“And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?”
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, how is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but yours do not? — the fasting question introduces the third controversy of the chapter. The juxtaposition of John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples is interesting: they are not natural allies, but both practice fasting while Jesus' disciples do not. Jewish fasting was both a community practice (on fixed days) and a private devotional act. The question is not an accusation of immorality but a question of religious practice: why does Jesus' movement not conform to the piety practices that characterize other serious Jewish communities?
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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