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17 Jesus heard what these people were saying. He said to them, ‘People who are well do not need a doctor. It is people who are ill that need a doctor. Some people think that they always obey God. I did not come to help people like that. Some people know that they have done wrong things. I am asking those people to come to me for help.’

18 At this time, the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came to Jesus and they asked him this question: ‘The disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees often fast for a time. So why do your disciples never do that?’[a]

19 Jesus answered them, ‘When a man marries, his friends cannot refuse to eat. They cannot fast while he is with them.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:18 John the Baptist and the Pharisees taught their disciples to fast (stop eating food) for a certain time. They did this to show that they were serving God.