Religion Vs. Spiritual Life
This Beautiful Mess
2/08/09
Key Scripture: Mark 2:18-22
Introduction: The Crisis
My own story: Three years ago, under the surface of my life, was a raging torrent of frustration, anger, sinful thoughts and desires. As a pastor, I didn’t know what to do with it all, as a pastor. I was tired of trying to figure out what I was supposed to do, of constraining and restraining. My story was of knowing Jesus and being raised in the church. I knew what I was supposed to do, to feel, and to act, but I was frustrated with it. So I asked Jesus to transform me. Jesus came to transform us, to make us real because He was real with us. My great experiment was: would what I believed and taught others be real for me? I hoped it was.
I. The Story- Mark 2:18-22
- The questioning of Jesus:
- Two groups of disciples: John’s disciples and the Pharisee’s disciples
- They question Jesus on the topic of fasting. “Why aren’t your disciples fasting, when we are?”
- John’s disciples were sincere in the questioning. They were grieving over His coming death.
- The Pharisees were not happy with Jesus’ disciples, and were mostly concerned with showing their piety.
- The response of Jesus:
- Jesus answered the two different groups, who had two different questions and motives.
- Jesus says, ‘I am the bridegroom, why should the friends of the bridegroom fast while I am here? It is time to celebrate.’
- Fasting is all about your circumstances. Do you see your circumstance clearly?
- Jesus says, a day is coming when they will fast. This is not the day.
- Jesus’ response is on two different levels. He goes from talking about fasting into something brand new. ‘I have come to bring something new.’ The kingdom of God is like new wine. There are two ways to deal with old and new.
- To John’s disciples; You can’t take a little of the new (Jesus- the kingdom of God is at hand) and add it to the old way (the law)
- You can’t keep the law and add a bit of grace and mercy.
II. The Big Picture- Old Testament Fasting
- Zechariah 7:4-10
- The Pharisees and disciples would have understood this, they were attached to the old way of thinking.
- The fast was supposed to be about the Lord. The feast was supposed to be about the Lord.
- The prophet was saying, “You’ve fasted for 70 years and still haven’t understood. You’ve missed the father’s heart.”
- Then the Lord says, “If it’s about me, then you can reach true judgment and show kindness and mercy.” It’s about loving God and loving people.
- Isaiah 58:3-8
- Fasting was supposed to get God’s attention and evoke a response, but it had become a self-righteous act. It was fasting but with wickedness; about your own pleasure, oppression of others, quarreling and fighting
- God says, “Fasting is about finding My heart, let me tell you where My heart is.”
- Jesus brings us into where God wants us to be, to pay attention to God and others. He changes our heart so that we can see others.
- Mark 2: 21-22- The new beginning- The coming of the Kingdom
Jesus goes from speaking about fasting into speaking about something brand new. ‘You can’t put new patches on old cloth. You can’t pour new wine into an old wineskin.’
- Don’t take the old (the old tradition, or the law) and fill it with the new kingdom. It won’t work. Ever try to keep the law and grace at the same time? It creates massive barriers; you’re no longer able to be real with yourself and with others.
- The old is the old mold of man-ordained fasting and obedience to keeping the law without God’s heart. Don’t try to take the old tradition and add it on to the new. The old is not thrown out. Jesus is about restoring the old, not destroying it.
- The new wine must come into new wineskins of gratitude, freedom, and spontaneous service to the glory of God.
- The new kingdom- Jesus is bringing healing to the sick, liberation to demon-possessed, freedom from care to the care-ridden, cleansing to the lepers, food for the hungry, restoration to the handicapped, and above all, salvation to those lost in sin.
III. The Old and the New Misunderstanding
- The Old Testament Messianic view: fast for a coming kingdom and Messiah.
- The New view- Jesus’ epoch-making coming is a new beginning. Jesus is one who fulfills the law and brings salvation through the cross. Jesus has brought the new kingdom of grace and peace. Jesus is the new!
- We like to compare this to how we do church. We make it a generational thing. ‘Whatever I have is new (truth), whatever they had is old (no good).’
- Jesus leaves us with a decision, a response:
- Where am I in this? How do I respond?
- Am I going to embrace the old (law) or the new (grace)?
- Has religious practice become the law for you?
- Are you trying to add a little grace to your tradition?
- We have to ask ourselves meaningful questions like “Why am I doing this?”
1.We want to bring others into the kingdom but we don’t know how to mix the old and the new. We can think, “Just give me a rule to deal with these people.”
2.We need to create a culture of dialogue for those who are not like us.
- Religion must use law to control people.
G. When Jesus shows up, He says, “I’m the kingdom. I’m it! I am your ability to follow Me, to know peace and joy.”
1. God is not here to give us a list of rules to follow.
2. Much of our spiritual life is sustained by rules, regulations, practices and rituals. These are like boundaries. We depend on them, but when something alters them our spiritual life seems threatened. These religious practices stop our spiritual journey, because we don’t need to trust a relationship with Jesus; we just adhere to what we know to do.
IV. Jesus exposes the difference between religion and spiritual life.
- Religion:
- Needs acceptance
- Follows the rules
- Relationships get broken
- Excludes others
- Says, “Come with your best”.
- Says, “Cover your brokenness.”
- Spiritual life:
- Draws acceptance and relationships
- Follows relation ship with Jesus
- Invites other people in
- Enables us to live real life
- Invites us to find healing in Jesus
- The result of keeping the law is that Jesus is not able to step into our brokenness. Spiritual life brings authentic life: faith, doubt, strength, victories, pain, joy, set-backs, love, trust, and surrender. Let go of the law, and be embraced by the Holy Spirit.
- The invitation is to join the bridegroom, and to be who you are in the kingdom.
Discussion Questions:
What was the true purpose of fasting? (See Zech. 7:5-10)
What is the main difference between living a religious life and living a spiritual life?
Why doesn’t it work to try to live both ways?
Why do so many Christians fall back into keeping the law rather than living in the freedom of grace? Where do you think you are in this?
