Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while the groom is with them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to them, “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast.
- KJV And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
- BSB Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? As long as He is with them, they cannot fast.
- NKJV And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
- NASB And Jesus said to them, “While the groom is with them, the attendants of the groom cannot fast, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot 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 compares Himself to a bridegroom whose guests cannot fast while He is present. His coming brings joy, not mourning.
Overview
The bridegroom image, rich with Old Testament overtones of God as Israel's husband, subtly points to Jesus' identity. While He is present, it is a time of celebration like a wedding feast. This explains why His disciples do not fast: the long-awaited joy of God's kingdom has arrived in Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Matt 25:1–10“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.
- Gen 29:22Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
- Judg 14:10–11His father went down to the woman; and Samson made a feast there, for the young men used to do so.
- Song 6:8There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.
- Ps 45:14She shall be led to the king in embroidered work. The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to you.
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 2:19 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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