The good is always the enemy of the best.

Matthew 9:14-17

Fasting is not a subject discussed by my family or friends in the church or outside of the church family, in fact, most of those who share they are fasting are doing it for health reasons.  Jan and I were privileged to be part of a three day fast and prayer time led by the late Bill Bright in Houston, Texas.  It was a new experience for us and was so special because we both drew closer to the Lord.  But I must say it also was a skirmish with my mind and my flesh and the one that Jesus calls the thief in John 10:10.  This was the battle taking place in my mind; you are crazy for doing this, you will be hungry, you will get bad headaches, you know you will not finish, and then what will God think of you?  But to my surprise, none of that happened, we took juice with us and though time has passed I do not recall being hungry.  In fact, after three days without solid food, only juices, I was not interested in eating, until we ate and then it was like I wished we had waited longer to eat because the mind and the body were hungry for God, not for food.

In this account by Matthew, we have John the Baptist’ disciples asking Jesus a question on fasting: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”  I hope you pick-up Jesus answer to them was not, “how dare you ask me such questions.”  In fact, Jesus welcomes any and all who come to him with honest questions of the heart.  Never be afraid to ask the Lord a question, but please be open to hear His reply.  This was the reply to their question: “And Jesus said to them, “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. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

Gene Getz had this to say in the Life Essentials study Bible on page 1300 note #24; “The religious leaders in Jesus’ day had developed a legalistic system that violated Old Testament teachings.  Under the law, fasting was a voluntary act, but these men believed they had to fast twice a week to be in the will of God (Luke 18:12).  Furthermore, these lawmakers feigned sadness while they were fasting so others would know they were being religious (Matthew 6:1; 16).  Gene Getz goes on to share this information with us; “Jesus introduced a whole new way of worshiping God that could not be harmonized with these particular traditions.  To make the point, He used two illustrations:

·      Ceasing to maintain an “old garment” (9:16).

·      Eliminating “old wineskins” and creating “fresh wineskins” to hold the “new wine” (v.17).

The new wineskins represented Jesus’ message of authentic, internal worship that focused on God, not on ourselves.”

As people of faith we always must ask, am I seeking what is good or what is better?  Or better stated by Oswald Chambers; “As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and luxurious prospects will open up before you, and these things are yours by right; but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to wave your rights, and let God choose for you.”

The question that confronts me and must be addressed, who am I seeking?  I hope we recall Oswald Chambers words; “The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough.  The good is always the enemy of the best.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice