Mark 2:20
But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
But the time will come
This phrase indicates a future event, a prophetic statement by Jesus. The Greek word used here for "time" is "ἡμέρα" (hēmera), which can mean a literal day or a period. In this context, it signifies a specific period when circumstances will change. Jesus is preparing His disciples for a future reality, emphasizing the certainty of this coming time. Historically, this reflects the Jewish understanding of prophetic fulfillment, where certain events are divinely appointed.

when the bridegroom
The term "bridegroom" is significant in Jewish culture, symbolizing joy, celebration, and covenant. In the Greek, "νυμφίος" (nymphios) is used, which directly refers to the bridegroom in a wedding context. Jesus often uses wedding imagery to describe His relationship with the Church, portraying Himself as the bridegroom. This metaphor is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, where God is depicted as the husband of Israel (Isaiah 54:5). The use of "bridegroom" here underscores the intimate and covenantal relationship between Christ and His followers.

will be taken from them
The phrase "will be taken" comes from the Greek "ἀπαίρω" (apairō), meaning to lift off or remove. This indicates a sudden and forceful action, foreshadowing Jesus' crucifixion and ascension. Historically, this would have been a shocking statement to His disciples, as the removal of the bridegroom from a wedding feast was unheard of. It highlights the impending separation and the sorrow that will accompany it, contrasting with the joy of His presence.

and on that day
Here, "that day" refers to a specific time of mourning and absence. The Greek "ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ" (en ekeinē tē hēmera) emphasizes a particular day or period distinct from others. This phrase is often used in prophetic literature to denote a significant event or turning point. In the context of Jesus' ministry, it points to the time of His death and the subsequent period before His resurrection, a time of trial and testing for His disciples.

they will fast
Fasting, in the Jewish tradition, is a sign of mourning, repentance, and seeking God's presence. The Greek word "νηστεύω" (nēsteuō) means to abstain from food for spiritual purposes. Jesus is indicating that His disciples will enter a period of fasting, not out of ritual obligation, but as a natural response to His absence. This practice is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, where fasting is associated with seeking God's intervention and expressing deep sorrow (Joel 2:12). In the New Testament context, it becomes a way for believers to draw closer to God, especially in times of trial and longing for Christ's return.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus (the Bridegroom)
Jesus refers to Himself as the bridegroom, a metaphor that signifies His intimate relationship with His followers, akin to a marriage covenant.

2. Disciples of Jesus
The followers of Jesus who are with Him during His earthly ministry. They are the ones who will experience the absence of the bridegroom.

3. Pharisees and John's Disciples
These groups question Jesus about fasting, setting the stage for His teaching on the new covenant.

4. Fasting
A spiritual discipline practiced by the Jews, often associated with mourning or seeking God's guidance.

5. The Event of Jesus' Departure
This refers to the time when Jesus will be taken away from His disciples, alluding to His crucifixion and ascension.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Bridegroom Metaphor
Jesus as the bridegroom highlights the personal and covenantal relationship He has with His followers. This metaphor invites believers to view their relationship with Christ as deeply personal and committed.

The Role of Fasting
Fasting is appropriate in times of longing and seeking God's presence, especially when believers feel the absence of Christ in their lives. It is a tool for spiritual growth and dependence on God.

Living in the Now and Not Yet
Believers live in the tension of experiencing Christ's presence through the Holy Spirit while longing for His physical return. This tension can be expressed through spiritual disciplines like fasting.

Preparation for Christ's Return
Just as the disciples were to fast in anticipation of the bridegroom's return, believers today are called to live in readiness for Christ's second coming.

Community and Support
The early church's practice of fasting together (Acts 13) shows the importance of community in spiritual disciplines. Believers should support one another in their spiritual journeys.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the metaphor of Jesus as the bridegroom deepen your understanding of your relationship with Him?

2. In what ways can fasting be a meaningful practice in your spiritual life today?

3. How does living in the "now and not yet" of Christ's kingdom affect your daily walk with Him?

4. What are some practical ways you can prepare for Christ's return in your everyday life?

5. How can you incorporate community support into your practice of spiritual disciplines like fasting?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 9:15 and Luke 5:35
These parallel passages also discuss the bridegroom being taken away, emphasizing the same teaching about fasting.

John 3:29
John the Baptist refers to Jesus as the bridegroom, reinforcing the metaphor of Jesus' relationship with His followers.

Acts 13:2-3
The early church practices fasting and prayer, showing the continuation of fasting as a spiritual discipline after Jesus' ascension.
Call of Levi, Feasting, and FastingJ.J. Given Mark 2:13-22
FastingR. Green Mark 2:13-22
Levi's Feast: the Moral Questions it Occasioned. 1A.F. Muir Mark 2:13-22
Levi's Feast: the Moral Questions it Occasioned. 2A.F. Muir Mark 2:13-22
Matthew's HouseE. Johnson Mark 2:15-22
A Cheerful Type of ReligionDr. McLaren.Mark 2:18-20
FastingR. Glover.Mark 2:18-20
FastingC. Hodge.Mark 2:18-20
Fasting Determined by Inward SentimentDe Witt S. Clark.Mark 2:18-20
Fasting Useful or Baneful, According to CircumstancesD. Davies, M. A., Quesnel.Mark 2:18-20
Liberty and DisciplineHorace Bushnell, D. D.Mark 2:18-20
On FastingA. Rowland Mark 2:18-20
Routine Fasting FormalDe Witt S. Clark.Mark 2:18-20
The Ceremonial Observances of the Christian LifeJ. S. Exell, M. A.Mark 2:18-20
The Presence of the Bridegroom a Solace in GriefDr. McLaren.Mark 2:18-20
The Secret of GladnessDr. McLaren.Mark 2:18-20
Why the Disciples of Christ Did not FastExpository Discourses.Mark 2:18-20
People
Abiathar, Alphaeus, David, Jesus, John, Levi
Places
Capernaum, Galilee
Topics
Bridegroom, Fast, Husband
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 2:16-20

     5312   feasting

Mark 2:18-20

     5660   bridegroom
     8432   fasting, practice

Mark 2:18-22

     4548   wineskin

Mark 2:19-20

     2203   Christ, titles of
     5712   marriage, God and his people

Library
December 28 Morning
Thy sins be forgiven thee.--MARK 2:5. I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.--Who can forgive sins but God only? I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.--Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.--Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity? God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.--The blood of Jesus Christ
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

June 8 Evening
Why reason ye these things in your hearts?--MARK 2:8. Being not weak in faith, [Abraham] considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb; he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. Is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?--If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

The Secret of Gladness
'And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?'--Mark ii. 19. This part of our Lord's answer to the question put by John's disciples as to the reason for the omission of the practice of fasting by His followers. The answer is very simple. It is--'My disciples do not fast because they are not sad.' And the principle which underlies the answer is a very important one. It is this: that all outward forms of religion, appointed by man, ought only
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ's Authority to Forgive
'And again He entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that He was in the house. 2. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door; and He preached the word unto them. 3. And they come unto Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4. And when they could not come nigh unto Him for the press, they uncovered the roof where He was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Publicans' Friend
'And He went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them. 14. And as He passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed Him. 15. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followed Him. 16. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eat with publicans
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Works which Hallow the Sabbath
'And it came to pass, that He went through the cornfields on the Sabbath day; and His disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24. And the Pharisees said unto Him, Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25. And He said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 28. How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Friend of Sinners
(Preached in London.) MARK ii. 15, 16. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners they said onto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? We cannot wonder at the scribes and Pharisees asking this question. I think that we should most of us ask the
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

The Sick of the Palsy
"And when He entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was noised that He was in the house." MARK 2:1 (R.V.) [And when He had come back to Capernaum several day s afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. And being unable to get to Him on account of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Son of Man
"The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins." MARK 2:10 (R.V.) WHEN asserting His power to forgive sins, Jesus, for the first time in our Gospel, called Himself the Son of man. It is a remarkable phrase. The profound reverence which He from the first inspired, restrained all other lips from using it, save only when the first martyr felt such a rush of sympathy from above poured into his soul, that the thought of Christ's humanity was more moving than that of His deity. So too it is then alone
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Controversy Concerning Fasting
"And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say unto Him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not?" MARK 2:18 (R.V.) THE Pharisees had just complained to the disciples that Jesus ate and drank in questionable company. Now they join with the followers of the ascetic Baptist in complaining to Jesus that His disciples eat and drink at improper seasons, when others fast. And as Jesus had then replied, that being a Physician,
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Call and Feast of Levi
"And He went forth again by the seaside; and all the multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them. And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the place of toll, and He saith unto him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him. And it came to pass, that He was sitting at meat in his house, and many publicans and sinners sat down with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followed Him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with the
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Sabbath
"And it came to pass, that He was going on the sabbath day through the cornfields; and His disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto Him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And He said unto them, Did ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungered, he, and they that were with him? How he entered into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which it is not lawful to eat
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Wesley's Living Arguments
Sunday, 20.--Seeing many of the rich at Clifton Church, my heart was much pained for them and I was earnestly desirous that some even of them might "enter into the kingdom of heaven." But full as I was, I knew not where to begin in warning them to flee from the wrath to come till my Testament opened on these words: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" [Mark 2:17]; in applying which my soul was so enlarged that methought I could have cried out (in another sense than poor vain
John Wesley—The Journal of John Wesley

Of the Words Themselves in General.
We come now to the words themselves, wherein Christ asserts that he is, 1, "the way;" 2, "the truth;" 3, "the life;" and, 4, "that no man cometh to the Father but by him." In them we learn these two things in general. First, The misery of wretched man by nature. This cannot be in a few words expressed. These words will point out those particulars thereof, which we will but mention. 1. That he is born an enemy to, and living at a distance from God, by virtue of the curse of the broken covenant of
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Combination Illustrated.
To illustrate our method of combination, let us take Section 36, which is a fitting together of the following passages, namely: 9 And as Jesus passed by from thence, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting at the place of toll: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.--Matt. ix. 9. 13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the place of toll,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Call of Matthew.
(at or Near Capernaum.) ^A Matt. IX. 9; ^B Mark II. 13, 14; ^C Luke V. 27, 28. ^c 27 And after these thingsa [after the healing of the paralytic] he went forth, ^a again by the seaside [i. e., he left Capernaum, and sought the shore of the sea, which formed a convenient auditorium for him, and which was hence a favorite scene for his teaching]; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he ^a Jesus passed by from thence, he saw ^c and beheld ^a a man, ^c a publican, named
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Defends Disciples who Pluck Grain on the Sabbath.
(Probably While on the Way from Jerusalem to Galilee.) ^A Matt. XII. 1-8; ^B Mark II. 23-28; ^C Luke VI. 1-5. ^b 23 And ^c 1 Now it came to pass ^a 1 At that season ^b that he ^a Jesus went { ^b was going} on the { ^c a} ^b sabbath day through the grainfields; ^a and his disciples were hungry and began ^b as they went, to pluck the ears. ^a and to eat, ^c and his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. [This lesson fits in chronological order with the last, if the Bethesda
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Matthew's Feast. Discourse on Fasting.
(Capernaum.) ^A Matt. IX. 10-17; ^B Mark II. 15-22; ^C Luke V. 29-39. ^c 29 And Levi [another name for the apostle Matthew] made him a great feast in his house: ^b 15 And it came to pass, that he was sitting { ^a as he sat} at meat in the { ^b his} ^a house, ^c and there was a great multitude of publicans [Matthew had invited his old friends] and of others ^b and ^a behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. ^b for there were many, ^c that were sitting at meat
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals a Paralytic at Capernaum.
^A Matt. IX. 2-8; ^B Mark II. 1-12; ^C Luke V. 17-26. ^c 17 And it came to pass on one of those days, ^b when he entered again into Capernaum after some days, ^c that he was teaching; ^b it was noised that he was in the house. [Luke uses the general expression "those days," referring to the early portion of our Lord's ministry in Galilee. Mark says, "some days," which implies the lapse of a considerable interval. The healing of the leper created such excitement that for some time, several weeks,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Two Sabbath-Controversies - the Plucking of the Ears of Corn by the Disciples, and the Healing of the Man with the Withered Hand
IN grouping together the three miracles of healing described in the last chapter, we do not wish to convey that it is certain they had taken place in precisely that order. Nor do we feel sure, that they preceded what is about to be related. In the absence of exact data, the succession of events and their location must be matter of combination. From their position in the Evangelic narratives, and the manner in which all concerned speak and act, we inferred, that they took place at that particular
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Return to Capernaum - Concerning the Forgiveness of Sins - the Healing of the Paralysed
It is a remarkable instance of the reserve of the Gospel-narratives, that of the second journey of Jesus in Galilee no other special event is recorded than the healing of the leper. And it seems also to indicate, that this one miracle had been so selected for a special purpose. But if, as we have suggested, after the Unknown Feast,' the activity of Jesus assumed a new and what, for want of a better name, may be called an anti-Judaic character, we can perceive the reason of it. The healing of leprosy
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Call of Matthew - the Saviour's Welcome to Sinners - Rabbinic Theology as Regards the Doctrine of Forgiveness in Contrast to the Gospel of Christ
In two things chiefly does the fundamental difference appear between Christianity and all other religious systems, notably Rabbinism. And in these two things, therefore, lies the main characteristic of Christ's work; or, taking a wider view, the fundamental idea of all religions. Subjectively, they concern sin and the sinner; or, to put it objectively, the forgiveness of sin and the welcome to the sinner. But Rabbinism, and every other system down to modern humanitarianism - if it rises so high in
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Kingdom of God: Its Values
The Right Social Order is the Highest Good for All The first three chapters dealt with simple human principles which are common and instinctive with all real men. Jesus simply expanded the range of their application, clarified our comprehension of them, placed them in the very center of religious duty, and so lifted them to the high level of great social and religious principles. In the next three chapters we shall take up a conception which is not universally human, but which Jesus derived from
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

Links
Mark 2:20 NIV
Mark 2:20 NLT
Mark 2:20 ESV
Mark 2:20 NASB
Mark 2:20 KJV

Mark 2:20 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Mark 2:19
Top of Page
Top of Page