Saying 104

English

They said to Jesus, ‘Come, let us pray and fast today.’

Jesus said, ‘What sin have I committed? Or how have I been defeated? Instead, when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then they should fast and pray.’

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Interpretation

In the synoptics, Jesus’ response is given to a question concerning the differences in fasting and praying between different theological sects. This makes it, like the hand-washing or the cup-washing debates (see Saying 89), a matter of how to properly observe the Torah, not a discussion of generic ritual practices any person of any culture might take part in. Fasting was required for certain Judean festivals and holy days as purification for sin (e.g. Lev 16.29; Num 29.7). Fasting was also encouraged or expected in other contexts, whether grief or to take one’s mind away from worldly distractions (e.g. Zech 7.5; Joel 2.12; Tob 12.8; Dan 9.3). Jesus treats the invitation to pray and fast as an implication that he has sinned or that he needs to remove himself from a distracting desire, an implication which he rejects. He explains his reasoning with the analogy of a wedding. In Judean culture, the wedding party lasted several days (cf. Gen 29.27; Tob 10.7), and it became traditional that the wedding party was not required to observe certain religious practices. As Jesus points out, no one devotes themselves to prayer or fasting as long as they are in the company of the groom. Only after he has left and the wedding party is over do people return to their normal routine, including their ritual observations. It may be that the saying originally was literal, with Jesus promoting an interpretation of ritual observances similar to what became tradition under later rabbis. However, as its use in Mark shows, the saying came to be interpreted metaphorically, where Jesus’ absence was identified with the groom who had departed (compare Matt 6.5–18; Didache 8). It might also be inferred that, when Jesus returns in the eschaton, the time for prayer and fasting will be done.

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Parallels

Mark

2.18–20 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.’

Matthew

9.14–15 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’

Luke

5.33–35 Then they said to him, ‘John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.’ Jesus said to them, ‘You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.’

Mishnah Berakhot

2.5 A groom is exempt from the recitation of Shema on the first night of his marriage.