Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Over my 55 years of life I have attended and sung at many weddings and have even had the privilege of officiating a few. Outside of a few chronically negative, grouchy old cranks, most all will say that a wedding is a wonderful event filled with food, fun, friends and family. A wonderful event, that is, as long as the Groom is present and is not taken away from the event. Imagine a wedding where the Groom was suddenly taken away and all were left to celebrate without him. It wouldn’t be much of a celebration, would it? Such a wedding would quickly take on the form and spirit of a funeral.
In this parable of Matthew 6, Lord Jesus is the Groom and His disciples are His bride. Thus, using the imagery of Hosea 6, Jesus is very clearly proclaiming Himself to be God. The bride at a wedding does not mourn through fasting. No way! The Groom is alive and is the Life of the party. Why would the bride fast and mourn? With this reference Jesus once again openly proclaims Himself to be God Incarnate. There is no doubt. The wedding feast is progressing and Jesus’ disciples will not mourn and fast until He is taken from them. When He is taken away; however, they will mourn and fast as they long for His reappearing.
There will be a final wedding feast when the Groom, who was taken away for the forgiveness of sins, returns. Those He finds clothed in the wedding garment of faith in Christ will enjoy the presence of Lord Jesus at a feast of God that can only be imagined. The joy of that event will overshadow all sorrow, pain and disappointment. We will sit down at the table of God and enjoy a feast with our Savior, His Father and the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!
Ventanas 