Question 1

What comparison does the question in v. 18 assume about fasting, and how does it frame Jesus’ disciples?

Accepted Answer

Verse 18 assumes fasting is a normal and recognizable sign of devotion, since “John’s disciples” and “the Pharisees” are described as doing it and the questioners treat that as a baseline. The question frames Jesus’ disciples as an exception that needs explaining: if other respected groups fast, why do his followers not do the same? It also implies public visibility—people can tell what group practices what. The passage does not say Jesus rejects fasting outright; it reports a comparison meant to pressure Jesus to justify a difference.

Question 2

In vv. 19–20, what is Jesus’ main point in using the wedding and bridegroom image?

Accepted Answer

Jesus’ main point is about what fits the moment. Wedding attendants do not fast while the bridegroom is present, because fasting would contradict the occasion. Jesus applies that logic to his own presence: “as long as” they have the bridegroom, they “can’t” fast. Then he introduces a future change: days will come when the bridegroom is “taken away,” and “then” they will fast. The argument is time-sensitive rather than a simple rule for all situations.

Question 3

What change does Jesus predict in v. 20, and what does the verse itself say (and not say) about why it happens?

Accepted Answer

Jesus predicts that a time is coming when the bridegroom “will be taken away from them,” and at that time his disciples will fast. The verse clearly signals separation and a resulting shift in practice. It does not, by itself, explain the mechanism (whether it is voluntary departure, arrest, death, or something else) or give details about how long it lasts. The focus is on the effect: the disciples’ behavior will change because the situation changes. The text ties future fasting to his absence, not to copying other groups.

Question 4

How do the unshrunk cloth and old garment illustration (v. 21) and the new wine and old wineskins illustration (v. 22) work as arguments?

Accepted Answer

Both illustrations warn that combining “new” and “old” in the wrong way can cause damage rather than improvement. In v. 21, unshrunk cloth sewn onto an old garment shrinks and makes the tear worse; the attempted fix backfires. In v. 22, new wine expands and bursts old skins, wasting the wine and destroying the container. The logic is practical and concrete: some things require new forms that can handle them. Jesus ends with the fitting alternative: new wine goes into fresh wineskins.

Question 5

What connections can be observed between the fasting discussion (vv. 18–20) and the “new/old” images (vv. 21–22) without forcing a single exact mapping?

Accepted Answer

At minimum, both parts address “fit” and timing. The wedding image says fasting does not fit while the bridegroom is present, but will fit later. The cloth and wine images say that forcing the new into old settings can lead to loss. Even without assigning each item a precise symbolic referent, the shared idea is that Jesus’ presence brings a new situation that cannot simply be treated as one more variation inside established routines. The passage suggests that the question about fasting is part of a larger issue: what to do when a new reality arrives.

Question 6

What does the passage explicitly affirm about fasting, and what conclusions would go beyond what is stated?

Accepted Answer

Explicitly, the passage affirms (1) some recognized groups fast (v. 18), (2) Jesus’ disciples do not fast during the time he likens to the bridegroom’s presence (vv. 19–20), and (3) they will fast after he is taken away (v. 20). Conclusions that go beyond the text would include detailed schedules for fasting, declaring fasting permanently obsolete, or defining exactly which older practices the “old garment” or “old wineskins” represent. The passage gives principles of appropriateness and mismatch, but it leaves many specifics unstated.

Question 7

Within Mark’s sequence of controversies (2:13–22), how does this scene continue the pattern of questions and Jesus’ responses?

Accepted Answer

The scene continues a pattern where observers challenge Jesus based on familiar expectations. In the preceding episode, Jesus’ eating with tax collectors raises objections; here, his disciples’ lack of fasting raises questions. In both, the challenge assumes established markers of religious seriousness. Jesus responds indirectly: instead of a list of regulations, he gives interpretive pictures that redefine what is appropriate in light of his mission. The wedding and the new/old images make the same kind of move: they explain behavior by describing a new situation created by Jesus’ presence.

Mark 2:18-22

Scripture