Thomas Aquinas

Here the question about the feast is set forth, and the answer follows, where it says "And Jesus said to them." But here there is a literal question: why do Mark 2:18 and Luke 5:29 seem to show that the question was put by others — where it is said in Mark 2:18: "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Therefore the disciples themselves did not ask it. Augustine resolves this. It was thus: the Pharisees were laying snares for Christ, and so at one time they brought the Herodians with them, but at another they took up the disciples of John. Hence the question could have been put both by others and by the disciples. But whence came it that they fasted? The answer given here is: from their own traditions, or from the Law, as it is recorded that on the Day of Atonement they were bound to fast. And Zechariah 8:19: "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 Judah joy and gladness, and great solemnities." Likewise the disciples of John fasted after the example of their master, who was of great austerity; but the disciples of Christ did not fast.

"And Jesus said to them." Here Jesus answers, and subtly. First he assigns the reason on his own part, then on the part of the disciples. Concerning the first he does two things: first he determines the time for feasting; second, the time for fasting, where it says, "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 says "fast"; for although fasting has a certain spiritual joy, nevertheless, as is said in Hebrews 12:11, "all discipline for the present indeed seems not to be a matter of joy, but of sorrow." Hence there is a fasting of spiritual joy, as is said in Daniel 9:3: "I set my face to the Lord my God, to pray and to make supplication, in fasting, sackcloth, and ashes." There is likewise a fasting of mourning and affliction, as when it is undertaken on account of sorrows. The Lord answers concerning both.

For Christ is the bridegroom: whoever has a bride is a bridegroom. For he himself is the bridegroom of the whole Church, and its beginning. The old Law had one beginning, and the new Law another; for the old Law had its beginning in fear, the new Law in love; hence Romans 8:15: "For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption of the sons of God." And Hebrews 12:22: "You have come to Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, Jerusalem." Since, therefore, the beginning of the new Law was in love, he had to nourish his disciples in a certain love; therefore he calls himself the bridegroom, and the disciples sons, because these are names of love. Hence it is good that I should preserve them; and therefore I do not wish to impose anything heavy upon them, lest they be repelled and so fall back. And therefore those who are new in the religious life are not to be burdened. Hence Ambrose, in the Book of Similitudes, rebukes those who burden novices heavily. And this is what Christ says: "Can the children of the bridegroom mourn?" etc., as if to say: it is not fitting that they should fast, but rather that they should live in a certain sweetness and love; so that thus they may receive my law in love, as is said in Romans 6:4: "As Christ rose from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life." Hence from Easter until Pentecost no fasts are observed, because then the Church calls to mind the newness of the Law.

"But the days will come," etc. And this is to be taken literally. "The days will come," namely when, through your contriving, the bridegroom shall be taken away from them; and then they shall fast. And he foretold this to them, saying in John 16:20: "You shall weep, but the world shall rejoice." For those who lived before Christ desired the presence of Christ, as Abraham, and Isaiah, and the other prophets. Likewise after his death he was desired by the apostles: hence Peter was as it were in continuous grief on account of the absence of Christ; and Paul said, "I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ." Hence that was the time for fasting. Another reason why they were not bound to fast in his presence is that fasting is to be chosen insofar as it chastises the flesh, lest it grow too strong against the spirit; but while he was present, he kept them from excess; therefore it was not necessary for them to fast; hence in John 17:12: "Father, while I was with them, I kept them." But John the Baptist did not have this power, and therefore his disciples had to fast. But when Christ was taken away, they had to fast. Hence Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27: "I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection," etc.

"But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth upon an old garment." Here he sets forth another reason on the part of the disciples, and he gives two examples: one according to Augustine, the other according to Jerome. According to Augustine, then, he means to say: it has been said that in the presence of Christ the disciples ought not to fast, nor indeed by reason of their own condition, because heavy things ought not to be imposed on the imperfect. Since, therefore, these men are imperfect, fasting ought not to be imposed on them. To signify this, then, he touches on it under the metaphor of cloth and wine. Because righteousness consists in exterior works and in a newness of affection, he therefore gives two examples. He says, then, "no one puts," etc., as if to say: if one wished to join on new cloth, he would not put a patch — that is, a piece — of unshrunk cloth, that is, new cloth, upon an old garment, because it would take away its beauty; so likewise, if some imperfect person has a certain custom in his manner of life, if you wish to impose upon him a different yoke, he draws back from what he had been accustomed to, and the tear becomes worse, as is said below.

"Neither do they put new wine into old wineskins." Here he gives another example, from wine, as if to say: my disciples are like old wineskins. The new wine is the new Law, by reason of its newness: hence, when they had received the Holy Spirit, they were said to be full of new wine, Acts 2:13. Hence "neither do they put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst." Hence if you impose a new manner of living upon an old man, who for some time has had a certain custom, his heart is burst through intolerance. Likewise "the wine is spilled out," that is, it is not kept safe, "and the wineskins are lost": because they trampled upon the commandments of God, and therefore they perish. "But they put new wine into new wineskins," renewing spiritual teaching through the affections, as the Apostle says in 1 Corinthians 2:13: "comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Proverbs 2:10: "If wisdom shall enter into your heart, and knowledge shall 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. Jerome expounds it otherwise: for he calls the institution of the Pharisees the old garment, and calls the evangelical teaching the new; as if to say, it is not good that they should keep to your precepts, because in that way they would make the old tears worse, and thus they would not be able to receive the new teaching, just as we see that one who is not imbued with a contrary teaching more easily receives his own teaching than one who is already imbued with it. And therefore it is not good that your disciples be imbued with your teaching.