Fasting Slowly

Genie

In the 1990s (and now re-released this year in live action), Disney told the story of street rat kid who stumbled across a magic lantern. Not realizing what it is, he polishes it and out pops a Genie. The Genie quickly announces to the boy that he has three wishes - and no wishing for more wishes. He quickly realizes that he has to be careful with his wishes - the smallest phrase could be turned into an unsuspecting wish.

The rest of the movie turns into this boy trying to win the affections of a girl, but trying not to be himself.

If you were given a free wish - what would you wish for?

For you?

For your family?

For our church?

For our town, State, nation, world?

Wishes like this become the stuff of dreams and ambitions. It reveals our greatest moments of generosity and our deep seated greed.

There are times, I think, when we begin to treat God like a Genie - we do religious activities in order to garner spiritual favor in hopes that God will do what we want. One of those magic-lantern rubbing activities is fasting - the discipline of denying ourselves something for a time.

Today, as we continue in this look at the Sermon on the Mount, we’re going to consider Jesus’ teaching on fasting.

If you would, open your Bibles to :

English Standard Version Chapter 6

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. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 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.

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.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. Print.

Let’s pray.

In looking at this passage, there are a lot of fundamental similarities between this week on fasting and last week on prayer. If you remember Jesus told his disciples how to pray - privately and briefly. He then told them what to pray - the heart of the Lord’s prayer. Finally, He urged them to enter into their prayer with forgiving hearts.

For this week, Jesus’ teaching is really quite simple and brief. He mainly centers on the “how” of fasting. We could spend weeks studying the ins and outs of fasting - all of the kinds of fasts, when to fast, how to fast. For today, we’re going to try to expose what Jesus is saying here. What’s quite interesting is that Jesus’ teaching seems to be an abbreviated version of fasting that God was upset about in Isaiah 58.

Fasting for temporary rewards (; )

Much like Jesus did in the first parts of - He calls out the religious leaders as hypocrites because they are fasting for the wrong reasons.

According to some scholars, many Jews, especially religious leaders, would fast two days each week (some said Monday/Thursday, other Tuesday/Thursday). Now, this is not bad in and of itself, but it appears that many of these hypocrites used this as an opportunity to prove to others just how spiritual they were.

There is only one fast that is mandated in scripture - and that is the fast on the day of atonement (; ). There are many other times when people are called to fast as a means of repentance and change, sometimes for guidance - but there is only one mandated fast.

So this practice of regularly fasting is going above and beyond what God required - seems good. And yet - while this was more than God expected, it was not performed with the heart that God desires. It appears that the religious leaders in Jesus day would go out of their way to make it known that they were fasting.

To some degree, this is nothing new for the people of Israel. seems to be addressing a similar issue - misplaced purpose of a fast.

Keep your finger here, but let’s look briefly at :

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.

5 You humble yourselves

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?

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.

It appears that just as in Jesus’ teaching in the NT, these Israelites were fasting to garner some favor from God. It was a religious performance and not a spiritual act of worship. There was no sincerity in their how they expressed this discipline.

I wonder, are there areas in which we do the same with God? Do we come to church/attend Bible study/have a daily quiet time out of habit or out of a sincere desire to draw close to God?

(story)?

Fasting for eternal rewards (; )

In contrast to the outward show of the hypocrites, Jesus urges his followers to do their fasts differently. He challenges them to not make it look like they are fasting at all. Let the outward appearance be normal - take a bath, wash your hair and your face - and yet abstain from something for the sake of God. Use the time as an opportunity to draw closer to God. Make time to pray, meditate, or read scripture during a meal that you would have otherwise eaten.

Now Jesus was familiar with fasting - in fact He went on an extreme 40 day fast - ironically understates the fact that Jesus was hungry. This fast preceded the temptation or test that the devil would have for him. This fast preceded His earthly ministry. This is the fast that started it all.

I’m sure that when he was in the midst of this fast, there were times when He certainly felt rotten. Fasting will cause some initial negative physical effects. Pushed too long or too extreme, fasting can be dangerous to your health - be careful if you’re going to do a long or extreme fast.

Elmer Towns wrote an excellent book entitled Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough: A Guide to Nine Biblical Fasts. In this book, he not only highlights nine different types of fasts, but he talks about some of the cycles and outcomes or benefits of fasting - both physical and spiritual.

As we deprive our bodies of the regular rhythms of food, we break a cycle of dependence even addiction. In the early part of a fast, this can cause head aches and even some moodiness. But as the fast progresses - a few more hours or an extra day, the deprivation becomes a sort of cleansing or even detoxification. Some parents have even found relief from the effects of ADHD and Autism as they carefully led their children through fasts. One family had a 12 year old autistic son. They had him fast for three days. They found that he actually responded to them for the first time. After careful testing, it was determine that he had an enzyme deficiency that made him sensitive to certain foods. As they began to experiment with rotational fasts and food combinations - the boy continued to improve to the point where by age 18, he was able to read and showed signs of continued improvement. Now fasting is not a cure-all, but it can reveal physically how our bodies respond negatively to foods (Towns p. 179).

We get so easily addicted to thing in our culture - food, drinks, drugs, games, etc. These addictions and dependencies pull us distract us from our relationship with God.

While there will likely be some physical benefits to fasting, the greater benefit is spiritual.

Let’s turn back to - beginning in verse 6. (NLT)

“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.

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.

God seems to be communicating that when his people fast, there should be some change in them and through them. Fasting acknowledges a dependence on God, but it also seems to be a sign of submission - “I”m not longer going to be addicted to ______, I am depending on you for____.”

Using these verses, Towns outlines nine different kinds of fasts that have physical and spiritual outcomes - fasts that seek for an eternal reward. We’ve placed the content of this in the bulletins. My hope is that these will inspire us to consider fasting but will also inform us on the how and the why of fasting. (Towns, p. 20-23)

The Disciples Fast: () - “Free those who are wrongly imprisoned.” - In - the disciples encountered a boy who was demon possessed. Jesus said that this kind only comes out with prayer and fasting (). We might enter into this fast if we are seeking freedom from some bondage for ourselves or for someone for whom we are praying.

The Ezra Fast: () - “lighten the burden” - Ezra instituted this fast in order to seek the Holy Spirit’s aid to solve problems as the people of Israel returned from exile (). We might enter into this fast to ask God for his help in solving a particularly challenging problem.

The Samuel Fast: () - “let the oppressed (physically and spiritually) go free” - Samuel led the people of Israel to fast both in celebration of the return of the ark and asking that they would be delivered fro the sin that prompted the Ark to be captured (). Towns suggests that we might enter into this fast to pray for “revival and soul winning, to identify with people everywhere enslaved literally or by sin and to pray to be used of God to bring people out of the kingdom of darkness into God’s marvelous light.” (Towns, 21). Who do you know know that is lost and enslaved in sin? There are so many people around the world who are still caught in slavery as we learned a few weeks ago from Steve Pettit - are there people that you and I know specifically who are enslaved in different ways.

The Elijah Fast: () - “remove the chains that bind people.” - After Elijah faced the prophets of Baal - he ran a days journey away from Jezebel. His life had been threatened and he was deeply afraid. God sustained him with food and then sent him on a forty day journey - sustaining him by that one meal (,). We might enter into this fast if we are facing depression or anxiety over certain things - or maybe if a loved one is - and so we fast, praying that their chains would be removed.

The Widow’s Fast: () - “share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless.” - In - Elijah encountered a widow who had nearly given up on life. She used the last of her flour to feed Elijah. In response, God provided for her in abundant ways - causing her flour and oil not to run out. We might enter into this fast to give up food or comfort for someone who is in need.

The Saint Paul Fast: () - “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,” - asking that God would bring a clearer perspective and insight as we make crucial decisions. In - Saul (who later became known as Paul) was blinded by a light from heaven. He entered into a fast for three days - which ultimately resulted in His salvation - it’s not that the fasting saved him, but it prepared him for what he would hear. Friend, you may be here and you might not consider yourself to be a Christian. This might be God’s way of calling you to come to Him. Consider fasting for a few days, asking God to help you see how he has been revealing himself. Earnestly seek Him. Then repent of your sin and believe in the work that Jesus Christ did for you on the cross. We can only truly come to God in our emptiness - with nothing to offer. I’d be happy to talk with you more about this after the service.

The Daniel Fast: () - “and your healing spring up speedily” - asking God to give us improved health or healing. In we find that Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the Kings food and entered into a partial fast that limited himself to only certain food. Are there certain things that we might need to abstain from in order to break unhealthiness in our bodies?

The John the Baptist Fast: () - “your righteousness shall go before you.” - seeking that “our testimonies and influence for Jesus would be enhanced before others” (Towns, 23). Being a Nazarite from birth, John the baptist abstained from certain things in order to have a life that is distinct from others (). What is our witness like before our friends and neighbors? Are there certain things that we need to fast from in order to ask that God would allow us to have a greater influence?

The Esther Fast: () - seeking that “the glory of the Lord” would be our “rear guard.” Queen Esther found herself as a Jewish woman in a pagan royal court and asked that her people would fast for her so that she might find favor in the sight of the king (; ). Are there certain things from which we might need to seek the Lord’s protection/favor - a job interview, an application before the government, a conversation with teachers, or parents, etc?

Through his book, Towns takes time to carefully and thoughtfully work through each of these fasts. In these verses in Isaiah, God seems to desire that our fasts produce some change in and through us. Look at the promises that seem to flow from a fast that is done in this way. ()

Then when you call, the Lord will answer.

‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.

Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!

Feed the hungry,

and help those in trouble.

Then your light will shine out from the darkness,

and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

The Lord will guide you continually,

giving you water when you are dry

and restoring your strength.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like an ever-flowing spring.

Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.

Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls

and a restorer of homes.

“Keep the Sabbath day holy.

Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,

but enjoy the Sabbath

and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.

Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,

and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.

Then the Lord will be your delight.

I will give you great honor

and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.

I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.

Oh that we would truly delight in God and not simply do things in order to receive gifts or blessings from him.

Closing Thoughts

There is really so much more that we could look at as it pertains to fasting. In this section in - Jesus seems to assume that we will fast at some point. It might be a

normal fast from all food for a day, or 3, or 7, or 40 (though please be careful with the longer ones). It could be an

absolute fast where we eat or drink nothing. It could be a

partial fast where we only give up certain things for a time - much like people do for lent. It might be a

rotational fast where we rotate eating certain foods on certain days.

The Bible doesn’t specific rules for it, only that we do it.

Are there certain challenges that you are facing for which you need God’s aid? Are there certain health concerns that you are experiencing? Is there a bondage - whether spiritual, emotional, relational, or physical - that you or a loved one is enslaved with? Do you simply need to change your spiritual routine in order to get out of a spiritual rut?

Maybe God is calling you and I to fast.