Jesus was basically telling folks that his presence meant that it wouldn't be "business as usual." Jesus' presence changes everything! This reality and the people's decision about this reality become the basis for everything else that follows. Jesus was something new and fresh, and most importantly, he is someone amazing and divine: He was God with us (Matthew 1:23). He was God who came to earth to live with his people. Things are not the same as they used to be. The dawn of a new era came, and it is an era of joy, salvation, and celebration. Yes, since Jesus is no longer physically on the earth, there will be moments of sorrow, of repentance, and of prayer that call for fasting. But when he was physically present, there was no time for business as usual! The same will be true when he comes again! The challenge for us is to live with the joy of his first coming and to live in anticipation of the second coming, as we live in the time in between.