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MATTHEW 9:15 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Matt 9:14Matt 9:16
“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.”
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. The bridegroom metaphor is the answer: the presence of the bridegroom makes mourning inappropriate. The wedding feast is the kingdom's celebration; the disciples are the wedding guests; Jesus is the bridegroom. Fasting would be as out of place as weeping at a wedding. But the bridegroom will be taken away — a reference to the passion that is still future — and then fasting will be appropriate. Isaiah 62:5 uses the bridegroom metaphor for God's relationship with Israel; Jesus applies it to himself, again making an implicit claim about his identity.

Church Fathers on Matthew 9:15

When He had replied to them respecting eating and converse with sinners, they next assault Him on the matter of food; 'Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but thy disciples fast not?'

Gloss (Glossa Ordinaria) · medieval compilation · ap. Anselm

O boastful enquiry and ostentation of fasting much to be blamed, nor can John’s disciples be excused for their taking part with the Pharisees who they knew had been condemned by John, and for bringing a false accusation against Him whom they knew their master had preached.

Jerome · 4th century

What they say come to this, Be it that you do this as Physician of souls, but why do your disciples neglect fasting and approach such tables? And to aug ment the weight of their charge by comparison, they put themselves first, and then the Pharisees. They fasted as they learnt out of the Law, as the Pharisee spoke, 'I fast twice in the week;' [Luke 18:12] the others learnt it of John.

Chrysostom · 4th century
Read all 23 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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