Disciples of Jesus - Mark 2:18-28

This is our Sunday teaching by our Senior Pastor, Lesley Thompson. Recorded live at our Sunday Service in Harris Academy Purley, Croydon on Sunday 1st November, 2026.

A Feast, Not a Formula: The Freedom of Following Jesus

There is something wonderfully unexpected about Jesus comparing life with him to a wedding celebration. Not a solemn religious duty, but a feast. A moment of joy, freedom and abundance.

In Mark 2:18–28, Jesus is questioned about why his disciples aren't fasting like other religious people. His answer is simple: why would wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?

It's a striking picture of what following Jesus is meant to be. Christian faith is not primarily about observing rules, maintaining traditions or getting everything right. It is about a living relationship with Jesus.

Jesus develops this idea through the images of new wine and old wineskins. New wine needs room to expand. Old, inflexible wineskins simply cannot contain it. In the same way, the new life Jesus brings cannot be squeezed into rigid religious expectations.

The point becomes even clearer when Jesus challenges conventional thinking about the Sabbath. God's gift of rest had become surrounded by so many rules that its original purpose was being lost. Jesus reminds his listeners that the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.

Yet rigidity isn't just a religious problem. It can creep into every part of life.

We establish routines, develop expectations and arrange our circumstances to feel secure. And when something unexpected disrupts those arrangements, even something small, our instinct can be to tighten our grip.

Often, beneath that desire for control lies something deeper: a longing for safety, certainty and reassurance.

But what if genuine security doesn't come from controlling everything around us? What if it comes from trusting the One who holds us?

Jesus invites us to exchange the exhausting pursuit of control for the freedom of relationship.

That doesn't mean abandoning spiritual disciplines, routines or responsibilities. Prayer, fasting, worship and rest remain wonderful gifts. But they are intended to deepen our relationship with God, not become another collection of demands.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to hold our expectations more lightly, welcome unexpected change and find our security in God's love.

The bridegroom offers a feast. The new wine brings fresh life. The Lord of the Sabbath offers rest.

Following Jesus is not an invitation to try harder, but to draw closer — and discover the freedom of trusting him.