But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days.”
- KJV But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
- NKJV But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”
- NASB But the days will come; and when the groom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”
- NLT But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus foretells that the bridegroom will be taken away, and then his followers will fast. He hints at his coming death.
Overview
Jesus points ahead to the day he will be 'taken away,' a veiled prophecy of his crucifixion and departure. In that season his disciples will fast, expressing longing for his return and grief. The saying balances present joy with the cross that lies ahead and the hope of consummation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- John 16:4–7But I have told you these things so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.
- Acts 14:23Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.
- Acts 3:21Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets.
- Luke 17:22Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
- John 16:28I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”
- Acts 1:9After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.
- Matt 6:17–18But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
- Acts 13:2–3While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
- Zech 13:7Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.
- 1 Cor 7:5Do not deprive each other, except by mutual consent and for a time, so you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you through your lack of self-control.
- Dan 9:26Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.
- 2 Cor 11:27in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.
- Isa 22:12On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.
- John 12:8The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.”
- John 14:3–4And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.
- John 16:16–22In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me.”
- Luke 24:17–21He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stood still, with sadness on their faces.
- John 17:11–13I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
- John 13:33Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 5:35 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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