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

What does the image of the wedding signify?

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.

It doesn’t have much of an Old Testament background. But it does signify that Jesus is the central figure of the feast and that this explains the conduct of his disciples. Feast days prevent fasting (according to the Old Testament and the beliefs of the Pharisees; see note at verse 18, “Why and When Did the Disciples of John and the Pharisees Fast?).1