The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 96

"Whilst be was with them, how could they be sad? how could they fast? how could they refrain from holy mirth and pious songs? There is no ground of joy so just, so sacred, a.s the friendship of Jesus. To have him with us a.lwa.y, to hear his voice, to be assured of his interest a.nd love,-tbis is the purest satisfaction a.nd the hicrhest glad- ness known to human hea.rts. "I have," says he to his own-" I have called y;u friends." "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy." Christ's defence, then, is, that a.t the time and in the circumstances a joyful spirit was natural and blameless in his companions and disciples. And this was evidently, at this period at all events, the case. To the reader of the Gospels (although M. Renan has, no doubt, exaggerated the facts), it is clear that, in their earlier "progresses" through Galilee, our Lord a.nd his followers led a cheerful, bright, and joyous existence. Time enough to mourn when their Lord, the Bridegroom, sho~d be taken aw~y from them. Then, at his a.pproaching departure, sorrow filled their hearts. Yet this was but for a. season; with his return at Pentecost, the joy of the Church returned. Il. A GENERAL AND ENDURING BEASON WHY THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS SHOULD NOT BE ASCETIC. True, Christ has gone ; so, if his personal pre11ence alone restrained the disciples from mourning, sadne,s and fasting would be appropriate in the Church of the Redeemer, as the customary habit and sentiment. But the case is otherwise; our Lord himself _has justified, in this passage, a. lastmg antagonism between his religion and practices of asceticism. Not that, under the Christian dispensation, fasting is unlawful; but that it should be rather exceptional and special than distinctive of the new life. The fact is, as Christ shows in these two parables, that there is a want of harmony between the old practices and the new faith, the old garment and the new cloth, the old skins and the new wine. 1. Christianity is a religion of the spirit rather than of the form. Our Lord teaches that it is better not to appear unto men to fast; it is better to humble ourselves in secret, because of our sins and the sins of our time, before our God. There is much danger of regarding fasting as in itself, because a mortification of the flesh, acceptable to God. This is a mistaken conception, as may be learned even from some passages of Old Testament Scripture. 2. Christianity is a religion of love rather than of fear. Those who are in dread of justice may seemingly be justified in their attitude of mind, when they so give way to sentiments of abject self-abasement that they cover themselves with sackcloth and ashes, and deprive themselves of necessary food. But those who are conscious that, through Christ, they are living in the enjoyment of the Divine favour, can scarcely be expected-at least, as an habitual exercise-to mourn and fast. They "rejoice evermore ; " the "joy of the Lord is their strength ; " his "statutes are their song in the house of their pilgrimage." For them, " perfect love casteth out fear." 3. Christianity is a religion rather of hopefulness than of gloom. It teaches us to look forward to the future with bright anticipation, ardently to desire the return of the Lord in triumph, and cheerfully to prepare for a gloriollB future. The Bridegroom will return and claim his own; how can the spiritual spouse do other than look forward, hopefully and joyfully, to the glad and festive day? Ill. The general principle underlying our Lord's reply is this: THE FORM OF RELIGION, WITHOUT THE REALITY AND SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE, IS ALTOGETHER VAIN. All religious observances have a tendency,-such is the weakness of human nature,-to harden into <lead formalities. At first they are good, for they are the expression of sincere feelin-g and conviction. But by-and-by the spiritual disappears, and the mere ceremony remains. And the unspiritual mistake the form for the substance, and come to flatter themselves that they are religiolll! and that it is well with them, when they are simply by ceremonial excuses justifying themselves for a heart and life profoundly irrelici.oua. Thus it was with multitudes of the Jews, in the time of our Saviour and of the apostles. What_ stress they laid upon circumcisi_on, upon sacrifi_ces, upon ceremonial purity, upon ti~hes, upon alms,_ 1:pon sabbath-keepmg, upon observmg s.a~red festivals, upon fasts appointed and trad1tional, upo~ the customs and supers~1t10_ns received from their fathers! And how, at the same time, they neglected the we1ghher matters of the Law! Hence our Lord's frequent upbraidings of the scribes and Pharisees. They deceived themselve's, they deluded others, they hindered the hearts- of men from receiving the gospel. When Christianity was established, it was threatened by the same disastrous tendency. First, the Judaizers endeavoured to overlay the Mpirituality of the gospel with Jewish rites and customs. And afterwa1us, when 1111, IL 1-28.] 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. 93