Matthew 9:15
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.
Cross-references
Matthew 25:1-10 uses the same bridegroom metaphor for Christ, depicting the wise and foolish virgins awaiting his return.
In Matthew 6:16, Jesus warns against fasting with a sad face — contrasting the proper fasting that will follow the bridegroom's removal here.
In Matthew 11:17, the wedding/funeral imagery shows people rejecting both John's mourning and Jesus' feasting — similar to the bridegroom metaphor here.
In Revelation 19:9, the marriage supper of the Lamb fulfills the bridegroom imagery, with the blessed invited to the feast Jesus alludes to here.
In Acts 1:9, Jesus' ascension is the literal 'taking away' of the bridegroom, fulfilling the situation described in Matthew 9:15.
In Luke 24:13-21, the disciples' sorrow over Jesus' death directly fulfills the prediction of mourning when the bridegroom is taken away.
In John 3:29, John the Baptist calls himself the friend of the bridegroom, directly echoing Matthew's wedding guests and identifying Jesus as the bridegroom.
In John 16:20-22, Jesus develops the sorrow-to-joy theme, explaining that the bridegroom's absence causes weeping but his return brings joy.
In John 16:6, Jesus declares the disciples' sorrow because of his departure, mirroring the mourning over the bridegroom's removal in Matthew 9:15.
Joel 2:16 calls the bridegroom from his chamber for a solemn assembly — the same image Jesus uses to mark a time for fasting.
In Acts 13:2, the church fasts and worships — fulfilling the pattern Jesus describes here of fasting after the bridegroom's departure.
In John 16:4, Jesus foretells his departure — the same event that causes the fasting mentioned here.
In Mark 16:10, the disciples mourn after Jesus' death — exactly the situation Jesus predicts here when the bridegroom is taken.
Acts 13:1-3 depicts the early church fasting as they seek God's direction — a practice Jesus predicted would follow his departure.
Acts 14:23 shows fasting with prayer in appointing elders — a post-ascension discipline Jesus foretold.
Psalm 45:14-15 depicts the bride being led to the king — an OT wedding psalm that typologically foreshadows Christ the bridegroom.
In Revelation 21:2, the bride (new Jerusalem) is prepared for the bridegroom, complementing Matthew's focus on the bridegroom's presence and removal.
In Luke 17:22, Jesus speaks of longing for his presence — echoing the time of absence that triggers fasting here.