What is the meaning of Luke 5:35? But • In the flow of Luke 5, Jesus has just said, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” (v. 34). The word “But” signals a shift—He is contrasting the present joy of His disciples with a coming season of sorrow. • Scripture often pivots on this tiny word to highlight a dramatic turn (e.g., Genesis 50:20; Romans 6:23). Here it prepares us to move from celebration to deprivation. the time will come • Jesus points to a definite, God-appointed moment ahead. He is not guessing; He knows the calendar of redemption (cf. John 7:30; Acts 2:23). • This phrase underscores God’s sovereign timing. Just as “when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son” (Galatians 4:4), so another set time is fixed for His suffering, departure, and eventual return (Acts 1:7). • The disciples enjoy His physical presence now, but that privilege has a countdown. when the bridegroom will be taken from them • Jesus identifies Himself as “the bridegroom,” echoing Old Testament marriage imagery of the LORD with His people (Isaiah 62:5) and John the Baptist’s witness, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom” (John 3:29). • “Will be taken” points to a violent, unwilling removal—His arrest, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension (Luke 24:7; 24:51; Acts 1:9). The disciples will feel the wrenching loss of intimate fellowship they once took for granted (John 16:20-22). • Yet even in this hint of tragedy there is promise: a bridegroom taken implies a bridegroom who will return for His bride (John 14:3; Revelation 19:7). then they will fast • Once Jesus is no longer physically with them, the appropriate response shifts from feasting to fasting. The early church practiced this regularly—seeking guidance (Acts 13:2-3), appointing leaders (Acts 14:23), and expressing earnest dependence on God (2 Corinthians 11:27). • Fasting becomes a tangible expression of longing for Christ’s presence and kingdom (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:15). It is not a legalistic badge but a love-driven ache: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). • While the Holy Spirit indwells believers now, fasting reminds us we are still waiting for the visible, face-to-face reunion with our Bridegroom (1 Corinthians 13:12). summary Luke 5:35 assures us that Jesus’ disciples would move from wedding-day joy to fasting sorrow once He was forcibly taken away. The verse sets a pattern: celebration in His bodily presence, consecrated fasting in His bodily absence, and confident hope of reunion. Until the Bridegroom returns, fasting remains a love-filled practice that keeps our hearts tuned to heaven’s timetable and fuels our longing for the day the wedding feast begins anew. |
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