Mark 2:18-22

Imagine living in a world where your best efforts were never quite enough. Never sufficient. Imagine being locked in a world of fear and worry, not knowing what was going to happen to your soul after you die. Imagine just hoping that the culmination of your life’s work was enough to make God happy with you.

If you study world religions, they are all different. Some are similar and some are radically different than others. But when you cut through all the minutia of beliefs, ultimately you end up at the same destination. In all other religious systems aside from Biblical Christianity (and I say biblical Christianity, not all “Christianity” is actually Christian), man has to do something to earn salvation and find favor in that system’s concept of God.

And we will see today that during Jesus’ time on earth; the Pharisees had turned Judaism into that as well. They had corrupted the teachings of the Old Testament. And because of that, their teaching was absolutely incompatible with the teachings of Jesus.

Now, this is the beauty of the gospel. It’s not what we have done or can do; it’s all about what Jesus did. It is about Jesus, the Son of God, coming to the earth and dying as a substitutionary atonement to satisfy the holy wrath of God against sinners who simply repent and believe in Jesus.

And in our study of Mark today, we are going to see the truth that Jesus didn’t come to refine a certain religious system in order to make it better. He came to do what no religious system of works and ritualism can do. He came to breathe life into those who were spiritually dead in their sin.

Now, two weeks ago in our study of Mark, we saw Jesus call someone to be His disciple that shocked everyone. He called Levi, aka Matthew, who was a tax collector to be one of His primary disciples. Tax collectors were hated. They were thieves. He was the last one that anyone thought Jesus would call as His disciple.

Jesus rocked the religious and cultural boat by calling Levi to follow Him. And the religious leaders questioned Him about it! Because after Jesus called Levi, Levi threw a party at his house in honor of Jesus. And Levi invited his friends. Other tax collectors and sinners or outcasts of society.

And as Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners, the religious leaders questioned Jesus’ disciples. Why does He eat with people like that! The pride in their question is obvious. We, religious leaders, would never eat with people like that! And Jesus’ response to them was this, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Now, after that, we come into verses 18-22. Read them.

Now, these are very important verses. Much more than we might think at a quick glance. Because Jesus was revealing something that hits at the very heart of the gospel. Jesus was about to make it obvious that what He came to teach was not at all what the Pharisees were teaching. The Pharisees taught a religion of self-righteousness; while Jesus taught a gospel of grace. The Pharisees taught a system of you have to do it, while Jesus taught a system of you can’t do it, but I can do it for you.

And right after calling a tax collector and eating a meal with tax collectors and outcasts, Jesus was about to make it clear that He came to radically disrupt the false teaching that was prevalent in His day.

1.Jesus changes everything! (v.18-20)

Verse 18: First, fasting is usually referred to as meaning the temporary abstinence of eating food. There was actually only one required fast in the OT and it was to be done on the Day of Atonement. Lev 16 tells us that. Now, there are quite a few times in the OT where people chose to fast for various reasons. But only one that was required. However, the Pharisees of Jesus’ day fasted every Monday and Thursday. Remember Luke 18:11-12: The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

Now, we also know that the Pharisees would not only fast twice a week, but they would often pray long, eloquent sounding prayers in public, they would publicly give to the poor….and they would do all of this in order to be seen and applauded by others. It was for their pride, not because they loved God or people. Jesus often rebuked them for these things, for example in Matthew 6. In Matt 6:1 Jesus said: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

And then He talked about fasting and giving to the poor and praying in public (don’t pray in public to be applauded by others because of your great prayer).

And here in Mark 2, we find that some of the disciples of John the Baptist and those who followed the Pharisees fasted often. And yet Jesus and His disciples didn’t fast as often.

Quick note: Some of the John the Baptist’s disciples had not yet begun to follow Jesus. Many had but some had not yet. Now, that was JTB’s desire, but some had not yet begun to follow Jesus.

Now, in verse 16 the religious leaders asked, why does Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners. Here the question is why do Jesus’ followers not fast. And in both questions, we clearly find both accusations as well as pride.

The religious leaders were implying that we don’t eat with people like that. Because of the outward appearance of holiness that the Pharisees tried to maintain, they would never associate with sinners like that. And the religious leaders and those who didn’t break away from JTB to follow Jesus, said we fast often and Your followers don’t. Implied in that, here is another thing you have wrong, Jesus. You associate with the wrong people and you don’t do the right things that we do.

Well, Jesus explained why they didn’t fast in verse 19.

Verse 19: At that time in history and in that culture, engagements to be married would often last for a long time, sometimes even years. So, when it came time for the wedding it was a huge point of celebration. It was a time of feasting and jubilation. There was actually a ruling by the Rabbis that during a wedding no one could fast. Fasting was forbidden during a wedding because it was to be a celebratory time. So, the analogy that Jesus used was perfect! They understood culturally exactly what Jesus was saying.

However, with us reading this long after and with us having the whole bible to be able to view this through, we understand that this was more than a simple analogy. This was a Messianic analogy of Jesus as the Bridegroom. Jesus, at this time, was with His people, His church, His bride, in the flesh. And because of that, celebration was in order. Jesus, the bridegroom, was with His people. That was cause for celebration, not for fasting or mourning. But a time was coming when He would not be with His people in the flesh.

Verse 20: This was a clear and obvious reference to the death of Jesus, the cross of Jesus. Jesus knew His mission. But His time to fulfill that mission was not yet completed. So, for now, there was celebration. There would be a time for mourning and fasting but it wasn’t yet there.

Now, in verses 21-22 Jesus shifts into a set of analogies to further make His point. And, once again, He used analogies that everyone in that day would have understood.

2.The incompatibility of the gospel and false religion (v.21-22)

Verse 21: To repair a piece of clothing that was torn, a patch was sewn on. But if it was an unshrunk piece sewn onto a shrunk piece of clothing, what would happen? The first time it was washed, the garment would tear even worse.

Verse 22: New wine would be put in new, flexible wineskins. If new wine were put in old, brittle wineskins, as the wine fermented the old skin wouldn’t have room to expand and it would burst. Both of those analogies were common knowledge in that day. Jesus was drawing on an everyday experience to make His point.

What was Jesus saying? Jesus was simply stating that the old, legalistic traditions of the religious leaders and His way were incompatible! Jesus was saying that He was inaugurating something new and it didn’t fit the Pharisees system even in the slightest. Now, that doesn’t mean that the OT was wrong or incorrect or unimportant. No, it just means that the application of the OT by the Pharisees was wrong. Here is a great warning: Even though they had the revelation of God in the OT scriptures, they had built a false system out of them.

We see that today as well, don’t we. So many groups that have the bible and use the bible as their text, and yet they twist the interpretation to where even though it might sound right, it’s actually completely wrong. The Pharisees did this. They taught a works-based system of religious effort.

Yet, what did the OT teach? Did it teach that a man was saved by good works? Absolutely not!

People often question how were people saved in the OT? Same as the NT and now. By faith in God. Romans 4:3: For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Gen 15:6)

The OT saints were saved by faith in God’s promises, which we now know were ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

Ezekiel 36:26: Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

--A new heart. Not a revitalized heart. Not a rehabilitated heart. A new heart. II Cor 5 if anyone is in Christ He is a NEW creation!

Jesus wasn’t going to fit into their system of legalism and self-righteousness to rehabilitate people. No, by His death, burial, and resurrection He was going to raise His people to new life! Not by their own works of righteousness, but by His good work!

John 11: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,

Romans 8:11: But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^[e]through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Jesus didn’t come to patch up the old religious garment, so to speak. He came to do something completely new!

The form of Judaism that rejected Christ and that continues to reject Christ today is not compatible with biblical Christianity.

And here is why. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and establish a totally new covenant. And to try to fit the new way of Jesus into the corrupt way of the Pharisees was an impossibility. Because somewhere along the line for the religious leaders it turned into, keep the laws of God as best as you can, do as much good as you can, live a better life than your neighbor. When the greatest commandment was always this, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” And out of that love for God, we joyfully obey Him. Not to earn salvation, but because we have salvation!

You see, religion says, try harder, do better, be better. Jesus says you must be born again.

Religion says behavior modification is of utmost importance. While Jesus came to transform people, not from the outside in, but from the inside out.

Religion patches external actions. Jesus gives new life and purpose in life.

Christianity isn’t an updated, refined version or an extension of the Pharisees Judaism. Paul wrote about these things a lot! Go read Galatians for example. Paul wrote that those who surrender to Jesus need not follow Jewish rituals. He argued that the Law was simply a temporary guardian until Christ came, and that ”a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ”.

So, what was Jesus stating in His analogies here in Mark 2:21-22? The absolute exclusivity of the gospel. You can’t mix the gospel with other religious systems and still have the gospel.

The equation Jesus + something else = salvation is a heretical equation. The message that Jesus and the apostles taught is the only message that can save. Eph 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and ^[h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

But this false gospel of Jesus + other things for salvation is more prevalent than you might think.

There are so many who believe that it is Jesus + baptism that save a person. Jesus + good works that save. Jesus + church membership or participation. And while baptism is important, while church membership and participation are important, while good works do matter…..none of those things are needed alongside Jesus to save a soul.

Another thing that is becoming more common even in some big denominations today is a touch of universalism.

Chuck Aurand’s article in the Beacon.

Listen, those things are irreconcilable with the gospel. It isn’t Jesus + anything. It is in Christ alone that we are saved.

3.The problem with self-righteous religion

The religious leaders were very disciplined in their lifestyle and morality.

The religious leaders were very disciplined in their knowledge of the scriptures.

The religious leaders were very disciplined in their ritualism.

And yet, they missed the point completely.

Do you know what is often the greatest nemesis of the gospel? We often think that perhaps the greatest enemy of the gospel is things like a rogue, godless government. Or a secular society that embraces all sorts of lewd behavior and beliefs. We might think it is moral agendas that are shoved in our faces. But perhaps the greatest nemesis of the gospel….the greatest strategy of the devil is this. Self-righteousness.

It is tricky. It is a sly strategy of our enemy. Self-righteousness feels right. It caters to our desire to play a part in salvation.

Self-righteousness is idolatry, ultimately.

On a mission trip to India years ago I saw, in the shadow of starving people, food was left to rot at the base of a statue of a false, dead god!

Listen, please hear me. There is not one ounce of difference between bowing to a statue of a false god hoping for grace….and in a person trusting in their own self-righteousness. We have just as much hope of being able to save ourselves as a statue to a false god does.

There is no difference. In both cases it is idolatry.

The good news of the gospel is not that God makes bad people better. The good news is that God makes a dead person alive! The good news is that God takes wicked people and gives them His own righteousness! Not based on their good works, but based on the good work of Jesus.

There are ultimately two kinds of religions in the world. The religion of human achievement, which is never enough and can never save. And then there is the gospel of divine completion. Jesus completed the task that we can’t complete. He finished what we could never even start. And thereby inaugurated a new covenant of grace, offered to those who can’t save themselves.

So, rest in that grace. By faith receive that grace. Maybe you have spent your life trying to clean up to come to God. Maybe you have tried so hard to do more good things than sinful things and living under the burden of hoping that will be enough. It’s not. And that’s ok. Christ did for us what we can’t do. We simply have to receive that in faith.

So, let’s take a minute to thank God for sending His Son to seek and to save the lost. To inaugurate a new covenant of grace. To do what we can’t do.

1.What are you trusting in today? Your own efforts? Religious rituals? Have you confessed with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead?

2.If you know the Lord, have you given thanks to God lately for saving you? Remember that time before you knew the Lord and thank Him for His grace.

3.Just take a moment now to ask God to work in your life as you submit yourself to Him.