Matthew 9:14-17 - On Fasting

¹⁴ Then John's disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"

¹⁵ Jesus asked them, "The wedding guests can't mourn as long as the groom is with them, can they? But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast." ¹⁶ "No one patches an old garment with a piece of unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. ¹⁷ Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill out, and the skins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."

¹⁸ Now John's disciples and the Pharisees would fast regularly. Some people came and asked Jesus, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples fast, but your disciples don't fast?"

¹⁹ Jesus replied, "The wedding guests can't fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they can't fast. ²⁰ But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day." ²¹ "No one patches an old garment with a piece of unshrunk cloth. If he does, the patch pulls away from it the new from the old and a worse tear is made. ²² And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will make the skins burst, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."

³³ Then they told him, "John's disciples frequently fast and pray, and so do those of the Pharisees. But your disciples keep right on eating and drinking."

³⁴ But Jesus told them, "You can't force the wedding guests to fast while the groom is still with them, can you? ³⁵ But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and at that time they will fast."

³⁶ Then he told them a parable: "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old garment. If he does, the new cloth will tear, and the piece from the new won't match the old. ³⁷ And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will make the skins burst, the wine will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. ³⁸ Instead, new wine is to be poured into fresh wineskins. ³⁹ No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine, because he says, "The old wine is good enough!'"