Thomas Aquinas Commentary Matthew 9:14-17

"Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then will they fast. And no man putteth a piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment; for that which should fill it up taketh from the garment, and a worse rent is made. Neither do [men] put new wine into old wine-skins: else the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins perish: but they put new wine into fresh wine-skins, and both are preserved." — Matthew 9:14-17 (ASV)

Here a question concerning eating is related; and the response follows, where it is said, And Jesus said.

But then a literal question arises here: why in Mark 2:18 and Luke 6:33, it seems that the question was asked by some other men, where it is said: Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast; but your disciples do not fast? (Mark 2:18). Therefore, the disciples of John did not speak. Augustine resolves the question. It was so that the Pharisees were lying in wait for Christ; hence, sometimes they brought the Herodians with them, but now they take John’s disciples with them. Hence, He could have been asked this question both by other men and by John’s disciples.

But why were they fasting? To this particular point, it is replied that it was from their traditions, or from the Law, as, for instance, it is stated in the Law that on the day of propitiation they were required to fast. And also it is written: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Juda, joy, and gladness, and great solemnities (Zechariah 8:19). Likewise, John’s disciples were fasting because of their master’s example, who was a man of great austerity; but Christ’s disciples were not fasting.

And Jesus said to them. Here Jesus responds, and He responds subtly. First, He indicates the reason concerning Himself, and then concerning His disciples. Concerning the first, He does two things. First, He determines the time of eating; second, He determines the time of fasting, where it is said, But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast.

He says, therefore, Can the children of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? Where this Evangelist says, ‘mourn,’ another Evangelist⁹ says, ‘fast’; for although fasting has a certain spiritual joy, nevertheless, as it is stated in Holy Scripture: All chastisement for the present indeed seems not to bring with it joy, but sorrow (Hebrews 12:11). Hence, there is a fasting of spiritual joy, as it is said: I set my face to the Lord, my God, to pray and make supplication with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes (Daniel 9:3). Likewise, there is a mournful fasting and a fasting of affliction, such as when it is done on account of sorrows. The Lord replies concerning both fastings.

The bridegroom is Christ, for He who has the bride is the bridegroom. For He is the Bridegroom of the whole Church and is its origin. The Old Law has one origin, the New Law another; for the Old Law had its origin in fear, but the New Law in love; hence, For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear: but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons of God (Romans 8:15). And, You are come to Mount Sion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22).

Therefore, because the origin of the New Law was in love, for that reason He should have nourished His disciples in a kind of love; for that reason, He calls Himself a Bridegroom, and His disciples, sons, because these are names of love. ‘Hence, it is a good thing that I keep them; and for that reason I do not want to impose anything burdensome upon them lest they abhor it, and in this way turn back.’ And therefore, those who are new in religious orders are not to be burdened. Hence, Ambrose, in the book, De Similitudinibus, reprehends those who heavily burden novices; and this is what Christ says: Can the children of the bridegroom mourn, etc.?; as though He were to say: ‘It is not fitting that they fast, but rather that they live in a certain sweetness and love, so that in this way they may receive My law in love,’ as it is written: As Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Hence, from Easter until Pentecost, fasting does not take place, because then the Church recalls the newness of the law.

But the days will come, etc. And this is said literally. The days will come, namely, when you are governing the Church, the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast. And He foretold this to them, saying, You shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice (John 16:20). For those who were before Christ desired Christ’s presence, such as Abraham, Isaiah, and the other prophets. Likewise, after His death, His presence was desired by the Apostles; hence, Peter was, as it were, in continual sorrow on account of Christ’s absence; and Paul was saying, I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23). Hence, then was the time of fasting.

Another reason they were not bound to fast in His presence was because fasting ought to be chosen insofar as it chastens the body, lest the body prevail against the spirit; but when He was present, He was keeping them from excess; therefore, it was not necessary for them to fast; hence, it is written in John 17:12: Father, while I was with them, I kept them. But John the Baptist did not have this power, for that reason his disciples were obliged to fast. But when Christ was taken away, it was necessary for Christ’s disciples to fast. Hence, Paul says: I chastise my body and bring it into subjection, etc. (1 Corinthians 9:27).

And nobody putteth a piece of raw cloth unto an old garment. Here, He proposes another reason concerning the disciples, and He proposes two examples. One interpretation is according to Augustine, and another according to Jerome.

Hence, according to Augustine, He means to say: ‘It was said that the disciples should not fast, neither in Christ’s presence, nor also by reason of their condition, because burdensome things should not be imposed upon the imperfect. Therefore, since these men are imperfect, fasting should not be imposed upon them.’ In order to show this, therefore, He speaks of it under the metaphors of cloth and wine. Because justice consists in external works and in the newness of affection, therefore, He cites two examples. He says, therefore, Nobody putteth, etc., so that if someone wished to join together new cloth, he does not put a piece, that is, a patch, of raw cloth, that is, new cloth, unto an old garment, because it would take away its beauty; so if someone, being imperfect, has his own way of life, if you wish to impose upon him another yoke, he withdraws from that to which he had been accustomed, and there is made a greater tear.

Neither do they put new wine into old bottles. He presents here another example concerning wine; it is as if He were to say: ‘My disciples are like old bottles.’ The new wine is the New Law because of its newness: hence, when they had received the Holy Ghost, men said that they were drunk with wine (Acts 2:13). Hence: Neither do they put new wine into old bottles. Otherwise the bottles break. Hence, if you impose a new way of living upon an old man who for a time has had a particular way of life, his heart is broken through its unbearableness. Moreover, the wine runneth out, that is, it is not preserved, and the bottles perish: because they trampled upon God’s Commandments; and, for that reason, they perish. But new wine they put into new bottles, making the spiritual doctrine new through their affection, as the Apostle says: Comparing spiritual things with spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:13). If wisdom shall enter into your heart, and knowledge please your soul: counsel shall keep you, and prudence shall preserve you, that you may be delivered from the evil way, and from the man that speaks perverse things, etc. (Proverbs 2:10–12).

Jerome explains these examples differently: therefore, he calls the Pharisees’ rules of conduct an old garment, and he calls the Gospel teaching a new garment; it is as if He were to say, ‘It is not good that they should keep your teachings, because in this way they would worsen the old tears’; and so they would not be able to receive the new teaching, just as we see that someone who is not imbued with contrary doctrines receives His doctrine more easily than someone who is imbued. And, therefore, ‘It is not good that they be imbued with your doctrines.’