Sermon Tone Analysis

*Luke 5:33-39*

 

v    *RQ: How quick are you to accept change?*

v    *RQ: How do you react when something is done differently than before?*

Ø     Today we tried something different

§        We prayed with our eyes open

v    *How did you react?*

v    *What were some of the comments that went through your mind?*

Ø     Perhaps some of you thought…

§        This is interesting

·        Or perhaps a few of you thought…

§        I like this

Ø     But if I had to guess, I would say that the majority of you probably thought…

§        Why are we doing this!?

·        This is weird

§        Why are we changing from how we normally do things!?

§        I don’t like this

·        We have always closed our eyes before

·        Why are we varying from our tradition

v    For that is all it is…TRADITION

Ø     Scripture does not tell us to close our eyes and bow our heads

§        Scripture tells us how to pray

·        “Our Father, who art in heaven…”

§        And it gives us examples of postures to pray in…

·        Kneeling, Prostrate, heads raised toward heaven, faces in the dirt

Ø     But it never tells us “bow our heads and close our eyes”

§        It has simply arisen in churches over years and years

·        A tradition

v    And that is exactly what we have in our text today

Ø     A question by the Pharisees concerning a tradition that had arisen in Judaism

* *

*READ V. 33*

* *

*The Pharisees Question on Fasting*

v    Here the Pharisees question Jesus regarding fasting

v    Fasting was something that was certainly commanded in the Mosaic Law

Ø     But only once a year

§        *Lev 16:29, 31* ~~ The Day of Atonement

Ø     There are other examples of fasting in the old testament

§        Mourning (*Esther 4:1-3*) ~~ Mordecai learns of Haman’s genocidal plot

§        Repentance (*Joel 1:13-14*) ~~ Israel to repent

Ø     Fasting is simply an external display of an internal reality

§        But as with so many other things

·        Fasting lost its internal reality with many Jews

¨     And came to be just an external show

 

v    That is what the Pharisees had turned it into

Ø     A display of holiness

§        They would fast twice a week (Monday & Thursday)

·        E.g.

*Luke 18:12* ~~ Parable of the Pharisees and the Tax collector

¨     /Fast 2x per week and give 10%/

Ø     For them it was an external display of Holiness

§        We have accounts that they would dress in torn cloths and rub ashes on their faces to make themselves look gaunt

·        Implicit in this type of fasting was the thought…

¨     You could not be holy unless you were uncomfortable

¨     Pictured religion and holiness as joyless, gloomy, solemn

 

v    To a certain extent, this still exists today

v    *Q: How do we approach our Christianity?*

Ø     Do we approach Christianity as a religion of “do’s” and “don’t’s”

§        Consisting of refraining from the things you wanted to do

·        And doing things you did not want to do

Ø     Is church a solemn place or a place of joy?

§        *1 Peter 1:8*

·        Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls

¨     We are filled with Joy…

Ø     At least we should be

v    G.K Chesterton

Ø     “It is really a natural trend to lapse into taking oneself gravely because it is the easiest thing to do…for solemnity flows out of men naturally, but laughter is a leap.

It is easy to be heavy, hard to be light.”

§        So true!

·        Church should be a place where we are full of *the joy of our salvation* (Psalm 51:12)

Ø     M.

Luther:

§        “A Christian should and must be a joyful person, if he isn’t the devil is tempting him.”

v    Too often we fall into the temptation of approaching church and our Christianity with heaviness

 

v    And that is what the Pharisees did

Ø     They believed that to be spiritual you had to be sullen

 

*Jesus’ Answer on Fasting*

v    And Jesus responded to this…

Ø     By first of all addressing the question about fasting

Ø     And then getting to the deeper issue

 

*Look at verse READ V. 34 with me…*

* *

v    He responds by asking them to look at who he is…

Ø     The long awaited Messiah

 

v    And he uses a well know metaphor to help them understand…

Ø     A wedding

§        If you have ever been to a wedding you know that it is not a time for anything else but joy and happiness

§        And this is expressed in many ways at a wedding

·        But always in eating!

v    The Reception

Ø     It is there that the couple is first introduced formally to society

Ø     It is there that the couple then goes around and mingles with the guests

Ø     It is there that the couple remains for a time

Ø     Spends time with their guests

§        No more pictures

§        No more distractions

§        No more preparation

·        Just pure unadulterated celebration and joy!

 

Ø     And that is what Jesus is saying to the Pharisees here

§        Jesus is finally Emmanuel ~~ God with us

·        There is no more preparation

·        There are no more distractions

§        His presence is here