MOURNING AND HAPPINESS ALTERNATE FOR THE CHURCH

Dear Readers,

This chapter speaks of the first stage of Jesus’ public appearance, when great multitudes followed Him and He was still the center of all interest and conversation. Even the pharisees and the scribes could not prevent the drawing power of His Person: they also followed with the multitude. They were not yet public enemies as it would be later on, although they had already opposed Him: “And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes.” They were offended, especially when they saw that He called a man of the worse sort to be His disciple: Levi, the publican. The Lord Jesus and His disciples were glad by the saving of a sinner and sat at meat in the house of Levi with some of his friends, or rather, his former friends. This made it worse in the eyes of the pharisees: And when the pharisees saw it, they said unto His disciples, “Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?” The answer of the Lord Jesus was not encouraging for them, for He came only to heal the sick, and people that are whole need not a physician. This is true in daily life as well as in spiritual life. Immediately they had another grievance which was not directed against Jesus but against His disciples. This was remarkable, for when they had complaints about the Lord Jesus they went to the disciples, and when they had complaints about the disciples they came to the Lord Jesus. This was their serpent’s nature to sow discord, which is still used by Satan in our days. So we read: “Then came unto Him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not?” From the other gospels we know that not only the disciples of John came to the Lord, but also the disciples of the pharisees and the scribes. Probably the Jewish leaders had sought support from the disciples of John who were in difficult circumstances for their Master was in prison. The first part of the question is no problem; they fasted and that was right. The problem is the second part: why did the disciples of the Lord Jesus not fast? The pharisees started from the principle that we ought to fast, so that speaks for itself and therefore, it was difficult for them to understand the attitude of Jesus’ disciples. It was the different philosophy or outlook of Jesus’ disciples upon life which was hard for them to comprehend.

Why did the Jews fast, when it is no custom among us and there is no such commandment in the Bible?

To fast is a voluntary abstinence of food which is a symbolic act of religious life. Voluntary abstinence is caused by the sorrow of the heart which takes away the longing for food and it is an expression of the humbling of the soul. In this way fasting is a symbol of the deep humiliation of the sinner. But was this also the case of the pharisees? No, their religion was an external thing and so in fasting they had an excellent opportunity to be seen of men and they made the most of it.

According to the Scriptures, they had to fast one day a year, but they instituted fasting two days a week. Against this institution of man the Lord had already warned in Matthew 6:16 “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, Thy have their reward.” Such fasting had no value at all because the humiliation of the heart was missing, which was the main thing. The disciples of John also fasted and followed the example of their Master-Matt. 11:18a: “For John came neither eating nor drinking.” This abstinence from all kinds of wealth fit perfectly into the life of the preacher of penitence. He called for conversion, repentance, returning to the Lord with confession of sin. The Lord Jesus did not condemn this because it fit into his life; but now the Lord Jesus compares the time of John the Baptist, His forerunner, with his time. We have to remember that with the coming of Christ, the new dispensation began. John himself was well aware of this and he spoke of the kingdom of heaven that had drawn nigh and of a required true humiliation for the coming king. John’s preaching was blessed when a sinner lost his life, whereas the preaching of the Lord Jesus is blessed in saving life. It is dangerous to think that the conversion under John was different than under the Lord Himself. Be not mistaken, this was not true; actually, the preaching did not differ between the Lord and John; we must always become a poor sinner.

Listen how the Lord gave an answer to the pharisees concerning the attitude of his disciples and how He explained why they didn’t fast: “And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?” Everyone would answer, “Of course not, when there is a marriage feast then you are happy.” So the disciples therefore, being guests, were happy, for the Lord is the bridegroom. The Jews understood this symbolic language for the relation of the Lord to His people often was and still is compared with a marriage covenant. The time had now come that the Lord had fulfilled His promises and had come to His own. Could there not be a feast? The disciples of John should have known this, especially if they had listened to their master: “He that has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” The disciples rejoiced, especially now when another was called by the Lord. Now they could not mourn, although this would happen later on. The Lord said: as long as I am in their midst, there is reason for My disciples to be merry and thus not to mourn or fast. So the Lord Jesus rejected the fault finding of the pharisees, which was really enmity. For the disciples of John this was a well meant instruction. No doubt there are readers who think: were the disciples always feasting? No, initially it was totally different. They had also known a time of mourning when they were scourged with the strict preaching of the Law by John and in their soul confessed that they were condemnworthy. We must not forget that the true joy in the Lord is preceded by a time of mourning. Alas, many in our days praise the Lord and speak about Jesus, the Saviour of sinners, without knowing what to do with Him, for they have never seen or felt their sins. John the Baptist is missing in their life; there exists no knowledge of their misery out of the Law and so they are strangers of true conversion.

It is a time of mourning when sin is discovered and we begin to see that God is holy and righteous. Then sin becomes a heavy burden. Sin is a dishonoring of the Lord, which makes us worthy to be cast away forever if we are not cleansed in the blood of Christ. John pointed to Him: Behold the Lamb of God. Those penitential sermons were spoken that sinners would flee to Christ and the Lord Jesus, in turn, would allure them with the glad tidings of the Gospel. There is no greater joy for a people who, with Andrew, may say: “We have found the Messiah,” whom by interpretation is Christ. Would it not be the greatest joy for that people who, with a believing heart, may embrace the promise of the Father with the arms of faith and be in His immediate nearness; Would Matthew not have felt in his own house as a child of the bridechamber? He, such a wretched and despised publican, called out of the receipt of customs, could now have the Lord under his roof? So Jesus’ disciples were as guests of a marriage feast, rejoicing in the presence of the heavenly Bridegroom from whom arose all their expectations. This is the experience of every disciple of the Lord; they know the mourning time, the time in which they become a sinner before God, but the time of feasting comes when they may receive a little hope, especially when the Lord reveals Himself as the only way of salvation. Is this not unknown to us, my friends? No, we may not say that God’s people are always sad, for there are also moments that they may speak of the goodness of the Lord, especially when they may know something of that way of deliverance which is opened in Christ. The disciples did not know everything at once, but gradually, instructions shed more light upon their path.

It is remarkable to read what is written here about the disciples of John. They did not see the preciousness, the indispensability and the necessity of Christ. They followed John in fasting and praying, but they did not listen to him when he pointed to Christ: Behold the Lamb of God. John’s disciples were still found in the church; they were moved by their sins and that became their ground. The ground of salvation is in Christ, not in ourselves. Think of Luther who sought his rest in self chastisement, fasting and penitence. The people who remained followers of John, without coming to the school of Christ, ended in subjection to the pharisee’s spirit, as we find here. They despised the happy disciples of the Lord, which may also happen in the life of the church. Blessed is the man who does not only hear the voice of the Law, but also of the Gospel: Follow Me. Then the Gospel becomes a power of God to salvation, the spirit of bondage is pushed back, and the spirit of joy in God through Christ breaks through in the heart. To try to enslave this spirit of joy and make them mourning and fasting is foolish. For them those moments are as if the year of jubilee has come. This will not stay for ever, as it is the experience of the church of all ages. The Lord Jesus warned His disciples that the time of fasting will come again. “But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” We know that that time came quite soon. It would not be form as from the pharisees, but abstaining from food when the Bridegroom is taken away, would come from the heart. The rejoicing ended and they began to mourn when the Lord spake about His coming suffering and later, He was taken into custody, condemned, crucified and died on Golgotha. They were so sad that now fasting was self evident. Their spirit was so deeply hurt that faith and hope seemed to collapse although the Lord did not forsake them.

So God’s people experience that mourning and happiness alternately in spiritual life. It does not stay the festive season of the first love. So the spouse sat at the table with the king and rejoiced in his presence, but later on she went out in the streets to seek for Him. With Mary Magdalene it becomes: they have taken my Lord and I don’t know where they laid Him.

It is sad for the church that their own sins are the cause of darkness and the missing of the communion with Christ. Therefore they must say, “Lord, it is my own sin that brought a separation.” This mourning is different from the first mourning under John the Baptist. Then it was because of their sin and separation from the Lord. They had left the first love and missed the communion of the Lord. This sorrow was deeper. First, we sin against the Law, but later against the love. In those days it seemed as if the Bridegroom was no longer there. Job expressed this: “Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him.” This time, although not pleasant, is necessary for the church. They have to learn that Christ is a perfect Saviour, Who not only has merited salvation, but Who also applies it to their heart. It is the way whereby the Lord is glorified and the sinner is humbled. It is the question: are we children of the bride-chamber? Do we know something of this work of the Lord? The external form of religion is not sufficient: the chaff will be burned. We may yet ask for grace. From this word we can learn that a publican will sooner bow before the Lord than a pious pharisee; they are rich and increased with goods. We all need true repentance if it is to be well for eternity. This is the work of the Lord.

When they once asked Rev. Ledeboer what his name was, he answered: “Up and Down.” And this is the life of the church. Here we have to deal with many enemies who attack from all sides and furthermore, with a sinful and unbelieving heart, which makes it dark time and again.

It is the longing of the church that shadows may flee away and the light of the new day may be seen. At God’s time, which is always the best time, the Lord will wipe all tears from their eyes and give them a true rejoicing in Him.

Norwich

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen