Jesus and the Disciples of John

In Matthew 9:14 some disciples of John come to Jesus to ask why his disciples don’t fast; for the disciples of John as well as the Pharisees are regularly fasting. Jesus responds: the “sons” of the bridegroom are not able to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them; only when the bridegroom is taken away from them will they fast (9:15).

Like the Pharisees, the disciples of John the Baptist are fasting as a religious act that portrays their grief over the desolation of their kingdom of Israel and seeks to purify and separate themselves from the sins of Israel. John had come as a prophet eating only locusts and honey in the wilderness, calling the people of Israel to repent–turn away from their sins and turn to God–for the kingdom of heaven was near (Matthew 3:1-4). But John had now been arrested, taken away from his disciples who are then mourning over that (Mat. 4:12).

Jesus replies to their question about mourning and fasting by referring to himself as the bridegroom, whose “sons” are full of joyful anticipation for the wedding–and thus unable to mourn. But Jesus adds that the bridegroom will one day be taken away (like John has been) and then these “sons” will mourn (temporarily). The phrase “sons of the bridegroom” is similar to a phrase Jesus used earlier, referring to the “sons of the kingdom” (Mat. 8:12); there the “sons” are those in the kingdom of Israel whose lack of faith in Jesus will lead to their crying and mourning after they are thrown into the outer darkness.

Now (in 9:14) Jesus refers to the “sons of the bridegroom.” Unlike the “sons” who belong to the kingdom of Israel, these are “sons” who belong to Jesus, the “bridegroom.” Jesus is portraying his disciples as those in his wedding party who are close to him and will stand with him at the marriage ceremony. And actually, John the Baptist had earlier referred to Jesus as “the bridegroom.” In John 3:25-26, disciples of John complain to John that it seems everybody is now going after Jesus. But John replies that they have heard him say he is not the Messiah; he is rather the one sent ahead of the Messiah (Jn. 3:27-28). He adds that the one who has the “bride” is the “bridegroom” and the friend of the bridegroom listens to him and rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice (Jn. 3:29). For John, all those going now over to Jesus will be the “bride” of Jesus, the bridegroom; John himself is the friend of the bridegroom and is full of joy over the appearance of this bridegroom (Messiah).

So when disciples of John hear Jesus’ response in Matthew 9:15 to their questioning the actions of Jesus’ disciples, perhaps Jesus uses this image of the bridegroom to remind them of what their leader (John) had told them earlier. Now is the time for joy because the bridegroom/Messiah has come.

Yet this Messiah is much different from what John and his disciples (and the Pharisees) were expecting. For the sons that belong to this bridegroom will belong to a family of the new children of God, their Father in heaven, as a result of following this Son of God, this Son of Man, whose kingdom will not be the kingdom of Israel but include people from every tribe and tongue and people throughout the world. As in Mat. 8:11-12, many will come from east and west (from all over the world) and joyfully eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the “sons” who belong to the kingdom (of Israel) will be thrown into the outer darkness, mourning and crying and gnashing their teeth (rather than chewing food).