Matthew 9:14 Cross References - AUV

¹⁴ Some of John’s disciples came to Jesus saying, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast frequently [i.e., going without food and/or drink for religious reasons], but your disciples do not fast [at all]?”

¹⁶ “In addition, when you fast [i.e., go without food and/or drink for religious reasons], do not be like the hypocrites with long faces, for they go around with gloomy expressions on their faces in order to advertise that they are fasting. It is true when I say to you, these people have [already] received their reward.

² Now while still in prison, John [the Immerser] heard about the things Christ was doing, [so] he sent [word] through his disciples

¹⁸ For when John came, he did not eat or drink [on festive occasions] and people said, ‘He is dominated by an evil spirit.’ ¹⁹ [Then] the Son of man came eating and drinking [at festive occasions] and they said, ‘Look, He is a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and worldly people.’ It proves that [God’s] wise counsel is right by the way things turn out.”

¹⁸ Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, [i.e., going without food and/or drink for religious reasons]. Some people came and asked Jesus, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Can the companions of the groom fast while the groom is still with them? As long as they have the groom with them they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast at that time. ²¹ “No one sows a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because what was supposed to cover the hole [actually] makes it larger. The new [piece of cloth] tears away from the old one and the hole is made worse. ²² And no one puts freshly squeezed grape juice into bottles made of previously used animal skins. If he does, the grape juice will [cause cracks and] burst the [dried-out] animal skins and the grape juice will [all leak out and] be wasted, and the animal skin bottles will become useless. But people put freshly squeezed grape juice into newly prepared animal skin bottles.”

³³ Then they said to Jesus, “John [the Immerser’s] disciples fast frequently [i.e., going without food and/or drink for religious reasons] and they offer earnest prayer requests, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same things. But your disciples eat and drink.” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Can you force the companions of the groom to fast while the groom is [still] with them? ³⁵ But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them [Note: Jesus here refers to Himself]. Then they will fast at that time.” ³⁶ And He told them a parable [i.e., a brief story to illustrate His teaching]: “No one tears a piece [of cloth] from a new item of clothing and sews it on an old one. If he does, it will tear the new one. And besides, the piece [of cloth] from the new clothing will not match the old one. ³⁷ And no one puts freshly squeezed grape juice into previously used bottles made of animal skins. [If he does], the newly squeezed juice will [crack and] burst the [dried out] animal skins and [all the juice will] spill out, and the animal skin bottles will [also] become useless. ³⁸ But freshly squeezed grape juice must be put into newly made animal skins. ³⁹ And no one who has drunk aged wine wants newly squeezed [juice], for he says, ‘The older [grape juice] is better.’”

⁹ Then Jesus told this parable to certain ones who were relying on their own goodness and putting everyone else down: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the Temple [in Jerusalem] to pray. One of them was a Pharisee and the other one was a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood up [conspicuously] and prayed about himself this way [i.e., bragging to God about how good he was], ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, sexually unfaithful to their mates, or even like that tax collector [over there]. ¹² I fast [i.e., going without food and/or drink for religious reasons] twice a week and I give [to God’s work] a tenth of everything I get.’

²⁵ [About then] a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a Jew over ceremonial cleansing.

¹ Therefore, when the Lord [Jesus] knew that the Pharisees were aware of Him making and immersing more disciples than John,