“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.
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