Fasting: Delighting Through Denial

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been discussing various ways that we can have a “Disciplined delight in the Trinity.” We’ve looked at taking in scripture through reading, hearing and studying it. We’ve discussed meditating on Scripture. We’ve considered how we can commune with God in prayer and respond to God in Worship. Last week we considered a bit of how we should be unashamed to share the gospel through the discipline of evangelism.

All of those disciplines have with them the ideas or concepts of reception and expression, inhaling and exhaling. We receive or inhale from God in how we take in and chew on his word. We express or exhale to God as we worship and to others as we evangelize. We do a bit of both inhaling and exhaling, receiving and expressing in prayer.

Today, we get to learn how we can delight in the Trinity by denying ourselves things that we need or want. In other words, fasting. This morning we have had our own sort of fast as we denied ourselves the familiar or normal vehicles of worship in order worship God differently. We could define fasting as the intentional denial or abstinence from something for a specified period of time. Biblically speaking, most often people abstained from eating or drinking for a time. As we will see, the reasons for fasts will vary.

If you have your Bibles, open them to Matthew 6. This passage is part of the sermon on the mount - a sermon that takes up three chapters in Matthew’s gospel. In the early part of the sermon, Jesus addresses attitudes - or what is often referred to as “beatitudes.” He begins essentially by framing the outlook and position of his followers - urging them to stand out from run of the mill religious people (Mt. 5:1-16).

In the next section, He reflects back on laws in the Old Testament and the traditions that have been formed in order to help people follow the laws. This section of his sermon is filled with phases like “you have heard that it was said” and “but I say to you.” In many ways, Jesus was popping religious bubbles (Mt. 5:17-48).

As we enter into the part of his sermon that we’re considering today, this is nestled in a a section that seems to address acts of righteousness. Jesus even introduces this section by stating:

Matthew 6:1

Matthew 6:1 ESV

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

He then proceeds to talk about deeds of righteousness like giving to the poor, praying, and fasting. In each of these, his point is that while he expects us to do these things, our motivation should not be outward reward.

Let’s look at verses 16-18 to see what He says about fasting.

Matthew 6:16–18 ESV

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

So, if we could boil done Jesus’ point in this passage to one theme, it might be something like...

Theme: Jesus expected us to secretly fast so that whatever benefit we receive will be from God alone.

So, in light of Jesus’ teaching here and in what we see throughout the Bible, I think there are several things that we can learn about this discipline of fasting. First of all…

Fasting is expected or assumed.

Twice in these three verses, Jesus says “when you fast.” In other words, He expected or assumed that people would fast.

As I studied fasting this week, I found it interesting that there is only one place where fasting is commanded. That is on the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 16:29–31 ESV

“And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever.

That word that is translated “afflict” in the ESV carries with it the practical application of fasting. In fact the Christian Standard Bible translates this command as “you are to practice self-denial.” In this religious ceremony, the high priest would offer a sacrifice on behalf of the whole congregation in order to atone for their sin. This was a fasting of repentance or contrition. If sin represents a wicked indulgence or willful rebellion, fasting here was intended to be a sort of righteous denial in order to awaken us from the stupor of sin.

So, in the very least, Jesus expected that these Jewish followers would be fasting on the day of atonement, but I think he assumed that people would fast at other times.

The practice of fasting is seen throughout scripture and even in some extra-biblical sources that talk about Israelite history was not limited to the day of atonement.

In light of that we get to see that …

Fasting may be individual or corporate.

The fast on the day of atonement was clearly a corporate or congregational fast. There were other times when large groups of people would declare a fast.

In the book of Judges, we see one of the first examples of a corporate fast as the the tribes of Israel went to war against the tribe of Benjamin. After several days of losing battles and tremendous loss of life, the leaders of the other tribes declared a fast and sought the Lord. In response, the Lord brought them victory the next day. You can read about that tragic time in Israel’s history in Judges 20.

In the days leading up to a time when she would confront the King, Esther called for the Jews in Susa to fast from food and drink for 3 days. They were not fasting as a result of sin, but instead as a plea for favor from the Lord. Esther, if she entered into the King’s presence uninvited, could be killed. She was rightfully afraid for her life. But what’s more, if her petition in front of the King was denied, the Jewish people, including herself, would be killed because of an order by one of the King’s leading men. So the people fasted in an extreme way. Esther worked up the courage and found favor with the King. God rewarded them. (Esther 4)

So, there are clearly corporate or congregational examples of fasting, but we also learn that there are spontaneous or even intentional individual fasts.

David fasted when the child that he had through Bathsheba was terminally ill. He saw that illness as punishment for his own adulterous sin. His fasting seemed to be both in remorse over his sin and in hope that God would relent from this punishment and heal the child. 2 Sam. 12:17-23.

We also see an individual fast from Jesus. Just before he began his public ministry, scripture tells us that he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke seem to communicate that this time of fasting was so that he could experience a a time of testing or temptation. (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).

Some Christians and churches use the season of Lent as a season of a specified fast. According to the Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, Lent is

“The period of preparation prior to Easter, 40 weekdays (six weeks, not counting Sundays; cf. Mark 1:13). Originally a time of fasting for baptismal candidates, it became a time of general penance and abstinence, with increased emphasis on reflection and spiritual renewal.”

In the first 2 centuries of the church, most fasts, even lenten fasts, were only for 2-3 days. Around the time of the Nicene Creed in 325 A.D. is when we see the first examples of a 40 day fast in preparation for Easter. This is modeled after the 40 day fasts of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. There have been variations in exactly how this lenten fast is experienced. Some people would fast from food for the weekdays and take the weekends off. Of late, people have chosen specific things from which to fast - chocolate, meats, dairy, breads, certain drinks. In recent years, people have even included things like electronics or entertainment.

There may be a time when we call for us to fast corporately for a specific season and a specific reason. There may be times when we will be individually called by the Spirit to enter into a fast as a means of addressing entangling or besetting sins or even simply pleading to the Lord for favor or longing for a renewed relationship with the Lord.

Now, if you or I choose to use the season of Lent or any other time as an intentional fast, I think we need to keep in mind that…

Fasting should be private and not performative.

I know - it seems like a contradiction to say that fasting could per personal or corporate and yet should also be private. The point the Jesus is making here and the point that we see in some places in the OT, is that fasting does not garner favor with God. Fasting is not a performative act of quid pro quo. Some of the hypocritical religious leaders saw it that way.

Matthew 6:16 ESV

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

These religious leaders sought to get public acclaim for their performance. They wanted to look religious or righteous in the eyes of others.

Now, I’m not sure that any of us would enter into a fast in order to make ourselves look good in front of others, but there are other things that we might do to elevate ourselves. We all have to fight against our own prideful acts of self-righteousness.

But in fasting, or any other discipline, it’s tempting to be performative in order to get God to do something.

It’s interesting that in English - we have the word reward rendered twice in these verses, but they actually come from two different words in Greek. The first word that Jesus uses in reference to the reward that the hypocrites receive has the connotation of a transaction or a wage. I get something because I did something. That’s why Jesus says they have their reward. They wanted public acclaim and they got it.

But, Jesus counters their example with the exhortation to secretly fast so that God will reward - in this case, God will provide some recompense. There is a reward, but the terms are in God’s hand, in His wisdom - not as some contract on our behalf.

There was a season when the nation of Israel faced this kind of dilemma. In Isaiah 58, God rebukes the people because of their performative fasts. They carry on these religious activities, but it makes no difference in their lives. This is an extended reading, but notice how their actions expect a certain outcome, but they are unwilling to actually make real and lasting changes in their lives.

Isaiah 58:1–9 (NLT)

“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.

Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.

Tell my people Israel of their sins!

Yet they act so pious!

They come to the Temple every day

and seem delighted to learn all about me.

They act like a righteous nation

that would never abandon the laws of its God.

They ask me to take action on their behalf,

pretending they want to be near me.

‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.

‘Why aren’t you impressed?

We have been very hard on ourselves,

and you don’t even notice it!’

“I will tell you why!” I respond.

“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.

Even while you fast,

you keep oppressing your workers.

What good is fasting

when you keep on fighting and quarreling?

This kind of fasting

will never get you anywhere with me.

You humble yourselves

by going through the motions of penance,

bowing your heads

like reeds bending in the wind.

You dress in burlap

and cover yourselves with ashes.

Is this what you call fasting?

Do you really think this will please the Lord?

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;

lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free,

and remove the chains that bind people.

Share your food with the hungry,

and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them,

and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,

and your wounds will quickly heal.

Your godliness will lead you forward,

and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

Then when you call, the Lord will answer.

So, when we fast, if we’re fasting for a specific purpose, I think it’s okay to come with a hope that God will answer in a certain way. We saw that in David, with the Jews in Susa, and even in Judges, but we also have to come with the humility that recognizes God’s providence - he sees us and sees the need and knows. There is not a magic formula or mathematical equation with God. Ultimately, we have to recognize that whether we fast individually or corporately…

Fasting is a physical reminder of the spiritual reality that we need God more than anything.

When fasting from food, we’ll experience hunger pains for a time. That should prompt us to respond, “God I need you. I want this, but I need you.”

Sometimes, that recognition will take a matter of hours. Sometimes this will take much more time - it will take intentionality. There are a lot of people who are touting intermittent fasts for health reasons. While there may be some benefits to periodic or even regular fasts, fasting from food, drink, or anything else for a season will force us to let those cravings, delights, and desires drive us back to God - turn our attention toward God.

Fasting may lead us to come to a place of repentance - repenting for our own idolatry and self-sufficiency.

Fasting can be an expression of our own grief in a season of mourning or loss.

Fasting can be a physical means of humbling ourselves before God.

Jesus humbled himself to the will of the other persons of the trinity and allowed himself to be born like us. He lived like us, except he did it perfectly. When he died, he denied himself the rights and privileges of His eternal and immortal existence for a time in order that you and I might be able to partake in His eternal life, in his righteousness. Friend, if you’re not yet a follower of Christ, then fast permanently from your self-reliance and trust Jesus. Humble yourself before Him, repent of your sin, receive His eternal life. He will reward you.

Beloved, you may or may not participate in a lenten fast. The elders and I are not calling for us to engage in a corporate fast at this time. However, if you sense from the Holy Spirit that you need to enter into a season of denial in order to delight in God more fully, then do so - humbly, privately, willingly.

Matthew 6:17–18 ESV

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Let’s pray.

Benediction

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Questions for reflection and discussion

Consider reading any of these passages related to fasting: Matthew 6:16-18; Leviticus 26 (specifically vs. 29-13); Judges 20; Esther 4; 2 Samuel 12:17-23; Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13; Isaiah 58:1-9.

What intrigues you about what the Bible says about fasting?

How have you participated in a fast in the past?

What is the purpose of a fast?

Questions from Kids’ Connection

Topic: You Shall Not Murder (Ex. 20:13); Genesis 4:1-16 (Cain and Abel); Matthew 5:21-26.

What stood out to you from your lesson in Kids’ Connection?

Why did Cain kill his brother?

Why is murder wrong?

In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus gets to the root of murder. What is it?

How should we act differently in light of this commandment?

Sources:

Belben, H. A. G. “Fasting.” Edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman. New Bible Dictionary. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Cross, F. L., and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck. “Lent.” Edited by David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000.

Piper, John. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Sisters, OR. Multnomah, 2003.

Piper, John. Providence. Wheaton, IL. Crossway, 2020.

Reeves, Michael. Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith. Downers Grove, IL. InterVarsity Press, 2012.

Seal, David, and Kelly A. Whitcomb. “Fasting.” Edited by John D. Barry, David Bomar, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, Douglas Mangum, Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, Lazarus Wentz, Elliot Ritzema, and Wendy Widder. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.

Torrey, R. A. The New Topical Text Book: A Scripture Text Book for the Use of Ministers, Teachers, and All Christian Workers. New, revised and enlarged edition. Chicago; New York; Toronto: Fleming H. Revell, 1897.

Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. NavPress, 2014.

Whitney, Donald S. TEN Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. NavPress, 2001.