Are you different?

Matthew 9:14-15 

John’s disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’

Food for thought!

John's disciple came to Jesus after they had observed his disciples behaving differently; they wanted to know why their behaviour was not like theirs. Their behaviour had changed; THEY WERE DIFFERENT. ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ They wanted to know.

Jesus' disciples were different because they had taken a stand. After knowing Jesus, they just could not be like they didn't know him. They were different because of Jesus. No one can take Jesus serious and be the same; something in us has to change because of Jesus; there has to be something we are or we do because of Jesus. If people don't see any difference in us, if we are like anybody else, then we are not yet Christians.

So the question is, what is it that you do different? Are you like anybody else? What do you do just because of Jesus? Do you dare to be different, or you follow everybody else? Can you say like Paul said: "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Phil 3:8).

What Paul is saying is that, after knowing Jesus, he is different; he now counts everything as loss because of and after knowing Jesus. And this is what the disciples of Jesus did: because of Jesus they were no longer observing some traditions, so much so that onlookers came to Jesus for an answer: ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’

I like the fact that Jesus replied; he explained his disciples' behaviour: ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’ Some times we do well to let Jesus do the explanation for us and about us. Like the disciples did, we sometimes do well to stay silent and let Jesus do the explanation.  There are many whys about us and our behaviours that we just can't explain. The only one who can answer for us is the Lord. To him be glory and honour and praise both now and for ever.