(37) The Call of Matthew and the Question About Fasting
Matthew 9:9-17, Mark 2:13-22, Luke 5:27-39
[A]After these things, Jesus once again went out beside the sea. All the crowd came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed by, He saw a publican sitting at the tax collector’s office. It was Levi the son of Alphaeus, also called Matthew. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him. And he left it all, got up, and followed Him.
[B]And it came pass that Levi prepared a great feast for Jesus. Levi prepared this in his own house, and look, the publicans and sinners who were following Jesus also came to the feast; and there were many. As they were all sitting and eating with Jesus and His disciples, [C]the scribes and the Pharisees saw it and murmured against His disciples. “Why do you and your master eat and drink with publicans and sinners?” they said. “How can He do such a thing?”
[D]When Jesus heard what they said, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Now go and learn what this means, ‘I will have mercy and not sacrifice.’[1] For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
[E]Now the disciples of John and the Pharisees were always praying and going without food. They came to Jesus and asked why they fasted and prayed often, while His disciples would “eat and drink” and never fast.
[F]And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom[2] mourn and fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”
[G]And He also told them a parable: “No one sews a new piece of cloth on an old garment, for the new will shrink and pull away from the old, making the tear worse, and the new will not agree with the old. [H]Neither do men put new wine into old wineskins, for the new wine will burst the old skins, spilling the wine and marring the container. New wine must be put in new wineskins, and both are preserved. [I]And no one after drinking old wine desires the new at once, for he says: The old is better.”
(37) The Call of Matthew and the Question About Fasting
Matthew 9:9-17, KJV
9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. 16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
(37) The Call of Matthew and the Question About Fasting
Mark 2:13-22, KJV
13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
(37) The Call of Matthew and the Question About Fasting
Luke 5:27-39, KJV
27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? 34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. 39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
(1) Hos. 6:6 (2) KJV, "children of the bridechamber."
[A] Mt 9:9, Mk 2:13-14, Lk 5:27-28 [B] Mt 9:10, Mk 2:15, Lk 5:29 [C] Mt 9:11, Mk 2:16, Lk 5:30 [D] Mt 9:12-13, Mk 2:17, Lk 5:31-32 [E] Mt 9:14, Mk 2:18, Lk 5:33 [F] Mt 9:15, Mk 2:19-20, Lk 5:34-35 [G] Mt 9:16, Mk 2:21, Lk 5:36 [H] Mt 9:17, Mk 2:22, Lk 5:37-38 [I] Lk 5:39