Matthew 9:14-17 - On Fasting

¹⁴ Then John's disciples came to Jesus, and asked: "Why do we and the Pharisees fast while your disciples do not?"

¹⁵ Jesus answered: "Can the bridegroom's friends mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom will be parted from them, and they will fast then. ¹⁶ No man ever puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for such a patch tears away from the garment, and a worse rent is made. ¹⁷ Nor do people put new wine into old wine-skins; for, if they do, the skins burst, and the wine runs out, and the skins are lost; but they put new wine into fresh skins, and so both are preserved."

¹⁸ Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were keeping a fast, and people came and asked Jesus: "Why is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, while yours do not?"

¹⁹ Jesus answered: "Can the bridegroom's friends fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the days will come, when the bridegroom will be parted from them, and they will fast then--when that day comes. ²¹ No man ever sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; if he does, the patch tears away from it--the new from the old-- and a worse rent is made. ²² And no man ever puts new wine into old wine-skins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are lost. But new wine is put into fresh skins."

³³ "John's disciples," they said to Jesus, "Often fast and say prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, while yours are eating and drinking!"

³⁴ But Jesus answered them: "Can you make the bridegroom's friends fast while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵ But the days will come--a time when the bridegroom will be parted from them; and they will fast then, when those days come."

³⁶ Then, as an illustration, Jesus said to them: "No man ever tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old one; for, if he does, he will not only tear the new garment, but the piece from the new one will not match the old. ³⁷ And no man puts new wine into old wine-skins; for, if he does, the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine itself will run out, and the skins be lost. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into fresh skins. ³⁹ No man after drinking old wine wishes for new. 'No,' he says, 'the old is excellent.'"