Matthew 9:13-15

International Children’s Bible

¹³Go and learn what this means: ‘I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices.’^[a] I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”

Jesus Is Not Like Other Jews

¹⁴Then the followers of John^[b] came to Jesus. They said to Jesus, “We and the Pharisees often give up eating.^[c] But your followers don’t. Why?”

¹⁵Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. Then his friends are sad, and they will give up eating.

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Footnotes

9:13 ‘I want . . . sacrifices.’ Quotation from Hosea 6:6.
9:14 John John the Baptist, who preached to people about Christ’s coming (Matthew 3; Luke 3).
9:14 give up eating This is called “fasting.” The people would give up eating for a special time of prayer and worship to God. It was also done to show sadness.