Matthew 9:15
And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus reveals that the current joy of His disciples isn't just about being with Him, but about anticipating His future return as the Bridegroom. This implies that while His presence now calls for celebration, His eventual absence will naturally lead to a time of fasting and longing.
This passage comes right after Jesus heals a paralytic and forgive his sins, and after he calls Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him. In response to questions about why Jesus and his disciples aren't fasting like John the Baptist's followers and the Pharisees, Jesus uses the metaphor of a wedding feast to explain that his presence brings joy, not sorrow, for now. He then foreshadows his own eventual departure, indicating that a time of fasting and mourning will indeed come for his disciples after he is gone.
Why would wedding guests mourn when the groom is right there? Jesus uses this vivid image to explain a core truth about His presence and His followers' experience.
Jesus compares himself to a bridegroom and his disciples to the wedding guests. During a wedding feast, the atmosphere is one of pure joy, celebration, and feasting. The guests are there to celebrate with the groom, not to mourn. Jesus is highlighting that His presence with His disciples is a time of unparalleled joy and celebration. This isn't just a casual gathering; it's a divine wedding feast.
He is the Bridegroom of the Church, the one who espouses believers to Himself. His presence is the source of their joy. Therefore, the question Jesus poses is rhetorical, emphasizing that mourning and fasting are completely out of place when the Bridegroom Himself is with them.
Jesus’s words contain a prophecy. He speaks of a future when the joy of the wedding feast will end, ushering in a time of sorrow and fasting.
Jesus foretells His departure, stating, 'The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them.' This is a clear, though veiled, reference to His impending crucifixion, death, and resurrection. When the Bridegroom is 'taken away,' the wedding feast ends, and a period of mourning and fasting begins for His followers.
This isn't a command to fast as a religious duty in itself, but rather an explanation that fasting is a natural, appropriate response to sorrow and absence. The disciples' joy is tied to Jesus's physical presence. When He is gone, they will naturally grieve, and fasting will be a fitting expression of that sorrow and their longing for His return. This period of fasting signifies discipline, expectation, and the recognition of their spiritual state without His immediate presence.
Why was Jesus's approach to fasting so different from the Pharisees and John the Baptist's disciples? It wasn't just about if they fasted, but how and when.
This passage, especially when read with verses 16-17, reveals a profound shift Jesus was initiating. The old ways of religious observance, represented by the Pharisees' rigid fasting, were like old wineskins that couldn't contain the new reality Jesus brought.
Understand the original words
nymphōn · Greek Noun
A metaphor for the joyful, messianic age inaugurated by Jesus’ arrival; the invitation to his presence is a celebration of the kingdom of heaven breaking into human history.
nymphios · Greek Noun
A title used by Jesus to describe himself as the fulfillment of Israel's messianic hope, signaling the presence of God among His people.
This verse offers the first hint in Matthew of Jesus' impending death. He uses the familiar Jewish imagery of a wedding feast to explain that his presence brings celebration, but his absence will necessitate mourning and fasting, a stark foreshadowing of the grief his disciples would soon endure.
Early 1st century AD
John the Baptist's Ministry
John the Baptist, a key figure preceding Jesus, refers to Jesus as the 'Bridegroom' whose arrival signifies ultimate joy, contrasting his own role as a friend of the Bridegroom (John 3:29).
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Jesus' Public Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry, gathering disciples and performing miracles. This period is characterized by joy and celebration, symbolized by a wedding feast, with Jesus' presence as the Bridegroom.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Crucifixion and Death
Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified. This event is the 'taking away of the Bridegroom,' marking a transition from joy and feasting to sorrow and fasting for his followers.
c. AD 30 - Present
Christian Fasting and Mourning
Following Jesus' death and resurrection, his disciples experience periods of sorrow and discipline, where fasting becomes a natural expression of their grief and longing for the Bridegroom's return.
This passage describes John the Baptist referring to Jesus as the Bridegroom, directly connecting to the imagery Jesus uses here and providing context for why his disciples would be celebrating rather than mourning.
Matthew 25:1-13The Parable of the Ten Virgins echoes the theme of the bridegroom's return and the readiness of his followers, offering a contrast between preparedness and unpreparedness, which indirectly speaks to the 'fasting' or 'mourning' that will occur when he is absent.
Acts 10:10Peter's vision describes a trance where he experienced hunger, leading to a period of spiritual readiness and fasting before a significant divine encounter, showing how fasting can be a natural response to divine action or expectation in the absence of Christ's immediate presence.
2 Corinthians 11:27Paul lists fasting as one of the hardships he endured in his ministry, illustrating how the 'fasting' foretold by Jesus can manifest as a genuine expression of sorrow, struggle, or dedication in the life of a believer when Christ's immediate, tangible presence isn't felt.
Isaiah 61:1-3This prophetic passage describes a time of comfort and restoration, speaking of a bride adorned and a groom rejoicing, which provides the Old Testament backdrop to the joy of the wedding feast imagery Jesus employs and sets the stage for the subsequent mourning when that joy is interrupted.
clarkeMatthew 9:15: "And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast."
Can the children of the bride-chamber - Νυμφωνος. Or, νυμφιου, bridegroom, as the Cod. Bezae and several versions have it. These persons were the companions of the bridegroom, who accompanied him to the house of his father-in-law when he went to bring the bride to his own home…
ellicottMatthew 9:15: "And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast."
(15) Can the children of the bridechamber mourn ?—The words were full of meaning in themselves, but they only gain their full significance when we connect them with the teaching of the Baptist recorded in John 3:29 . He had pointed to Jesus as “the Bridegroom.” He had taught t…
Jesus reveals that the current joy of His disciples isn't just about being with Him, but about anticipating His future return as the Bridegroom. This implies that while His presence now calls for celebration, His eventual absence will naturally lead to a time of fasting and longing.
This passage comes right after Jesus heals a paralytic and forgive his sins, and after he calls Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him. In response to questions about why Jesus and his disciples aren't fasting like John the Baptist's followers and the Pharisees, Jesus uses the metaphor of a wedding feast to explain that his presence brings joy, not sorrow, for now. He then foreshadows his own eventual departure, indicating that a time of fasting and mourning will indeed come for his disciples after he is gone.
This passage comes right after Jesus heals a paralytic and forgive his sins, and after he calls Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him. In response to questions about why Jesus and his disciples aren't fasting like John the Baptist's followers and the Pharisees, Jesus uses the metaphor of a wedding feast to explain that his presence brings joy, not sorrow, for now. He then foreshadows his own eventual departure, indicating that a time of fasting and mourning will indeed come for his disciples after he is gone.
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Jesus’s disciples weren't fasting because the 'new wine' of His presence and His kingdom was actively being poured out. Their current state was one of feasting with the Bridegroom. Fasting, as a practice of mourning and absence, would be like trying to put vibrant, new wine into brittle, old wineskins – it would tear them. Jesus's method was to introduce the new reality gently, allowing His disciples to adjust. When He was taken away, the 'old wineskins' of His disciples would be ready for the discipline of fasting as they embraced the new reality of His absence and the anticipation of His return.
"And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." — Jesus reveals that the current joy of His disciples isn't just about being with Him, but about anticipating His future return as the Bridegroom. This implies that while His presence now calls for cel…
