Mark 2:18-22

Expanded Bible

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting^(A)

¹⁸ Now the ·followers [disciples] of John [^Cthe Baptist; 1:4–8] and the Pharisees often fasted [^Cgiving up eating for spiritual purposes]. ·Some people [^LThey] came to Jesus and said, “Why do John’s ·followers [disciples] and the ·followers [disciples] of the Pharisees often fast, but your ·followers [disciples] don’t?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered, “The ·friends of the bridegroom [or wedding guests; ^Lchildren of the wedding hall] do not fast while the bridegroom is still with them [^CJesus is referring to himself; John 3:29; Rev. 19:7]. As long as the bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the ·time [^Ldays] will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and ·then [in that day] they will fast.

²¹ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth over a hole in an old ·coat [garment]. Otherwise, the patch will shrink and pull away—the new patch will pull away from the old ·coat [garment]. Then the ·hole [tear] will be worse. ²² Also, no one ever pours new wine into old ·leather bags [wineskins]. Otherwise, the new wine will break the ·bags [skins; ^Cas the wine ferments and expands], and the wine will be ·ruined [lost] along with the ·bags [skins]. But new wine should be put into new ·leather bags [wineskins].”