Jesus is Asked about Fasting (Luke 5:33-39)
The Question About Fasting (Luke 5:33-39)
In this passage, we find a group of Pharisees and scribes challenging Jesus with a question about fasting. The issue arises after Jesus has called Levi to follow him, and they share a meal together with tax collectors and sinners. The religious leaders are puzzled. They don’t understand why Jesus and his disciples don’t follow the same religious practices they do, including fasting. The passage presents a deeper reflection on the nature of Jesus’ mission and the shift he brings to the way God’s people are meant to relate to the Lord.
Verse by Verse Breakdown of The Question About Fasting
Luke 5:33: Pharisees ask about fasting
“Then they said to him, ‘John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray; but your disciples eat and drink.’”
The question posed by the Pharisees and scribes reflects a concern with outward religious observance. John the Baptist’s disciples, as well as the Pharisees, maintained a strict practice of fasting and prayer, which were outward signs of piety. Fasting, for them, was an expression of mourning, penance, and repentance. However, they notice that Jesus’ disciples do not adhere to these practices. Instead, they are eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners, suggesting a more relaxed attitude toward traditional religious customs. The question exposes the tension between the old ways of fasting and the new approach Jesus brings. The religious leaders are missing the deeper purpose behind Jesus’ actions, focusing instead on the surface.
Luke 5:34 - 35 –Jesus teaches about fasting
“Jesus said to them, ‘You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?’”
Jesus’ response immediately shifts the conversation from the external practice of fasting to a more profound metaphor. He compares himself to a bridegroom, a common symbol in Jewish scriptures for God’s presence among the people (Isaiah 62:5, Hosea 2:16). Jesus is pointing out that there is a time for mourning and a time for joy. When the bridegroom is present, it is a time of celebration, not fasting. The message is that the presence of Jesus, the Messiah, is a cause for joy and festivity. His followers, as his disciples, should be celebrating the new thing God is doing through him, rather than fasting. The implication is that fasting and mourning are appropriate in times of separation, but not in the presence of the Messiah.
“The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”
In this verse, Jesus acknowledges that there will be a time when the joy of his presence will be replaced by a period of mourning. He is predicting his death, when he will be “taken away” from his disciples. During this time, fasting and mourning will have a place, as the disciples will feel the absence of their Teacher. This foreshadows the period of grief and loss that will follow Jesus’ crucifixion. However, even in this time of mourning, the disciples will be waiting in hope, anticipating the future restoration of their relationship with the bridegroom—his resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 5:36-37 – New wine and old wineskins
“He also told them a parable: ‘No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise, the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.’”
Here, Jesus uses two parables to explain the incompatibility of the old ways of fasting with the newness of his message. The old garment and old wineskin represent the old covenant—the religious system of the Pharisees, which was focused on external rituals and laws. Jesus is offering something new, a new covenant based on his life, death, and resurrection. Just as new wine cannot be contained in old wineskins, the new message of grace, joy, and redemption cannot be contained within the old forms and structures of religion. Jesus is not merely renewing Judaism; he is bringing a new way of relating to God that transcends the old.
Luke 5:38 - 39 – New wine needs new wineskins
“But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.”
In this verse, Jesus emphasizes that his new message requires new structures and new ways of understanding. The Gospel of grace cannot be confined to the old patterns of law and ritual; it needs new forms of worship, relationship, and understanding. The fresh wineskins symbolize the new life that Jesus offers, a life that cannot be contained in old systems. This is a call to embrace the newness of Jesus’ message and to let go of the old systems that were focused on external observance rather than internal transformation.
“And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.’”
In this final verse, Jesus makes a poignant observation about human nature. People often resist change, especially when they have grown comfortable with the old ways. The metaphor of preferring the old wine over the new suggests that those who are accustomed to the old religious practices may find it difficult to accept the newness of Jesus’ message. Change is hard, and the familiar can seem more comfortable than the unknown. However, Jesus is calling people to let go of their comfort and to embrace the radical newness of his kingdom.
Luke 5:33-39 and Meaning for Today
The passage reminds us that the message of Jesus is one of radical transformation. It’s not about patching up the old or fitting Jesus into our existing frameworks. The kingdom of God, as revealed in Jesus, is new wine that requires fresh wineskins. When we encounter Jesus, we are invited to embrace a new way of life, a new way of relating to God that isn’t confined to ritual or tradition, but is centered on grace, joy, and the presence of the bridegroom.
Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees in this passage challenges us to examine our own tendencies to hold onto the old and resist change. Are we, like the religious leaders, more focused on maintaining our practices and routines than on experiencing the fullness of God’s new work through Jesus? The question of fasting is ultimately a question of the heart—whether we are willing to let go of the old ways to embrace the new thing God is doing in our lives.
