17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, (A)“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, [a]to repentance.”

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting(B)

18 (C)The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the [b]friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 2:17 NU omits to repentance
  2. Mark 2:19 Lit. sons of the bridechamber

17 When Jesus heard this he said to them, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do.[a] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Superiority of the New

18 Now[b] John’s[c] disciples and the Pharisees[d] were fasting.[e] So[f] they came to Jesus[g] and said, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?” 19 Jesus[h] said to them, “The wedding guests[i] cannot fast while the bridegroom[j] is with them, can they?[k] As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 2:17 sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.
  2. Mark 2:18 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
  3. Mark 2:18 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
  4. Mark 2:18 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
  5. Mark 2:18 sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.
  6. Mark 2:18 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate that in the narrative this question happened as a result of the fasting of John’s disciples and the Pharisees.
  7. Mark 2:18 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. Mark 2:19 tn Grk “And Jesus.”
  9. Mark 2:19 tn Grk “sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to wedding guests, or more specifically, friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).
  10. Mark 2:19 sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5).
  11. Mark 2:19 tn Questions prefaced with μή () in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “can they?”).

17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”(A)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting(B)

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.(C) Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.

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