But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.
Matthew 9:16-17
I read this quote of my Lord this morning as I studied in the book of Matthew. Jesus is addressing the disciples of John when He says these words. They are asking Him about fasting… the disciples of John are wondering why they and the Pharisees fast, but the disciples of Jesus do not fast.
Here we see three different types of religion.
1) We see the Pharisees who use religion to control and fast for a show.
2) We see the disciples of an earthly man who use religion as a means of morality and a path to an inner peace and do good things and help others, those who fast to affirm that they are more than just this world and are not controlled by the things and present leaders of this world… yet this is not enough to save.
It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.
Acts 19:1-6
3) Then we see the disciples of Jesus who at this time have no need to fast, because they are presently walking in physical daily fellowship with the One that fasting is meant to bring them into fellowship and communion with…
Precious ones, there will be no fasting in glory… and at the time these disciples where walking with Glory.
However, that will not last… a day is coming when these disciples of Jesus Christ will fast as well.
Jesus explains this to the disciples of John with two illustrations… a patch of new cloth on an old garment always pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse and new wine in an old wineskin always burst.
Here are my thoughts beloved…
At that time the disciples of Jesus were all good and satisfied. Jesus was right there with them. He was teaching them face to face, eye to eye, heart to heart. He was healing the sick and raising the dead and casting out demons right before their eyes… they had no reason to fast.
One day they would.
One day soon.
One day Jesus would have to leave. He would go to the cross to die for them because of their sin… to the grave to pay for them because they owed a debt that only He could cover… and to glory to keep them because He loved them and they belonged to Him.
He would go, but His disciples would remain.
They would remain, but they would receive an unshrunk patch of His Spirit to put on their old garment of flesh and they would receive the new wine of His life in the old wine skin of their flesh.
As they continued in this world as new creations in jars of clay, that new patch would begin to pull further and further away from that old garment. The Spirit just has nothing in common with this old flesh. Therefore each day of walking in the Spirit would force the tearing away from this flesh a little more and more. This tearing would come with days of great anguish, days of embarrassing exposure, days of faith failure, days of doubt, disappointment, discouragement, and demonic attack…
Yet, our Savior will not leave us exposed as the patch of the Spirit tears away from us the old garment of this flesh. As this new patch of the Spirit on this old garment of flesh begins to pull away, we find that our Lord clothes us in Himself… in His own robe of righteousness.
Yes, it can be quite fearful and painful… and this is when I believe Jesus says… yes, His disciples will fast.
Likewise, as they, as we, continue in this world as new creations in jars of clay filled with the new wine of His life in this old wineskin of flesh… we find this old wine skin of flesh just can’t hold this new wine of His life contained. We find that it begins to leak out of us and pour out onto others. As a matter of fact, this new wine of His life should be pouring out of us as an ever flowing fountain of Life for others to drink…
holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
Philippians 2:16-17
However, this pouring out, this bursting of the old wineskin of our flesh, that allows the wine of His life to be poured out, can leave us empty and drained and weak….
This is when the disciples of Jesus will need to fast.
Oh but beloved, as more and more of the wine of His life is poured in us and out of us we discover this old wineskin just can’t hold it and one day it is going to full fledge burst from this new wine and be destroyed. Then our God is going to give us a new wineskin into which to pour the wine of His life and both the wine and the wineskin will be preserved.
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
So dear one have you need to fast because you are being pulled away and poured out?
If you fast why, do you fast?
Is it for show before men, like the Pharisees?
Is it to prove to yourself and others that you are not controlled by your flesh or the things of this world?
Is it because you are being pulled away a little more each day from this old flesh by the newness of the Spirit and the Life of your Savior and sometimes it flat out hurts and wearies your soul and you need to be reminded of the joy of your salvation and come and be still at the feet of your Lord and be restored?