Day 7 (2/24)
Day 7
Scripture Reading: Matthew 9:14-17
Written by Sophia Grocholski (age 15)
14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Why mourn when the bridegroom has come? Fasting was done as a sign of mourning for sin and in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus’ disciples didn’t need to fast because they were filled with joy that the Messiah, Jesus, was already with them. While we too wait for the coming of our Savior again, the world can seem very daunting and create a feeling of mourning within us, but instead of letting those feelings overwhelm us, we should instead be filled with joy and motivation to do the work of the kingdom.
We are called to do the work of the Lord with joyful hearts. Instead of being caught up with the stress of our day-to-day lives we can turn our attention to the amazing work of spreading Jesus’s love and compassion to all people. Jesus brought new ideas that he, the Son of God had come to bring forgiveness and reconciliation to all people and this is what the world still needs to hear today.
How can we share the joy of Christ today during stressful times?