Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but your disciples fast not?
the disciples.
Matthew 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
John 4:1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
Why.
Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Matthew 11:18,19 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil…
Proverbs 20:6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
“Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often,
Fasting was a common religious practice in Judaism, often associated with mourning, repentance, and seeking God's favor. The Pharisees, a prominent Jewish sect, practiced fasting regularly, typically twice a week, as a demonstration of piety and devotion. John's disciples, following their teacher's ascetic lifestyle, also engaged in frequent fasting. This question reveals a concern for religious observance and the perceived discrepancy between their practices and those of Jesus' followers.
but Your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus' disciples were not observed fasting, which seemed unusual to John's disciples and the Pharisees. This difference in practice underscores the newness of Jesus' ministry and the coming of the kingdom of God, which brought a shift in religious expression. Jesus later explains that His presence is a time of joy, akin to a wedding feast, where fasting is inappropriate. This response points to Jesus as the Bridegroom, fulfilling messianic prophecies and indicating a new era in God's redemptive plan.
• These followers of John the Baptist continued the repentance-focused lifestyle their teacher modeled (Matthew 3:4; 11:18).
• John had pointed them toward Jesus as “the Lamb of God” (John 1:35-37), so their coming shows sincere interest rather than hostility.
• Their loyalty to John’s rigorous discipline explains why matters of fasting weighed heavily on them (Luke 7:33).
• They approached the One to whom John had always directed attention (John 3:28-30).
• Jesus welcomed seekers, whether they were fishermen, Pharisees like Nicodemus, or John’s disciples (John 6:37).
• The scene underscores that true answers about spiritual practice are found in Christ, not in tradition alone (Colossians 2:8-10).
• Inquiry is encouraged by Scripture: “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7).
• Their respectful question contrasts with the Pharisees’ accusatory spirit a few verses earlier (Matthew 9:11).
• Bringing confusion directly to Jesus models the wisdom urged in James 1:5—“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God.”
• Regular fasts had become a mark of piety; Pharisees boasted of fasting “twice a week” (Luke 18:12).
• Even John’s disciples adopted frequent fasting, perhaps every Monday and Thursday, reflecting national mourning practices rooted in Zechariah 7:5.
• Yet God had warned Israel that fasting can become empty ritual when the heart is wrong (Isaiah 58:3-6).
• The contrast sets the stage for Jesus to reveal that timing and relationship determine the value of any discipline (Ecclesiastes 3:1; Hosea 6:6).
• The observation is factual: Jesus’ disciples were feasting with Him (Matthew 9:10).
• Their non-fasting signals the arrival of the Bridegroom, a time for joy rather than mourning (Matthew 9:15; John 3:29).
• It points to the transition from the old covenant’s anticipatory rituals to the new covenant’s realized presence of God in Christ (Hebrews 10:1; Romans 14:17).
• Jesus will affirm that fasting has its place—after His departure—but not as a badge of righteousness (Matthew 6:16-18; Acts 13:2).
Matthew 9:14 captures a collision between old forms of devotion and the new reality ushered in by Jesus. John’s disciples, sincere yet puzzled, highlight how religious practice without understanding can miss the moment God is creating. Their question allows Jesus to teach that disciplines like fasting must align with His presence and purposes. True righteousness flows from relationship with the Bridegroom, joyfully expressed when He is near and soberly pursued when He is absent.
(14) The disciples of John.--The passage is interesting as showing (1) that the followers of the Baptist continued during our Lord's ministry to form a separate body (as in Matthew 11:2; Matthew 14:12); and (2) that they obeyed rules which he had given them, more or less after the pattern of those of the Pharisees. They had their own days of fasting (the context makes it probable that the feast in Matthew's house was held on one of them), their own forms of prayer (Luke 11:1). They, it would seem, acting with the Pharisees, and perhaps influenced by them, were perplexed at conduct so unlike that of the master they revered, and came therefore with their question. But they were, at least, not hypocrites, and they are answered therefore without the sternness which had marked the reply to their companions.Verses 14-17. - Christ's care for the free-dora of his disciples from ceremonial bondage. He teaches that the standpoint of the Baptist was preparatory (ch. 3.), and was not intended to be a permanent resting-place. Observe that of the three accounts St. Matthew's points out the most clearly that the objection originated with the disciples of John the Baptist. Perhaps St. Matthew found these possessing special influence in the part for which his Gospel was primarily intended. So also St. John thought it desirable to recall the teaching of the Master, that while he himself was the Bridegroom, the Baptist was only subordinate (John 3:29). On the survival of the teaching of John the Baptist, and the greater importance of its professed adherents during the apostolic age than is usually supposed, vide Bishop Lightfoot, 'Colossians,' p. 163, edit. 1875. Verse 14. - Then (τότε). In this case the close chronological connexion with the preceding incident is confirmed by the parallel passages (especially Luke). Came (come, Revised Version) to him. They move forward among the crowd, and draw near to him (προσέρχονται αὐτῷ). The disciples of John (vide supra), saying, Why (cf. ver. 11) do we and the Pharisees fast? (cf. Matthew 6:16, note, Schurer, II. 2. p. 118). Oft (πολλά); Textus Receptus, and Westcott and Hort margin, with all the versions and the great mass of the authorities. Yet probably to be omitted, with Westcott and Host, on the evidence of the Vatican manuscript, and the original hand of the Sinaitic. It may have arisen from a gloss on the πυκνά of Luke. But thy disciples fast not. The feast given by St. Matthew was evidently at the time of some fast observed by the stricter Jews.