The Greek verb apairo means to take away, to lift off, to remove. Appearing 3 times in the New Testament (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:20; Luke 5:35), it appears exclusively in Jesus's saying about the bridegroom being 'taken away' — the first direct hint in the Synoptic Gospels of His coming death.
All three occurrences of apairo appear in the identical saying of Jesus about fasting: 'The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast' (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:20; Luke 5:35). Jesus is responding to questions about why His disciples do not fast while John's disciples do. He frames His presence as a wedding feast — no one fasts at a celebration. But then He introduces the shadow: the bridegroom will be taken away. The word apairo — to lift away, to remove — subtly but unmistakably points to the crucifixion: the violent, forcible removal of Jesus from His disciples. This saying reveals Jesus's self-awareness of His coming death from early in His ministry, long before explicit passion predictions. After His removal, fasting becomes appropriate again — the mourning of absence, the longing for return. The 'taking away' anticipates the resurrection and ultimate return of the Bridegroom.