JESUS IS THE LORD

Passage: Mark 2:18-28

Key verse: 28

NIV

Jesus Questioned About Fasting(A)

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.(B) 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. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them,(C) and on that day they will fast.

21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(D)(E)

23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.(F) 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”(G)

25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest,(H) he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.(I) And he also gave some to his companions.”(J)

27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man,(K) not man for the Sabbath.(L) 28 So the Son of Man(M) is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

A Question About Fasting

18 Now (A)John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, (B)“Why do John's disciples and (C)the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, (D)“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 (E)The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and (F)then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old (G)wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”[a]

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

23 (H)One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples (I)began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, (J)why are they doing (K)what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, (L)“Have you never read (M)what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of[b] (N)Abiathar the high priest, and ate (O)the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, (P)“The Sabbath was made for man, (Q)not man for the Sabbath. 28 So (R)the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

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Footnotes
  1. Mark 2:22 Some manuscripts omit But new wine is for fresh wineskins
  2. Mark 2:26 Or in the passage about
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Some people questioned Jesus about his disciples. They were not fasting like John's disciples and the Pharisees. Those people considered fasting as a measure of righteousness. However, Jesus taught them that this was a time of celebration to have the bridegroom with them. Jesus is the bridegroom. When we accept him as our Lord and the Messiah, we rejoice in him as one attends a wedding dressed in a new garment, enjoying the taste of wonderful new wine.

Pharisees again questioned Jesus about his disciples picking heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was set apart as holy, and the religious leaders firmly kept and enforced regulations that were developed by tradition. Jesus referred to David's example from 1 Samuel 21 to defend his disciples. And he stated the clear order established by God. God made the Sabbath for man to remember the Lord who created the world and rested on the seventh day (27; Ex 2

:11). Jesus is the Lord, even of the Sabbath. So, we need to recognize Jesus' Lordship and dedicate the day to worship and honor him.

Prayer: Father, you are the Lord of my life every day. I rejoice in your grace of forgiveness. Thank you for comforting my heart by reminding me of who you are as I come to you.

One Word: Jesus is the Lord and bridegroom