SEV Biblia, Chapter 9:14
¶ Entonces los discípulos de Juan vinieron a l, diciendo: ¿Por qu nosotros y los fariseos ayunamos muchas veces, y tus discípulos no ayunan?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 9:14
Verse 14. Thy disciples fast not?] Probably meaning that they did not fast so frequently as the others did, or for the same purposes, which is very likely, for the Pharisees had many superstitious fasts. They fasted in order to have lucky dreams, to obtain the interpretation of a dream, or to avert the evil import of a dream. They also fasted often, in order to obtain the things they wished for. The tract, Taanith is full of these fasts, and of the wonders performed thus by the Jewish doctors.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. Then came to him the disciples of John , etc.] Of John the Baptist, to whom they had addicted themselves, and by whom they abode: though their master was in prison, and the Messiah was known to be come, yet still they were attached to John, and particularly imitated him in the austerities of his life. These, either hearing of the great entertainment made at Matthews house for Christ, and his disciples, at which they were offended; or else being moved, and set on by the Pharisees, with whom they were agreed in the business of fasting, came to Christ where he was, and put this question to him, saying, why do we, and the Pharisees, fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? Not that they wanted to know the reason why they and the Pharisees fasted; that they could account for themselves, but why Christs disciples did not: and this is said not so much by way of inquiry, as reproof; and their sense is; that Christs disciples ought to fast, as well as they and the Pharisees, and not eat, and drink, and feast in the manner they did. The fastings here referred to are not the public fasts enjoined by the law of Moses, or in any writings of the Old Testament; but private fasts, which were enjoined by John to his disciples, and by the Pharisees to theirs; or which were, according to the traditions of the elders, or of their own appointing, and which were very often indeed: for besides their fasting twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, ( Luke 18:12) they had a multitude of fasts upon divers occasions, particularly for rain f561 . If the 17th of Marchesvan, or October, came, and there was no rain, private persons kept three days of fasting, viz. Monday, Thursday, and Monday again: and if the month of Cisleu, or November, came, and there was no rain, then the sanhedrim appointed three fast days, which were on the same days as before, for the congregation; and if still there was no rain came, they added three more; and if yet there were none, they enjoined seven more, in all thirteen, which R. Acha and R. Barachiah kept themselves f562 .
Fasts were kept also on account of many other evils, as pestilence, famine, war, sieges, inundations, or any other calamity; sometimes for trifling things, as for dreams f563 , that they might have good ones, or know how to interpret them, or avoid any ill omen by them; and it is almost incredible what frequent fastings some of the Rabbins exercised themselves with, on very insignificant occasions. They say, R. Jose ymwx yynmt x , fasted fourscore fasts to see R.
Chiyah Rubba; at last he saw, and his hands trembled, and his eyes grew dim: R. Simeon Ben Lakish ymwx wwam tlt x , fasted three hundred fastings to see R. Chiyah Rubba, and did not see him.
Elsewhere it is said, that R. Ase fasted thirty days to see the same person, and saw him not f565 . Again f566 , R. Jonathan fasted every eve of the new year, R. Abin fasted every eve of the feast of tabernacles, R. Zeura fasted three hundred fasts, and there are that say nine hundred fasts.
This may serve to illustrate and prove the frequency of the Jewish fastings.
Luke represents this question as put by the Pharisees, which is here put by the disciples of John: it was doubtless put by both agreeing in this matter; and which shows that Johns disciples were instigated to it by the Pharisees, who sought to sow discord between them, and to bring Christ and his disciples into contempt with them.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 14-17 - John was at this time in prison; his circumstances, his character, an the nature of the message he was sent to deliver, led those who wer peculiarly attached to him, to keep frequent fasts. Christ referre them to John's testimony of him, Joh 3:29. Though there is no doub that Jesus and his disciples lived in a spare and frugal manner, it would be improper for his disciples to fast while they had the comfor of his presence. When he is with them, all is well. The presence of the sun makes day, and its absence produces night. Our Lord furthe reminded them of common rules of prudence. It was not usual to take piece of rough woolen cloth, which had never been prepared, to join to an old garment, for it would not join well with the soft, old garment but would tear it further, and the rent would be made worse. Nor woul men put new wine into old leathern bottles, which were going to decay and would be liable to burst from the fermenting of the wine; but putting the new wine into strong, new, skin bottles, both would be preserved. Great caution and prudence are necessary, that youn converts may not receive gloomy and forbidding ideas of the service of our Lord; but duties are to be urged as they are able to bear them.
Greek Textus Receptus
τοτε 5119 ADV προσερχονται 4334 5736 V-PNI-3P αυτω 846 P-DSM οι 3588 T-NPM μαθηται 3101 N-NPM ιωαννου 2491 N-GSM λεγοντες 3004 5723 V-PAP-NPM δια 1223 PREP τι 5101 I-ASN ημεις 2249 P-1NP και 2532 CONJ οι 3588 T-NPM φαρισαιοι 5330 N-NPM νηστευομεν 3522 5719 V-PAI-1P πολλα 4183 A-APN οι 3588 T-NPM δε 1161 CONJ μαθηται 3101 N-NPM σου 4675 P-2GS ου 3756 PRT-N νηστευουσιν 3522 5719 V-PAI-3P
Robertson's NT Word Studies
9:14 {The disciples of John} (hoi maqetai iwanou). One is surprised to find disciples of the Baptist in the role of critics of Christ along with the Pharisees. But John was languishing in prison and they perhaps were blaming Jesus for doing nothing about it. At any rate John would not have gone to Levi's feast on one of the Jewish fast-days. "The strict asceticism of the Baptist (#11:18) and of the Pharisaic rabbis (#Lu 18:12) was imitated by their disciples" (McNeile).
