Skipping Meals

When John the Baptist’s disciples approach Jesus with a question about fasting, there is palpable confusion. Both John’s apprentices and the Pharisees have good reasons for fasting. They want to show God how serious they are about their faith. Like Daniel in the Old Testament, who studied God’s Word and responded through prayer and fasting, these men fast because they want God to return to set up his kingdom (Daniel 9:3). So, when they see Jesus and his disciples celebrating and feasting, they are bewildered. “They must not be desperate for God’s kingdom to come,” they think. Yet, in that accusation, they miss who Jesus really is. The kingdom has come, and it is in him. He doesn’t fit their expectations. While committed to their faith, they miss the object of their devotion...