1. Mark 2:19 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What is the identity and duty of these wedding guests?

Mark 2:19 (ESV)

19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

His disciples are literally the “sons of the bridal chamber.” This Semitic expression characterizes them as the first invitees to the bridal feast. They are more than guests. They are friends of the bridegroom who organize the wedding with him and for him. Precisely because they function in a sense as masters of ceremonies, they cannot be spoilsports. They need to comply with the character of the feast while the Bridegroom is with them.1