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FEASTING AND FASTING (MARK 2:13-20)

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is feasting and fasting. Feasting means to eat and drink sumptuously and joyously. Fasting on the other hand means to abstain from all or some kinds of food or drink, especially as a religious observance. We shall examine the fact that we are required to live a balanced life for there is time and season for every activity.

Beloved in the Lord, feasting and fasting are both important in our lives as believers, however, to live a balanced life, there is time and season for every activity. We are told that, “…John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”   ¹⁹ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. (Mark 2:18-19). In other words, Jesus said to them “Why fast when it is time to feast and celebrate His presence in the world and the salvation He has brought to many including those tagged as “ sinners and tax collectors in Mark 2:1). Dear friend in Christ, sinners are unworthy guests who have been welcomed by Jesus to become part of the Kingdom of God through grace, repentance, faith and regeneration. It is always a joy when sinners are saved by Jesus, It is for this reason that He said in the parable of the lost sheep that when the shepherd finds his lost sheep, ” …he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:6-7). Again, when the prodigal or lost son returned home to beg for forgiveness and restoration, ” … the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:22-24) Dear friend, we must sometimes express the joy of our salvation through feasts in appreciation of God’s goodness, love and faithfulness to nonentities like us. We usually feast in times of joyous celebrations. Feasting brings together family and friends to mark God’s goodness and faithfulness in their lives. We must feast in celebrating God’s goodness with family and friends during birthday parties, graduation and any major achievement or success chalked up in life. In fact, we can also feast with the poor or destitute by sharing God’s blessings upon our lives with them through acts of generosity. These are all part of celebrating our salvation in the Lord. Feasting is not about getting drunk and indulging ourselves in gluttony and orgies. Gluttony and drunkenness are characteristics of feasts observed by those who are still in the world but we must follow Paul’s example and admonishment to the Corinthian Christians when he wrote, “If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? ³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:30-31). Feasting must glorify God and not lead us back to sin. Let us be careful how we eat and drink during festive occasions or during feasts. We must reflect the image of Christ in everything we do including eating and drinking.

Beloved in the Lord, Ecclesiastes 3:1 teaches us that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:” In as much as there is time to feast, there is also time to fast. It is for this reason Jesus said “But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. (Mark 2:20). We cannot imagine, the disciples and followers of Jesus feasting when He was arrested, tortured and killed. That time would certainly be a challenging moments in their lives. It was a time that required prayer and fasting. When challenging times came, Jesus admonished the disciples to ““Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. (Matthew 26:41) Fasting does not go with feasting, fasting goes with prayer and studying the Word of God so that we can remain spiritually strong and physically focused in difficult or challenging moments. Fasting, prayer and studying the Word of God is our spiritual feast! We must fast to remain resilient in the fulfilment of God’s will even in times of agony or difficulty. When we spend time to fast and pray, we shall remain vigilant as we await Jesus Christ, the bridegroom, for Paul greatly admonishes us to “Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-20) The Christian calendar is planned in such a manner that we fast and then end our fast with a feast. We fast during Lent season and Easter and then feast on Easter Monday or picnic day to thank God for our salvation through the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Similarly, we fast during the Advent season and then feast on Christmas day to thank God for giving us the Saviour of the world. Feasting and fasting are important activities in our lives as believers and must be observed to the glory of God to deepen our relationship with Him.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme “Feasting and Fasting” We have discovered that we are required to live a balanced life, for there is time and season for every activity. Feasting and fasting are both important and have their significance in our lives. We must feast to celebrate our salvation and to glorify God and we must fast to keep focused on our salvation and also glorify God. Shalom.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, grant us the gift of discernment to feast and fast in moderation. May our feasting and fasting deepen our relationship with the Lord and may His name be glorified through our feasting and fasting. Amen.