put a new patch on an old garment will actually make the tear even worse than before. In other words, trying to treat Jesus this way could make your life even more miserable because you’ll be left confused and frustrated. You see, the problem may not be that you didn’t try hard enough with Jesus. Maybe you weren’t willing to have Jesus make you into a new wineskin. Friends, we must recognize that following Jesus, being His disciples is not about just adding Him to the life we already decided for ourselves. Jesus didn’t come to update our lives; He came to give us a completely new life. He has come to be our King, our Lord, which means that we must completely surrender. We must give up our expectations, dreams, and ambitions to embrace His expectations, ambitions, and plans for our lives. He brings newness to our lives.
3) YOU WILL FAST (V. 20)
Let’s turn to verse 20. Jesus says, “But the time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.” He was saying, “Yes, it’s true that it’s time for feasting, not fasting. But the situation will change at some point in the future when my disciples will fast.” When? When the Bridegroom is taken away. That word in the original language means to be violently snatched away, to be ripped away. Now, what does it mean that He will be taken away? Most scholars believe that it means two things simultaneously. First, it was foreshadowing of His death. Jesus knew that He would be arrested, mocked, beaten, and crucified on the cross. He knew that He would be treated like a criminal and be killed. So, this mood of celebration will turn to sorrow which then would lead His disciples to fast. But He meant more than that. Second, it referred to the time between His ascension and His ultimate return – the full and final consummation of His kingdom – when Jesus wasn’t physically here. In other words, right now. If you search the NT, there’s one more place where Jesus uses the word “Bridegroom” again – it’s in Matthew 25 where Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins. It’s a story of a wedding feast that was postponed because the bridegroom hadn’t come. Jesus shared that some were waiting in anticipation while others weren’t ready – maybe even doubtful of his arrival. But at the end of the story, the bridegroom did come and only those who were ready entered the feast. The point I want us to think about is this: Jesus is coming back. He will come back to complete this wedding feast with us. But until then, in our passage today, Jesus was teaching us that while we wait for His return, all of us are called to fast.
It’s clear that the early church was a church that fasted. Just to give you a couple of examples: they fasted for strength in Acts 13; they fasted to seek God’s guidance in Acts 14. In other words, if we never fast, we are the exception because the church throughout history has always fasted. The truth is that for some of us, food has become our idol. Now, I’m not implying that it’s wrong to eat food for pleasure. In fact, I hope you enjoy what you eat. Food is a wonderful gift from God, and we certainly should delight in it. But what I mean is that food controls our hearts, emotions, and schedules. We spend more time thinking about what we should eat than thinking about God, the Word, or just ways to love others. It leads us to gluttony and self-indulgence. We hate being hungry to the point that we now have a word for it: hangry. Considering all these things, I believe that fasting is more important for our faith today than ever before. Listen to what David Mathis says, “Only as we voluntarily embrace the pain of an empty stomach do we see how much we’ve allowed our belly to be our God. And in that gnawing discomfort of growing hunger is the engine of fasting, generating the reminder to bend our longings for food godward and inspire intensified longings for Jesus. Fasting, says Piper, is the physical exclamation point at the end of the sentence, ‘This much, O God, I want You!’” Friends, let us recover the discipline of fasting in our lives today.
Then here are four practical tips to fasting that I got from Habits of Grace written by David Mathis:
Start Small: Start with one meal per week and do this for several weeks. Then try two meals per week and work your way up to a day long fast. And it will help you if you do this with a friend. Commit to doing this together and continue to encourage one another.
Plan What You’ll Do Instead of Eating: Fasting isn’t just an act of self-deprivation, but a spiritual discipline for seeking more of God’s presence. So, don’t just skip a meal. Plan out what you want to do instead of eating – it could be praying, worshiping, journaling, or reading.
Consider How it Will Affect Others: Fasting is no license to be unloving. Love for God and love for others should always go together. Don’t be hangry; rather let others feel even more loved and cared for when you fast.
Fast from Something Other Than Food: I understand that not everyone will be able to fast from food for various reasons. Then think about fasting from something that robs your time and thoughts away from God. It could be entertainment, social media, or whatever you could think of. Lay that before God and be more intentional in drawing yourself closer to God.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus calls us to fast as we wait for His return. If you want more of His grace, if you’re truly desperate for God, then I invite you to fast. I invite you to hunger for Him because He will meet you and bring you joy.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus is the Bridegroom who brings joy to our hearts. But embracing Him means that we cannot remain status quo – He will bring newness to our lives. Now, for all of us waiting for His return, we’re called to desperately hunger for more of Him, long for His return. Then let us recover this discipline of fasting knowing that one day, our fasting will cease, and feasting will begin.
sermon questions
Consider the passages we have read in Mark 1 and 2. In what new ways have you become aware of brokenness in your own life – and how did this knowledge lead you to look to Christ and be more compassionate toward others?
Jesus brings a new understanding of God, a new relationship with God, and a new power from God. There is a dynamic power at work within believers that not only changes our actions, but radically changes even our appetites. How has your understanding of Jesus and your relationship with Him changed your core commitments, drives, and desires?
Fasting is an expression of finding your greatest pleasure and enjoyment in life from God. What can you do to make this a regular rhythm of your life? What would be the biggest hurdle from fasting?
As a group, spend some time responding to all that has been discussed by praying for each other. Ask for God’s help where we need to make changes. Praise God for His faithfulness and truth.