Matthew 9:14

Matthew 9:14. The disciples of John. Luke puts the question in the mouth of the Pharisees, but by this time all the spiritual disciples of John must have become followers of Christ; the rest would lean toward Pharisaism.

Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft? Some authorities omit ‘oft,' but it is better to retain it. The Pharisees, it is supposed, fasted twice in the week (Luke 18:12); the remnant of John's disciples would be led to a similar practice, by his austere life. But thy disciples fast not? The complaint also implies: ‘if you are a teacher from God, why does your teaching result in leading your followers away from old-established forms and customs, confirmed by the example of our own teacher, John.' A demand for a compromise between the old and the new, as Matthew 9:16 shows. External legalism here assumed to teach Christ; and John's disciples borrowed aid from the Pharisees whom John denounced.