Text: Mark 2 : 18 – 22

As human beings, our deepest need is salvation from sin. In the Bible, we see that fasting was a common practice among the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees. However, the Pharisees were critical of Jesus for eating and drinking with sinners and tax collectors. The aim of fasting is to humble our souls and express sorrow for sin, which is the dominant theme of fasting in the Old Testament.

Jesus, in his teachings, admonished his followers not to fast like the hypocritical Pharisees who only fasted for show and not for genuine contrition. He urged them to focus on the need for repentance from sin rather than external displays of mourning. Moreover, the Pharisees’ fasting was untimely because Jesus, the Bridegroom, was still physically with them.

Fasting is an exercise in humility and mourning, and it should be centered around our need for Christ. As Jesus is the fullness, his disciples cannot fast because they are already “full.” Therefore, when we fast, we should focus on our need for Christ and acknowledge our lack without him. By doing so, we humble ourselves before God and seek his guidance and grace.