Luke 5:34
Jesus replied, "Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?
Jesus replied
The phrase "Jesus replied" indicates a direct response from Jesus, showcasing His role as a teacher and authority. The Greek word used here is "ἀποκριθεὶς" (apokritheis), which means to answer or respond. This highlights Jesus' willingness to engage with questions and challenges, often using them as teaching moments. His replies are not just answers but are filled with wisdom and insight, reflecting His divine understanding.

Can you make
The phrase "Can you make" suggests a rhetorical question, implying the impossibility or inappropriateness of the action. The Greek word "δύνασθε" (dunasthai) is used, which means to be able or to have power. This emphasizes the authority and appropriateness of actions in the presence of Jesus, the Son of God. It suggests that certain actions, like fasting, are not fitting in the context of Jesus' presence.

the guests of the bridegroom
This phrase refers to those who are invited to a wedding celebration. In the Jewish tradition, a wedding was a time of great joy and festivity. The Greek word "υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος" (huioi tou numphōnos) literally means "sons of the bridal chamber," indicating close companions or friends of the bridegroom. This metaphor highlights the joy and celebration associated with Jesus' presence, as He is often depicted as the bridegroom in the New Testament, symbolizing His relationship with the Church.

fast
Fasting is a spiritual discipline involving abstaining from food for a period of time, often for prayer and reflection. The Greek word "νηστεύειν" (nēsteuein) is used here, which means to fast. In the Jewish context, fasting was a sign of mourning or penitence. Jesus' question implies that fasting is not appropriate during a time of joy and celebration, such as when He, the bridegroom, is present.

while he is with them
This phrase underscores the significance of Jesus' physical presence among His followers. The Greek "ὅταν ὁ νυμφίος μετ' αὐτῶν ἐστιν" (hotan ho numphios met' autōn estin) emphasizes the temporal nature of Jesus' earthly ministry. It suggests that there is a time for celebration and a time for fasting, and that discernment is needed to understand the appropriate response to Jesus' presence. This highlights the unique and transformative nature of Jesus' ministry, which brings joy and fulfillment to those who recognize Him as the Messiah.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is responding to a question about fasting. His response highlights His role as the bridegroom, a metaphor for His relationship with His followers.

2. The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law
These religious leaders questioned Jesus about why His disciples did not fast like those of John the Baptist and the Pharisees.

3. The Disciples
Followers of Jesus who were being compared to the disciples of John and the Pharisees regarding their practice of fasting.

4. The Bridegroom
A metaphor used by Jesus to describe Himself, indicating a time of joy and celebration rather than mourning and fasting.

5. The Wedding Feast
Implied in the metaphor, representing a time of joy and presence with Jesus, contrasting with the traditional practice of fasting.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Bridegroom Metaphor
Jesus uses the bridegroom metaphor to illustrate His unique role and the joy of His presence. In Jewish culture, a wedding was a time of great celebration, and Jesus is emphasizing that His presence is a time for joy, not fasting.

The Purpose of Fasting
Fasting is traditionally associated with mourning or seeking God's presence. Jesus' presence with His disciples negated the need for fasting at that time, teaching us that spiritual disciplines should align with our relationship with Christ.

Joy in Christ's Presence
As believers, we are called to experience joy in the presence of Christ. This joy should be evident in our lives and serve as a testimony to others.

Anticipation of Christ's Return
While Jesus was physically present with His disciples, we now live in anticipation of His return. Our spiritual practices, including fasting, should reflect both the joy of His presence through the Holy Spirit and the longing for His return.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the metaphor of the bridegroom help us understand Jesus' relationship with His followers?

2. In what ways can we experience the joy of Christ's presence in our daily lives, even though He is not physically present with us?

3. How should our understanding of fasting change in light of Jesus' teaching in this passage?

4. What are some practical ways we can demonstrate the joy of knowing Christ to those around us?

5. How can the anticipation of Christ's return influence our spiritual disciplines and daily living?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 9:14-15 and Mark 2:18-20
These parallel passages also discuss the question of fasting and Jesus' response, reinforcing the metaphor of the bridegroom.

John 3:29
John the Baptist refers to Jesus as the bridegroom, which aligns with Jesus' self-identification in this passage.

Revelation 19:7-9
The imagery of the wedding feast is expanded in Revelation, where the marriage of the Lamb is celebrated, symbolizing the ultimate union of Christ and His Church.
The Call of Levi, and the Subsequent BanquetR.M. Edgar Luke 5:27-39
Christian Mutual ToleranceA. Mackennal, D. D.Luke 5:33-34
Privileges as Well as Duties to be Attended ToLuke 5:33-34
Wisdom Justified of Her ChildrenF. W. Robertson, M. A.Luke 5:33-34
A Mixed GarmentC. J. Elliot, M. A.Luke 5:33-38
Christian NaturalnessW. Clarkson Luke 5:33-38
Christianity a New DispensationArchdeacon Farrar.Luke 5:33-38
Christianity Will not Amalgamate with JudaismH. Melvill, B. D.Luke 5:33-38
New Cloth on an Old GarmentDean Plumptre.Luke 5:33-38
New Wine in Old BottlesDean Plumptre.Luke 5:33-38
No Patch-Work MoralityM. R. Vincent, D. D.Luke 5:33-38
Permanence of the OldD. E. Lancing, D. D.Luke 5:33-38
Suitable External FormsDean Chadwick.Luke 5:33-38
The Broken BottlesH. Melvill, B. D.Luke 5:33-38
The Patched GarmentM. R. Vincent, D. D.Luke 5:33-38
The Unity of the GospelM. R. Vincent, D. D.Luke 5:33-38
Theology Must Tally with ExperienceM. R. Vincent, D. D.Luke 5:33-38
Worthlessness of a Patched CharacterM. R. Vincent, D. D.Luke 5:33-38
People
James, Jesus, John, Levi, Peter, Simon, Zabdi, Zebedee
Places
Galilee, Genneseret, Jerusalem, Judea
Topics
Able, Attendants, Bridal, Bridechamber, Bride-chamber, Bridegroom, Compel, Fast, Friends, Guests, Newly-married, Party, Replied, Sons, Wedding
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 5:34

     5699   guests
     5710   marriage, customs
     5742   wedding

Luke 5:33-34

     2039   Christ, joy of

Luke 5:33-35

     5312   feasting
     5660   bridegroom
     8432   fasting, practice

Luke 5:33-39

     4548   wineskin
     5588   traditions

Luke 5:34-35

     2203   Christ, titles of
     5712   marriage, God and his people

Library
March 25 Evening
Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.--LUKE 5:5. All power is give unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: . . . and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea. Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: necessity is laid
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

March 19. "Launch Out into the Deep" (Luke v. 4).
"Launch out into the deep" (Luke v. 4). Many difficulties and perplexities in connection with our Christian life might be best settled by a simple and bold decision of our will to go forward with the light we have and leave the speculations and theories that we cannot decide for further settlement. What we need is to act, and to act with the best light we have, and as we step out into the present duty and full obedience, many things will be made plain which it is no use waiting to decide. Beloved,
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

December 9. "Launch Out into the Deep" (Luke v. 4).
"Launch out into the deep" (Luke v. 4). One of the special marks of the Holy Ghost in the Apostolic Church was the spirit Of boldness. One of the most essential qualities of the faith that is to attempt great things for God and expect great things from God, is holy audacity. Where we are dealing with a supernatural Being, and taking from Him things that are humanly impossible, it is easier to take much than little; it is easier to stand in a place of audacious trust than in a place of cautious, timid
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Humility
LUKE v. 8. Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. Few stories in the New Testament are as well known as this. Few go home more deeply to the heart of man. Most simple, most graceful is the story, and yet it has in it depths unfathomable. Great painters have loved to draw, great poets have loved to sing, that scene on the lake of Gennesaret. The clear blue water, land- locked with mountains; the meadows on the shore, gay with their lilies of the field, on which our Lord bade them look,
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other Sermons

Instructions for Fishermen
'Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.'--LUKE v. 4. The day's work begins early in the East. So the sun, as it rose above the hills on the other side of the lake, shone down upon a busy scene, fresh with the dew and energy of the morning, on the beach by the little village of Bethsaida. One group of fishermen was washing their nets, their boats being hauled up on the strand. A crowd of listeners was thus early gathered round
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Fear and Faith
'When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' --LUKE v. 8. 'Now, when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him,... and did cast himself into the sea.'--JOHN xxi. 7. These two instances of the miraculous draught of fishes on the Lake of Gennesareth are obviously intended to be taken in conjunction. Their similarities and their differences are equally striking and equally instructive. In the fragment
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Blasphemer, or --Who?
'And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him. 19. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the house-top,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

"The Moody and Sankey Humbug. "
There was a man, while we were in London, who got out a little paper called "The Moody and Sankey Humbug." He used to have it to sell to the people coming into the meeting. After he had sold a great many thousand copies of that number, he wanted to get out another number; so he came to the meeting to get something to put into the paper; but the power of the Lord was present. It says here in this chapter (Luke 5) that the Pharisees, scribes, and doctors, were watching the words of Christ in that house
Dwight L. Moody—Moody's Anecdotes And Illustrations

Absolution.
Preached June 2, 1850. ABSOLUTION. "And the Scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"--Luke v. 21. There are questions which having been again and again settled, still from time to time, present themselves for re-solution; errors which having been refuted, and cut up by the roots, re-appear in the next century as fresh and vigorous as ever. Like the fabled monsters of old, from whose dissevered neck the blood
Frederick W. Robertson—Sermons Preached at Brighton

Carried by Four
When our Lord left his retirement he found the crowd around him exceeding great, and it was as motley as it was great; for while here were many sincere believers, there were still more sceptical observers; some were anxious to receive his healing power, others equally desirous to find occasion against him. So in all congregations, however the preacher may be clothed with his Master's spirit and his Master's might, there will be a mixed gathering; there will come together your Pharisees and doctors
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

The Secret of Success.
5th Sunday after Trinity S. Luke v. 5. "We have taken nothing; nevertheless at Thy word, I will let down the net." INTRODUCTION.--S. Peter and the other Apostles had been fishing all night, and had met with no success at all, then Jesus entered into the boat of Simon, and bade him launch out and let down his net. S. Peter did not hesitate. He had met with no success when fishing in the night, nevertheless now, at the word of Christ, he fishes again, and this time the net encloses a great multitude,
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

Christ the Great Physician.
"They that are whole have no need of a physician; but they that are sick. I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Luke v. 31, 32). "For this people's heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them" (Matt. xiii. 15). "He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted" (Luke iv. 18).
Frank G. Allen—Autobiography of Frank G. Allen, Minister of the Gospel

Jesus, Still Lead On.
"Jesu, geh Voran." "They forsook all, and followed him."--Luke 5:11. [7]Ludwig von Zinzendorf transl., Jane Borthwick, 1846, 1854 Jesus, still lead on, Till our rest be won! And although the way be cheerless, We will follow, calm and fearless. Guide us by thy hand To our Fatherland. If the way be drear, If the foe be near, Let not faithless fears o'ertake us, Let not faith and hope forsake us For, through many a foe, To our home we go! When we seek relief From a long-felt grief-- When oppressed
Jane Borthwick—Hymns from the Land of Luther

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Penitence, as Explained in the Sophistical Jargon of the Schoolmen, Widely Different from the Purity Required by the Gospel. Of Confession and Satisfaction.
1. Errors of the Schoolmen in delivering the doctrine of repentance. 1. Errors in defining it. Four different definitions considered. 2. Absurd division. 3. Vain and puzzling questions. 4. Mode in which they entangle themselves. 2. The false doctrine of the Schoolmen necessary to be refuted. Of contrition. Their view of it examined. 3. True and genuine contrition. 4. Auricular confession. Whether or not of divine authority. Arguments of Canonists and Schoolmen. Allegorical argument founded on Judaism.
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Seventh Appearance of Jesus.
(Sea of Galilee.) ^D John XXI. 1-25. ^d 1 After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and he manifested himself on this wise. 2 There was together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee [see p. 111], and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. [As usual, Peter was the leader.] They say unto him, We also come with thee. They went forth, and entered into the boat;
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals a Leper and Creates Much Excitement.
^A Matt.VIII. 2-4; ^B Mark I. 40-45; ^C Luke V. 12-16. ^c 12 And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities [it was a city of Galilee, but as it was not named, it is idle to conjecture which city it was], behold, ^b there cometh { ^a came} ^b to him a leper [There is much discussion as to what is here meant by leprosy. Two diseases now go by that name; viz., psoriasis and elephantiasis. There are also three varieties of psoriasis, namely, white, black and red. There are also three varieties
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Disciples of Jesus.
In this terrestrial paradise, which the great revolutions of history had till then scarcely touched, there lived a population in perfect harmony with the country itself, active, honest, joyous, and tender-hearted. The Lake of Tiberias is one of the best supplied with fish of any in the world.[1] Very productive fisheries were established, especially at Bethsaida, and at Capernaum, and had produced a certain degree of wealth. These families of fishermen formed a gentle and peaceable society, extending
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Conflict with Evil
The Kingdom of God Will Have to Fight for Its Advance The great objective is the Kingdom of God. In realizing the Reign of God on earth three recalcitrant forces have to be brought into obedience to God's law: the desire for power, the love of property, and unsocial religion. We have studied Christ's thought concerning these in the foregoing chapters. The advance of the Kingdom of God is not simply a process of social education, but a conflict with hostile forces which resist, neutralize, and defy
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

The Lake of Gennesaret; Or, the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias.
Jordan is measured at one hundred and twenty furlongs, from the lake of Samochonitis to that of Gennesaret. That lake, in the Old Testament, is 'The sea of Chinnereth,' Numbers 34:11, &c. In the Targumists, 'The sea of Genesar'; sometimes, 'of Genesor'; sometimes, 'of Ginosar': it is the same also in the Talmudists, but most frequently 'The sea of Tiberiah.' Both names are used by the evangelists; 'the lake of Gennesaret,' Luke 5:1; 'the sea of Tiberias,' John 21:1; and 'the sea of Galilee,' John
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Peter's Repentance
"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:61, 62). That was the turning-point in the history of Peter. Christ had said to him: "Thou canst not follow me now" (John 13:36). Peter was not in a fit state to follow Christ, because he had not been brought to an end of himself; he did not know himself, and he therefore could not follow
Andrew Murray—Absolute Surrender

Links
Luke 5:34 NIV
Luke 5:34 NLT
Luke 5:34 ESV
Luke 5:34 NASB
Luke 5:34 KJV

Luke 5:34 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Luke 5:33
Top of Page
Top of Page