Sermon Tone Analysis
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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 :
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.
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