What did Jesus say about Fasting?

¹⁶ “Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.

¹⁷ But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

¹⁸ so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

¹⁹ “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast.

²⁰ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

²¹ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made.

²² No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.”

¹⁵ “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

¹⁶ No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made.

¹⁷ Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

¹⁷ “Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me.”

[…]

Narration or other speakers' words are omitted to show Jesus' words. Read in context for the full passage.

²⁰ “Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

²¹ But this kind doesn’t go out except by prayer and fasting.”

¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.

¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed by himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men: extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

¹² I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’

¹³ But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

³¹ “To what then should I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?

³² They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, saying, ‘We piped to you, and you didn’t dance. We mourned, and you didn’t weep.’

³³ For John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’

³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

³⁵ Wisdom is justified by all her children.”

¹⁶ “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call to their companions

¹⁷ and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you didn’t dance. We mourned for you, and you didn’t lament.’

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”