Today’s passage: Mark 2:18-22
Helpful thoughts:
- Jesus is the “bridegroom.”
- In the Old Testament, the Lord is the bridegroom (Hosea 2:19-20). Jesus is again proclaiming His deity.
- Later in the New Testament, we see the church called His “bride.” (Ephesians 5:25-33)
- Jesus did not come to patch up a whole on the Old Covenant. He brought with Him the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
- There was no need to fast as a way to draw near to God when God was right there with them.
- When fasting becomes a ritual and way to impress people (Matthew 6:16-18), the original purpose gets lost.
Questions to consider:
- If Israel is the Lord’s bride, and if the Church is the Lord’s bride, then what does that add to the conversation concerning the correlation between Israel and the church? In what facet is there distinction between the two? In what way are we together? (Galatians 3:29, 1 Peter 2:9)
- How does this passage and Matthew 6:16-18 help us to understand better what fasting is and isn’t? What would be a wrong motivation to fast and pray? What would be some good reasons?
- Why did we need more than just a “patching up?” What was man to learn about ourselves through the Law? What did Christ come to do for us? (Galatians 3:23-26)