Fishers of Men
Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.” Luke 5:33 · Berean Standard Bible
They pressed further: 'John's disciples fast and pray all the time, and so do the Pharisees' followers. But your disciples just keep eating and drinking. What's going on?'
They couldn't understand why Jesus' followers weren't following the traditional religious rules. The joy around Jesus seemed wrong to them.
The critics compare Jesus' disciples unfavorably with other religious groups.
Sometimes people measure spirituality by how miserable you look. But Jesus brought joy, celebration, and a completely different way of relating to God.
The critics contrast the ascetic practices of John's disciples and the Pharisees (frequent fasting and prayers) with the perceived laxity of Jesus' disciples, who continue eating and drinking.
Fasting was a mark of piety in Second Temple Judaism, practiced by Pharisees twice weekly (Mondays and Thursdays). The absence of fasting among Jesus' disciples was seen as a deficiency.
Religious critics challenge Jesus about His disciples' lack of traditional fasting practices.
The question about fasting becomes a lens for examining Jesus' entire approach to religious practice. The critics assume that authentic piety must look like existing models of devotion.
31Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
33Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”
34Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?
35But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”
Read all of Luke 5 — Peter hauls in a miraculous catch, a leper is cleansed, and a paralyzed man is lowered through a roof. Jesus is rewriting the rules of who belongs.
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