Mark 2 18

Mark 2:18 kjv

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?

Mark 2:18 nkjv

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"

Mark 2:18 niv

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?"

Mark 2:18 esv

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

Mark 2:18 nlt

Once when John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, "Why don't your disciples fast like John's disciples and the Pharisees do?"

Mark 2 verses

Mark 2 18 Meaning

Mark 2:18 presents a direct question posed to Jesus by onlookers concerning the distinct lack of fasting observed among His disciples, contrasting sharply with the common practice of both John the Baptist’s disciples and the Pharisees. This inquiry subtly challenges the nature of Jesus’s ministry and the perceived laxity or divergence from accepted religious devotion found in His followers, implicitly demanding an explanation for their unconventional lifestyle.

Mark 2 18 Context

Mark 2:18 occurs within a series of escalating confrontations that establish Jesus’s divine authority and His departure from conventional religious norms. The chapter begins with Jesus declaring forgiveness of sins and healing a paralytic (vv. 1-12), followed by His scandalous act of calling Levi, a tax collector, and then dining with a mixed group of "tax collectors and sinners" (vv. 13-17). The question about fasting in Mark 2:18 therefore immediately follows the controversy over Jesus associating with "sinners," presenting another challenge regarding His unconventional practices. Fasting was a deeply ingrained spiritual discipline in Judaism, observed both mandated by the Law (Day of Atonement) and voluntarily by devout individuals (Pharisees fasted twice weekly), symbolizing repentance, mourning, or earnest supplication.

Mark 2 18 Word analysis

• Now John’s disciples (οἱ μαθηταὶ Ἰωάννου / hoi mathētai Iōannou): Refers to the followers of John the Baptist, known for their ascetic practices, including fasting, as a mark of repentance and anticipation for the Messiah’s arrival. Their piety stemmed from a call to prepare the way for the Lord (Mk 1:2-4).
• and the Pharisees (καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι / kai hoi Pharisaiōi): A prominent Jewish religious group revered for their strict adherence to Mosaic Law and oral traditions. Their regular, voluntary fasting (e.g., Lk 18:12) was a demonstration of intense devotion and sought to distinguish themselves as righteous, though sometimes it devolved into performative piety (Mt 6:16).
• were fasting (ἦσαν νηστεύοντες / ēsan nēsteuontes): The imperfect tense signifies an ongoing or habitual practice. "Nēsteuō" means to abstain from food, often for spiritual reasons such as repentance, mourning, or to seek God's face. The inclusion of both John’s disciples and the Pharisees highlights that the practice of regular fasting was broadly accepted as a sign of spiritual earnestness in the contemporary Jewish religious landscape.
• And people came and said to Him (καὶ ἔρχονται καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ / kai erchontai kai legousin autō): "People" implies general observers, possibly representatives of the religious authorities or individuals curious about Jesus's teachings, who directly confronted Him with this observed disparity. This signals a public challenge to Jesus and His methods.
• Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast? (Διατί οἱ μαθηταὶ Ἰωάννου καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι νηστεύουσιν, οἱ δὲ σοὶ μαθηταὶ οὐ νηστεύουσιν; / Diati hoi mathētai Iōannou kai hoi Pharisaiōi nēsteuousin, hoi de soi mathētai ou nēsteuousin?): This question sets up a clear contrast, juxtaposing the traditional, established practices of devotion with the unusual (to them) behavior of Jesus’s followers. The "Why?" challenges Jesus's authority to deviate from accepted religious norms, suggesting His disciples’ non-fasting implies spiritual laxity or even irreverence.

Word Groups / Phrases

• "John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting": This pairing brings together two otherwise distinct groups who shared this common, visible spiritual discipline. It establishes a broad societal expectation for religious piety that Jesus’s disciples appeared to disregard, setting the stage for Jesus to explain the uniqueness of His presence.
• "Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?": This central query encapsulates the entire issue. It expresses perplexity, criticism, and perhaps an implicit accusation of spiritual negligence directed at Jesus and His followers. The conjunction "but" emphatically highlights the perceived discrepancy and calls for justification, leading directly to Jesus’s pivotal teaching about the "bridegroom" and the "new wine."

Mark 2 18 Bonus section

The seemingly simple question about fasting in Mark 2:18 subtly forces Jesus to articulate the profound nature of His arrival and the Kingdom of God. The contrasting practices hint at the transition from the old covenant era, marked by waiting and solemn preparation (like John's ministry), to the new covenant ushered in by Christ's physical presence—a time of unparalleled spiritual joy and fellowship with God Himself. This verse directly sets up Jesus's metaphor of Himself as the Bridegroom, whose presence transforms a time of potential mourning into one of celebration, thereby revealing His identity and the radical joy His advent brings to the world. It’s not just a debate about asceticism, but a theological discourse on the nature of salvation and God's interaction with humanity, distinguishing Jesus's unique call and ministry from all previous religious forms.

Mark 2 18 Commentary

Mark 2:18 serves as a pivot point, introducing a question about spiritual practice that unveils a foundational theological difference between Jesus’s ministry and the prevailing religious systems. Both John the Baptist’s disciples and the Pharisees engaged in frequent fasting, albeit for distinct reasons—John's for penitence in preparation for Messiah, and the Pharisees’ for devout legalistic adherence. The absence of this widely recognized spiritual discipline among Jesus’s followers thus sparked concern and questioning, signaling a perceived deviation from religious earnestness. Jesus’s response, not explicitly in this verse but implied through the question and fulfilled in the subsequent verses (Mk 2:19-22), reveals that His presence among them ushered in an unprecedented era—a joyous time akin to a wedding feast where the Bridegroom is present. It’s a time of celebration and fulfillment, where the focus shifts from external ritual to the internal joy of God's Kingdom realized. This signifies a fundamental discontinuity, implying that new spiritual realities cannot be contained within old rigid structures.

• Example 1: When encountering Christ, a believer may experience such joy that certain past practices become less urgent than savoring His presence.
• Example 2: True spiritual discipline flows from an understanding of Christ's New Covenant, not mere imitation of tradition or external obligation.