“Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus 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.“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. Neither do people 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.”
– Matthew 9:14-17
“We’ve been doing this the same way for years. It’s our tradition!” We have all heard this being said within the four walls of the church. There are sacred cows in many churches today that no pastor, or perhaps Jesus himself, is allowed to touch, remove, or even change without causing a scene. In our passage today in Matthew, we see John’s disciples asking Jeuss, “Hey, why are your disciples not following the tradition of fasting?”
First, let me just say that this is a fair question. John’s Disciples are observing a difference in Jesus disciples. I love the phrase “Be curious, not judgmental”, because it reminds us that curiosity asks questions. It keeps the avenue of communication open to learn more, but once we become judgmental, we get stuck and set in a certain mindset without the willingness to learn something new or even change our perspective on a long-lasting tradition.
“Why are your disciples not fasting?” And Jesus says, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
What an answer! Jesus is teaching here that fasting isn’t something we’re doing because we’re religious, but because of a different situation. The groom is here! When the bride and bridegroom are together, there’s no need to fast. It’s when they’re apart and when the bride is longing for the bridegroom to return that the disciples of Jesus will fast.
I believe what Jesus would be teaching John’s disciples is that we fast not out of tradition but out of longing.
Another instance we could look into would be Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (ESV)
Was Paul teaching churches to hold fast to traditions? Let me just start with the word itself to get a definition in front of us. Tradition has two halves: tra-, “across” or along,” and -dition, the Latin word for “give.” The two halves together, then, would mean “to give across” or “to give along” from one generation to the next. So, we’re passing it along from one to the next. Paul uses a Greek word, of course, for “tradition,” which also has two parts: paradosis. Para, also like the Latin tra, meaning “across” or along,” and dosis, meaning “gift,” So we are passing along a gift. What’s the gift? It’s the gospel. It’s the truth or the teaching he says by spoken word or letter. What Paul is saying here is that we do this and that in a certain way, but the truth that I proclaim is the truth given by Jesus Christ, the same truth handed down to Peter and the apostles. There is no deviation from their teaching or mine.
So, how do we understand traditions? Traditions are ways for us to pass down the truth from one generation to the next. Does the truth change? No. But how we honor and celebrate the truth may change with culture and time. Our kids do things a little differently than we’ve done them. And why not? Their lives are drastically different than ours were 30 years ago. How people process differences and change, and the world around them, are evolving and changing faster than many of us can keep up. For someone like me who is now in my 40s, I’ve been curious about Gen Z’s approach to the throne of grace. I’m open to trying new things, avenues, and ways of teaching so that I have the opportunity to speak truth and life into the next generation. After all, when we are in the presence of Jesus, he offers us opportunities to break from our traditions through radical life changes. We just need to be curious.
Prayer
“I am available for radical living. Help me see any changes I need to make in order to fulfill Your call to love and serve others.”
*Prayer from the book, “Meditations in Matthew” by Dr. Stephen Manley