And Jesus said to them, “Can the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.” (Mark 2:19–20)
- This is the only passage Jesus explicitly refers to Himself as “the bridegroom” (Mark 2:19).
- Jewish wedding celebrations typically lasted seven days. This describes Jesus’ time with His disciples.
- Jesus refers to his disciples as the “sons of the bridechamber” = they are“the friends of the bridegroom who prepared for him the bridal-chamber and attended on him at the wedding.”
- For Jesus’ disciples to fast while He is still with them = denial that Jesus is the Bridegroom.
- Jesus suggests that a time will come – the day of His death – when He will be taken away. In wedding language, this is the night of consummation.
- On the night of consummation, the bridegroom would leave his friends and family and enter into what was known as the “bridal chamber” (Hebrew huppah) in order to be united to his bride, not to emerge again until morning (cf. Ps 19:4-5, Tobith 6:15-17, . 90
- Although the wedding celebration lasted for a whole week, the climax of the wedding was the night of consummation, on which the bridegroom would consummate the marriage in the bridal chamber and not emerge until morning. It was only on that day—the wedding day—that the bridegroom would finally be separated from his groomsmen and be joined to his bride, leaving the sons of the bridechamber to “mourn” the loss of their friend. 91
- “Jesus is the groom of God’s people in the coming messianic banquet.… The ‘taking’ of the bridegroom, of course, is a veiled reference to the impending crucifixion.” 92 – Keener
- Rather than joyfully accompanied by His disciples to the bride-chamber, He is “taken away” by soldiers & guards to the marriage chamber of the Cross.
- The Jewish bride-chamber was designed to resemble the tabernacle of Moses (to match the Holy of Holies).
- just as God consummated the marriage to Israel in the Tabernacle of Moses through the blood of the covenant, so too Jesus will consummate the marriage to his bride through the blood of the cross. 93
- Like a bridegroom Christ went forth from his nuptial chamber … He came even to the marriage-bed of the cross, and there, ascending it, he consummated a marriage. And when he sensed the creature sighing in her breath, he surrendered himself to torment for his bride in a communication of love. (Augustine, Sermo Suppositus, 120:3)
- Jesus revealing the mystery of His divine identity.
Prodigal Catholic 