The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to him and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. 22 Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.
In the OT, fasting was a sign of mourning and repentance (Dan. 9:3). After the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC, four days were to be set aside for fasting during the year (Zec. 7:4 ff). The prophets sometimes accused the Israelites of fasting externally without any internal significance (Jer. 14:12). The Pharisees fasted often, and it was esteemed as an act of devotion. In the NT, Jesus had a different attitude toward the external show of fasting, and in these verses, he explained that one does not fast in times of joy.
The Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29) was the only day prescribed by Mosaic Law for the Israelites to fast but Jewish customs introduced other days for fasting. The Pharisees and the disciples of John were accustomed to fasting. Jesus compared himself to a bridegroom and his disciples were wedding guests. “Bridegroom” has messianic overtones where Jesus is the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1). The disciples cannot fast but are filled with joy while the bridegroom is with them preparing them for the messianic banquet, but when the bridegroom is no longer with them after his Passion they will fast because they will be filled with sorrow. Jesus also taught the disciples to let no one know when they are fasting (Mt. 6:16-17). Jesus has come with new teachings but both the new and the old must be preserved.
Almighty God, teach us your ways, statutes, wisdom, and knowledge so that we may walk in your truth. Let your face shine upon your servants for in your commandments we trust. In your mercy heal us of all afflictions, spiritual and physical. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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