In this podcast episode, I uncover Jesus’ surprising message on fasting. This will blow your mind! In this episode of 5 min Fridays with Life coach Myrna Young, author and self-development coach, I share Jesus’ surprising message on fasting. This message will change the way you think about fasting, and may even inspire you to take start enjoying life.
Download the podcast here:
What Jesus said about Fasting
My foundational scripture for this message today is Mark 2:19: When asked why he or his disciples did not fast like John the Baptist and the Pharisees Jesus replied:
Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
The other two parables, which are similar, make the same point. The first one says you don’t put a new patch on an old garment, and the second says you don’t put new wine into an old wineskin.
In the first parable, if you put a new patch on an old garment, when the new patch shrinks due to washing, it will tear away from the older garment, making the tear worse. Similarly, new wine needs a new wineskin because as the new wine expands during the fermentation process, it stretches the wineskin. An old wineskin will burst under the pressure of new wine.
Is Intermitting fasting the same as fasting?
I have been talking a lot on the podcast about, intermittent fasting, but Jesus is talking about fasting by denying yourself food for longer periods of time. Jesus is saying that fasting and mourning go together.
Intermittent fasting, is not traditional fasting. Jesus is saying that when you are celebrating, when all is well, when your groom is with you, when your marriage is doing great, there is no need to fast in fact that is the time to eat because we eat at weddings we eat, drink and be merry.
He is also saying the day will come when (notice the language) he did not say if he said when the groom will be taken away and that is the time for mourning and fasting.
What are you feasting on when things are good?
Today I want to change the word fasting out and replace it with feasting. What are you feasting on while your groom is with you, when all is well with your soul? How many people do not live life and have fun when everything is going well in life.
You are in a loving relationship, your groom is still with you, your children are with you, your health is with you, yet you deny yourself the pleasures of life. You work and go home, then one day you will no longer have your groom, you will no longer have your family, you will no longer have your health and that is the time for fasting and mourning; not when you should be celebrating life, when you should be feasting on the fruits of life.
Here are a few Pleasures of life you should be feasting on
1. That first sip of coffee in the morning.
2. Taking a bath.
3. Hearing the right song at the right moment.
4. The sunset.
5. A peaceful place to sit.
6. The smell of an aromatic candle.
7. Clothes fresh out of the dryer.
8. A Hot Fudge Sundae (or equally decadent dessert of your choice).
9. Receiving an unexpected compliment.
10. A hot shower after a long day.
11. Receiving a letter – yes, a handwritten letter – that’s not a bill.
12. Sleeping in.
13. Driving with your windows down.
14. Dining by candlelight.
15. The smell of freshly cut grass.
16. Dancing.
17. Freshly baked cookies.
18. Climbing into a bed with fresh sheets.
19. That feeling after finishing a tough workout.
20. Flowers beginning to bloom on a spring day.
21. The pitter-patter of rain.
22. Enjoying a home-cooked meal with your family.
23. Reading a book that resonates with you.
24. A cool breeze on a hot day.
25. Having a good laugh.
You can’t put new wine in old wineskin
Jesus also responded that we don’t put new wine in old skins because when the new wine ferments it will burst the old skin.
He is also telling us that we need to change our ways change our mindset, renew your mind.
If you try to put new information in an old mindset you are going to have a problem. So, take a look at your fruit. If you don’t have the fruit that you want, then you need to start changing your wineskin, your mindset.
That new mindset could be I am going to live until I die. I am going to start feasting on the abundance this life has to offer, because the day is going come to an end, then I will experience loss and mourning and thus the need for fasting, but not today.
Thanks for tuning into this weeks episode of 5 min Fridays with coach Myrna
Additional resources