Matthew 9:14-17 - On Fasting

¹⁴ Then John's disciples went up to Him, and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees practice fasting, but your disciples do not?"

¹⁵ Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn, can they, as long as they have the bridegroom with them? But a time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. ¹⁶ Nobody sews a patch of brand-new goods on an old coat, for such a patch would tear away from the coat, and the hole would be bigger than ever. ¹⁷ Nobody pours new wine into old wine-bottles; or, if they do, the bottles burst, the wine runs out, and the bottles are ruined. But people pour new wine into new wine-bottles, and so both are preserved."

¹⁸ Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were keeping a fast. So some people came and asked Him, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples practice fasting, but yours never do?"

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, "The wedding guests cannot fast, can they, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. ²⁰ But a time is coming when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. ²¹ No one sews a patch of brand-new goods on an old coat; or, if he does, the patch tears away, the new from the old, and the hole becomes bigger than ever. ²² No one puts new wine into old wine-bottles, or, if he does, the wine will break the bottles, and the wine is lost, and the bottles too. New wine is to be put up in new bottles."

³³ After that they said to Him, "John's disciples rigidly practice fasting and offering up prayers; so do the Pharisees, but your disciples keep right on eating and drinking."

³⁴ But Jesus said to them, "You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? ³⁵ But a time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; at that time they will fast."

³⁶ Then He told them a short story: "No one tears a piece from a new coat and puts it on an old one; or if he does, he will tear the new one too, and the patch from the new coat will not match the old one. ³⁷ So no one puts fresh wine into old wine bottles; or, if he does, the fresh wine will burst the bottles, the wine will run out, and the bottles will be ruined. ³⁸ But fresh wine must be put into new bottles. ³⁹ No one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, 'The old is good enough.'"