Luke 5:33-39

Luke tells us that the Pharisees are the ones that ask about fasting. Matthew 9 says it is the disciples of John asking the question. One is telling the details of the story and the other tells the root of the story. The disciples that John the Baptist retained are getting frustrated with Jesus and His disciples. The Pharisees likely were egging them on and making them ask questions about Jesus and His disciples liberty when John the Baptist and his disciples are suffering. The question was posed by JB’s disciples at the prompting of the Pharisees. 

The Torah only requires one day a year of fasting (Yom Kippur) and all other holidays are feasting. The Pharisees kept adding more and more days to add righteousness. 

Someone finding out that you are fasting doesn’t nullify its value, but we also don’t use it to draw attention to ourselves. 

“The legalist legislates where the God leaves people free. They take ‘you may’ and turn it into ‘you must.’ -RC Sproul

The Pharisees can’t stand that the disciples are enjoying themselves and they can’t stand it. In their eyes that isn’t spiritual. They can’t stand that they are making following God so accessible and enjoyable. It should be hard and not attainable except for the most disciplined and pious according to them. 

The Pharisees are miserable like the ex at the wedding watching the new guy marry the bride. 

The kingdom that Jesus is ushering in cannot mix with the old way of Judaism. It can’t be mixed in. It is its own thing. Jesus isn’t calling the Torah bad or wrong. It served its purpose. He is upset at the contortion of the Pharisees. 

“Novelty is deeply threatening, especially when people have built their lives around the old way.” -NT Wright