Jesus only asks people to do things He himself would be willing to do. Read Luke 14:27, And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. if you want to be a good disciple of Jesus Christ, you too must be willing to carry your cross no matter how.
We can be rejected by many, as long as we are loved by Jesus Christ because we want to be like Him. Be thankful. See 2nd Timothy 2:3–5, Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs–he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.
Perhaps you have heard some say that it is not spiritual to have doubts or anxieties. Many people follow this believes, so they try to hide their doubts or pretend they never have any, but Jesus encouraged His disciples to admit their doubts, admit them and seek answers. See Mark 4:37–41, A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, Teacher, don’t you care if we drown? He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, Quiet! Be still! Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? They were terrified and asked each other, Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him !
John the Baptist case, first himself. See Matthew 11:2–5, When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask Him, Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else ? Jesus replied, Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. And see also how John disciples bring their doubts to Jesus. See Matthew 9:14–17, Then John’s disciples came and asked him, How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? Jesus answered, How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is still with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. No one sews a patch unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men 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.
Jesus answered the doubts of John’s disciples about fasting by giving them two simple illustrations. New wine in the old wineskins and a new patch of cloth on an old garment, means that wineskins are containers made from the skins of goats or sheep which are used to store fresh wine. New wineskins expand with the new wine as it ferments, but old wineskins become rigid and burst if they are used for storing new wine.
In the same way, a new piece of cloth sewn on to an old garment will tear out since the cloth in the old garment is much weaker.
Here John’s disciples were comparing the eating and drinking of Jesus’ disciples to the way in which John the Baptist had taught them to fast. Notice that Jesus didn’t deny the importance of fasting. He only said that fasting should not be done simply as a custom or as a dry, meaningless ritual.
Fasting should be practiced in times of deep spiritual importance.
So then, there is both a time for feasting and a time for fasting. But the time for fasting should not be fixed and unchanging or done for the purpose of impressing others with our spirituality as certain. See Matthew 6:16-18, When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil in your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
We can be rejected by many, as long as we are loved by Jesus Christ because we want to be like Him. Be thankful. See 2nd Timothy 2:3–5, Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs–he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.
Perhaps you have heard some say that it is not spiritual to have doubts or anxieties. Many people follow this believes, so they try to hide their doubts or pretend they never have any, but Jesus encouraged His disciples to admit their doubts, admit them and seek answers. See Mark 4:37–41, A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, Teacher, don’t you care if we drown? He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, Quiet! Be still! Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? They were terrified and asked each other, Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him !
John the Baptist case, first himself. See Matthew 11:2–5, When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask Him, Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else ? Jesus replied, Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. And see also how John disciples bring their doubts to Jesus. See Matthew 9:14–17, Then John’s disciples came and asked him, How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? Jesus answered, How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is still with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. No one sews a patch unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men 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.
Jesus answered the doubts of John’s disciples about fasting by giving them two simple illustrations. New wine in the old wineskins and a new patch of cloth on an old garment, means that wineskins are containers made from the skins of goats or sheep which are used to store fresh wine. New wineskins expand with the new wine as it ferments, but old wineskins become rigid and burst if they are used for storing new wine.
In the same way, a new piece of cloth sewn on to an old garment will tear out since the cloth in the old garment is much weaker.
Here John’s disciples were comparing the eating and drinking of Jesus’ disciples to the way in which John the Baptist had taught them to fast. Notice that Jesus didn’t deny the importance of fasting. He only said that fasting should not be done simply as a custom or as a dry, meaningless ritual.
Fasting should be practiced in times of deep spiritual importance.
So then, there is both a time for feasting and a time for fasting. But the time for fasting should not be fixed and unchanging or done for the purpose of impressing others with our spirituality as certain. See Matthew 6:16-18, When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil in your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.