Easy On The Rules

8-26-2009

Growing up I thought of church as a long list of rules I wasn’t supposed to break. I can honestly say the message of salvation wasn’t exactly the lasting message though it should have been. I recall the 10 COMMANDMENT and other “laws or rules” that needed to be followed to “show” I was a Christian. Matthew 9:14-17 touches on this topic, and the topic of fasting lends us to the teachings of Christ.

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

14Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
15Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
16"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

What we read here is the confusion between following LAW versus following Christ. To fast is to show your acknowledgment that you sin and that Christ is coming to redeem you. Jesus’ followers were with him, so their need to fast was irrelevant. The key point we should get out of these passages centers on the fact that many focus too much on the rules and not enough on the love of Christ. We are called to love others, not judge others. Leave the judging up to God. Let’s stay focused on the positives and speak the good news to all whom will listen.

Application:
1. Read Matthew 9:14-17
2. Love, don’t judge