Mark 2:18-20

Amplified Bible

¹⁸Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting [as a ritual]; and they came and asked Jesus, “Why are John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fasting, but Your disciples are not doing so?” ¹⁹Jesus answered, “The attendants of the bridegroom ^[a]cannot fast while the bridegroom is [still] with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom is [forcefully] ^[b]taken away from them, and they will fast at that time.

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Footnotes

Mark 2:19 Jewish tradition (as recorded in the Talmud) held that it was a religious duty to congratulate and entertain the bride and groom during the wedding festivities. By analogy, Jesus is saying that His disciples ought to rejoice while He is with them rather than engage in fasting, which was a sign of mourning.
Mark 2:20 The words “taken away” allude to Jesus’ violent death on the cross (cf Is 53:8).