The Bridegroom Is With Us: Reflections on Matthew 9:14-15

The disciples of John the Baptist approach Jesus with a straightforward inquiry: "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, while your disciples do not fast?" On the surface, this seems like a reasonable question. Fasting was an established spiritual discipline, a visible sign of devotion and repentance. The absence of this practice among Jesus' followers appeared strange, even concerning.

The Answer

Jesus responds not with a defense of his disciples' behavior, but with a powerful metaphor: "Can the wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast."

This answer shifts the entire conversation. Jesus is not dismissing fasting as a spiritual practice. Rather, he is revealing something far more important: the nature of his presence and its meaning for those who follow him.

The Bridegroom Among Us

In Jewish tradition, the wedding feast was a time of extraordinary joy, a celebration where normal routines were set aside. By calling himself the bridegroom, Jesus is making a claim about who he is and what his presence means. He is the long-awaited one, the fulfillment of God's promises, the one who brings the joy of salvation.

The wedding imagery is rich with meaning. It speaks of covenant, intimacy, celebration, and new beginning. Jesus is not just another teacher or prophet. He is the bridegroom who has come to unite heaven and earth, to bring God's people into intimate relationship with their Creator.

Faith as Relationship, Not Routine

What makes this passage particularly relevant for us today is how it challenges our understanding of spiritual practice. We live in a world that loves metrics, schedules, and measurable devotion. We can easily fall into the trap of thinking that faith is primarily about checking boxes: attending services, saying prayers, following disciplines.

Jesus redirects our focus. The question is not first about what we do, but about who is with us. Spiritual practices have their place and their season, but they are meaningful only in the context of relationship with Christ. Fasting without recognizing the bridegroom's presence misses the point entirely.

Recognizing Our Season

Jesus' words also remind us that there are different seasons in the spiritual life. There is a time for celebration and a time for fasting, a time for feasting and a time for mourning. The disciples were in a season of the bridegroom's presence, a time that called for joy and celebration, not mourning.

This invites us to reflect on our own spiritual season. Are we living with awareness of Christ's presence? Do we recognize the gift of his companionship, or have we become so focused on religious routines that we miss the relationship they are meant to serve?

A Living Presence

The Gospel reading from Matthew reminds us that Christianity is not fundamentally about rules, practices, or external observances. It is about the living presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. Our spiritual disciplines, our prayers, our acts of devotion—all of these find their meaning in relationship with him.

The wedding guests do not fast because the bridegroom is with them. We who follow Christ are called to live with the awareness that he is with us still, that his presence transforms everything, that knowing him is the heart of faith.

Conclusion

As we reflect on today's Gospel, let us ask ourselves: Do we recognize the bridegroom? Are we living in awareness of his presence? Are our spiritual practices drawing us closer to relationship with Christ, or have they become empty routines?

May we be like the wedding guests who recognize that the bridegroom is present, and may our lives be marked by the joy of his companionship.