Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
A Walk with the Master Series
The Bridegroom
Mark 2:18-22
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Mar 2:19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. Mar 2:20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. Mar 2:21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. Mar 2:22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
As we walk with the Master, we see the Lord moving from calling new disciples to answering questions about aspects of the Old Testament Law. It did not seem to the observers that Jesus was teaching the same things that they were teaching, and that caused their confusion about Him. The question that was posed to Jesus was about fasting. The law taught that one should fast often and for many reasons, but the disciples of Christ were not observing the traditional fasts.
Jesus took the opportunity to explain that He was doing a new thing. For the present time while He was with the disciples, it was like a preparation time for a wedding. When the bridegroom was with His friends, it was not time to fast but to rejoice. Then Jesus began to teach the difference between His message and that of the Old Testament teachers. One current teacher speaking on this portion has the following to say about the difference between the two of them.
Jesus came to usher in the new, not to unite with the old. The Mosaic economy was decaying, getting old, and ready to vanish away (Heb_8:13). Jesus would establish a New Covenant in His blood (Luk_22:19-20). The Law would be written on human hearts, not on stones (2Co_3:1-3; Heb_10:15-18); and the indwelling Holy Spirit would enable God’s people to fulfill the righteousness of the Law (Rom_8:1-4).By using this illustration, Jesus refuted once and for all the popular idea of a compromising “world religion.” Well-meaning but spiritually blind leaders have suggested that we take “the best” from each religion, blend it with what is “best” in the Christian faith, and thus manufacture a synthetic faith that would be acceptable to everybody. But the Christian faith is exclusive in character; it will not accept any other faith as its equal or its superior. “There is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Act_4:12).
The Lord’s teaching was clear. His message was also new. He was teaching a message of grace and not of law. These two do not mix, and if you try to put them together, it causes disaster like the tearing of the cloth or the bursting of the wineskins.
Today, we are living in the Age of Grace. We are not under the law, so we should rejoice because we have the bridegroom, Jesus. We are His bride, the church, and a banquet is waiting for us when we are joined to Him at the rapture. Let’s be glad and praise Him, for the next great event following the regathering of believers is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb with the Bridegroom. Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready (Revelation 19:6-7).
Bible Reading for the Year
March 3rd, Numbers 30-31; Mark 9:30-50
Prayer Needs
Please pray for family members of Phylis Whitley who have some medical issues that will require surgery. Her grandson will have surgery at Duke on March 4th, which will require 10-12 weeks of recovery. Her son also will have back surgery soon.
Please pray for Robbie Harvey, Barbara Teboe’s nephew, who has MAC lung disease, and antibiotics are no longer working. Pray for healing!
Please continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. Praise the Lord! Her pain is better. Pray for her healing.
Please pray for the cousin of Sarah Crandall, Margo Fields, who is doing chemo now for colon cancer.
Please pray for Madison Bowers Millwee. She is now at 27 weeks and is doing well. Everything is relatively stable at this point. She will continue modified bedrest until she delivers
Please pray for Phil Corey in his continual dialysis treatments.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
Please continue to pray for Beth Buchta that her hip will completely heal soon, and that she can do a little more each day.
Please continue to pray for Jackson Broome. The transplant took place on February 11th. He came through it well, but is having some trouble with his medication.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia