{"id":575,"date":"2015-02-16T12:00:56","date_gmt":"2015-02-16T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/?p=575"},"modified":"2015-02-13T21:27:16","modified_gmt":"2015-02-13T21:27:16","slug":"matthew-914-17-jesus-questioned-about-fasting-historical-backgrounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/2015\/02\/matthew-914-17-jesus-questioned-about-fasting-historical-backgrounds.html","title":{"rendered":"Matthew 9:14-17; Jesus Questioned About Fasting (Historical Backgrounds)"},"content":{"rendered":"

When examining the moment in Matthew 9:14 where John\u2019s disciples questioned Jesus about fasting, it\u2019s helpful to remember the historical context.<\/p>\n

At this moment in time Jesus\u2019 cousin, John the Baptist, languished in prison as punishment for doing pretty much the same things (minus the miracles) that Jesus was doing. John\u2019s ministry had emphasized obvious elements of asceticism, including the traditional practice of fasting two days a week. His disciples mimicked that practice\u2014considered a basic part of holy living\u2014plus they fasted as a sign of mourning because their beloved leader had been cruelly taken from them.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Jesus was favored with abundance and popularity. He moved about freely, working miracles, preaching and teaching, and challenging the religious elite. He carried on like he was oblivious to John\u2019s predicament, eating and drinking as if life were a celebration. To John\u2019s disciples, that seemed incongruent. If Jesus were indeed the Messiah\u2014as John had seemed to declare\u2014then it should\u2019ve been natural for he and his disciples to fast as they did, including fasts in mourning over John\u2019s imprisonment. It was an incongruence they couldn\u2019t explain, so give them credit for asking Jesus about it instead of simply condemning him for it (as Pharisees did).<\/p>\n

In that historical context, Jesus took time to help John\u2019s disciples understand that both fasting and<\/em> feasting were holy expressions. First, notice that Jesus didn\u2019t condemn John\u2019s followers for fasting; in fact, he acknowledged their expressions of mourning as appropriate in circumstances similar to theirs (see Matthew 9:15).<\/p>\n

Next, Jesus pointed out that, unlike John\u2019s followers who had been separated from their leader, his disciples were still in the presence of the, messianic \u201cbridegroom\u201d\u2014a situation that warranted celebration, while it lasted. Emphasizing his point with parables of wine and cloth, Christ plainly explained to John\u2019s disciples that fasting and feasting weren\u2019t meant to be one-size-fits-all patches to place arbitrarily on anyone\u2019s life. They were, and still are, tools meant to be applied in specific circumstances, to be used in the right times and places. In that way, both are suited to the lives of all holy followers of God.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/a>:<\/p>\n

[MAT, 204-205]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2126\u2126\u2126<\/p>\n

About: For Bible Study Nerds\u2122<\/a><\/p>\n

About: Mike Nappa<\/a><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2014 to present by\u00a0Nappaland Communications Inc<\/a>. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When examining the moment in Matthew 9:14 where John\u2019s disciples questioned Jesus about fasting, it\u2019s helpful to remember the historical context. At this moment in time Jesus\u2019 cousin, John the Baptist, languished in prison as punishment for doing pretty much the same things (minus the miracles) that Jesus was doing. John\u2019s ministry had emphasized obvious…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":571,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,2],"tags":[241,184,62],"class_list":["post-575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-historicalbackgrounds","category-matthew","tag-bridegroom","tag-fasting","tag-john-the-baptist"],"yoast_head":"\nMatthew 9:14-17; Jesus Questioned About Fasting (Historical Backgrounds) - For Bible Study Nerds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/2015\/02\/matthew-914-17-jesus-questioned-about-fasting-historical-backgrounds.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Matthew 9:14-17; Jesus Questioned About Fasting (Historical Backgrounds) - For Bible Study Nerds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When examining the moment in Matthew 9:14 where John\u2019s disciples questioned Jesus about fasting, it\u2019s helpful to remember the historical context. 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