Then
John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?” Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made. Neither do people put new wine into old wine skins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.”
Matthew 9:14-17
Matthew 9 [12.] When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Matthew 9 [14.] Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?”
Matthew 9 [15.] Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made. Neither do people put new wine into old wine skins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.”
Matthew 9 [18.] While he told these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
Meaning:
Jesus had just eaten with tax collectors and sinners at Matthew’s house, and the Pharisees had complained about it (Matthew 9:9-13). Now a second question comes, this time from the disciples of John the Baptist. Jesus and his followers were feasting while other religious people were fasting. Why? His answer uses three pictures from daily life: a wedding, a patched garment and wineskins. Mark and Luke record the same conversation (Mark 2:18; Mark 2:19-22).
- “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often”
The law of Moses commanded only one yearly fast, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29). By Jesus’ time devout people added many more. A Pharisee in one of Jesus’ parables boasts, “I fast twice a week” (Luke 18:12). John’s disciples also fasted. Their master lived a simple, stern life in the wilderness, eating locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4), and his message was a call to turn from sin. Fasting fitted that message of mourning over sin. It is not surprising that John’s disciples were puzzled by Jesus’ joyful meals.
- “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn”
A Jewish wedding lasted several days, and the bridegroom’s friends were expected to celebrate with him. Nobody fasted at a wedding. Jesus calls himself the bridegroom. This is a remarkable claim, because in the Old Testament God himself is the husband of his people: “For your Maker is your husband; Yahweh of Armies is his name” (Isaiah 54:5). John the Baptist had used the same picture, calling himself the friend of the bridegroom who rejoices at his voice (John 3:29). With Jesus present, the long-awaited time of God’s salvation had arrived. It was a time for joy, not mourning.
- “the bridegroom will be taken away from them”
This is the first hint in Matthew that Jesus would be violently removed from his friends. The words point to the cross. After his death, his followers would fast. The early church did fast and pray when seeking God’s guidance (Acts 13:2-3). Jesus did not abolish fasting; he had fasted forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2) and taught his followers how to fast without show (Matthew 6:16-18). But fasting now means longing for the bridegroom’s return, not mourning as if salvation had not yet come.
- “unshrunk cloth on an old garment”
A patch of new cloth that has never been washed will shrink when the garment is washed, and tear a bigger hole. Jesus did not come to patch up the old religious system with a few improvements. What he brings is new and cannot simply be sewn onto old traditions.
- “new wine into fresh wine skins”
Wine was stored in skins made from goat hide. New wine still ferments and expands. Old skins are stiff and would burst. The new wine is the life of the Kingdom that Jesus brings: forgiveness for sinners, joy, the presence of God with his people. It needs new forms that can hold it. Matthew alone adds “and both are preserved”. Jesus cares about preserving what is good. He came to fulfil the law and the prophets, not to destroy them (Matthew 5:17), yet their fulfilment brings something new.
The Significance of Matthew 9:14-17
- Joy in Jesus’ presence
Following Jesus is first of all a relationship with a person, the bridegroom. Christian faith has its serious side, but at its heart is joy, because God has come to his people in Jesus.
- Fasting with the right purpose
Fasting still has a place for believers. It expresses longing for Christ’s return and dependence on God, not a way to earn favour or appear holy. The heart behind it matters more than how often we do it.
- Open to God’s new work
People can become so attached to old habits that they cannot receive what God is doing. Jesus calls us to be like fresh wineskins: teachable, flexible and ready to be filled with his life. “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Cross-References:
Mark 2:19: "Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them?" Mark’s parallel.
Isaiah 54:5: "For your Maker is your husband;" God as the husband of his people.
Luke 18:12: "I fast twice a week." The Pharisee who trusted in his fasting.
Revelation 19:7: "For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready." The wedding feast still to come.
Conclusion: John’s disciples asked why Jesus’ followers did not fast. Jesus answered that wedding guests do not mourn while the bridegroom is with them, though the days would come when he would be taken away. His pictures of unshrunk cloth and new wine show that the Kingdom he brings is new and needs new wineskins. Following Jesus means joy in his presence, fasting with longing for his return, and a heart open to his new work.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible