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Matthew: From Tax Collector to Apostle
167
When He would come out from the tomb, their sorrow would turn
to joy. After His ascension, He would still be with them through the
Comforter, and they were not to spend their time mourning. Satan
wanted them to give the impression that they had been deceived
and disappointed. But by faith they were to look to the sanctuary
above where Jesus was ministering for them. They were to open
their hearts to the Holy Spirit and rejoice in the light of His presence.
Yet days of trial would come. When Christ was not personally with
them and they failed to recognize the Comforter, then it would be
more fitting for them to fast.
The Scripture describes the fast that God has chosen—“To loose
the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the
oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke”; to “extend your
soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul.”
Isaiah 58:6, 10
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This describes the character of the work of Christ. Whether fasting
in the wilderness or eating with publicans, He was giving His life to
redeem the lost. We find the true spirit of devotion in the surrender
of self in willing service to God and humanity.
Continuing His answer to John’s disciples, Jesus spoke a parable:
“No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the
patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.” An
attempt to blend the tradition and superstition of the Pharisees with
the devotion of John would only make the gap between them more
evident.
Nor could the principles of Christ’s teaching unite with the forms
of the Pharisees. Christ was to make the separation between the old
and the new more distinct. “Nor do people put new wine into old
wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the
wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins,
and both are preserved.” After a time, the skin bottles used as vessels
for new wine became dry and brittle, and they were then worthless
to serve the same purpose again. The Jewish leaders were set firmly
in a rut of ceremonies and traditions. Their hearts had become like
dried-up wineskins. Since they were satisfied with a legal religion,
it was impossible for them to become the trusted holders of living
truth. They did not want to have a new element brought into their
religion. The faith that works by love and purifies the soul could
find no common ground with the religion of the Pharisees, made