Matthew 9:15

In the original Greek according to Westcott-Hort this verse is:

Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Μὴ δύνανται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος πενθεῖν, ἐφ᾿ ὅσον μετ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ὁ νυμφίος; Ἐλεύσονται δὲ ἡμέραι ὅταν ἀπαρθῇ ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν ὁ νυμφίος, καὶ τότε νηστεύσουσιν.

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

The New International Version translates the passage as:

Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Most commentators agree that "the Bridegroom" is Christ, since He has become "wedded to human nature." The completion of his marriage is spoken of in Rev 19:7, with "the endless marriage-feast of the Lamb." The word "mourn" is said to mean "fast" by Lapide. The sense he gives is that, "at a wedding, modest banquets are becoming, fasting is unbecoming." However, when Christ dies then his disciples will mourn and fast. By this MacEvilly believes he referring to the ancient custom of mourning for the dead, with fasting, which David and the Hebrews did for seven days when Saul died. Lapide points out that the Apostles did stricter fasting after Jesus died, which St. Paul relates in 1 Cor 11. In the Orthodox church, Christians continue to fast, observing Wednesdays and Fridays as fast days, while Western churches join them to observe Lent as a fasting time.^[1][2]