Ash Wednesday

Jesus says, “when you fast”, not “if you fast.” When he spoke these words to his disciples, he assumed that they would fast. Jesus never said, “Don’t fast!” He said, “Don’t fast like the hypocrites, who do it only to get attention and be seen. They walk around with pained expressions on their faces; they neglect to wash and care for their bodies. They want people to know that they are fasting and say, “Wow! Look at how miserable that guy is. He must be a serious Christian!” Jesus said, “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” (Mt 6:17).

Believers in every age of the Church have fasted. Christians have always done this. Jesus assumed that we too would fast. But perhaps someone ought to explain to Jesus that he shouldn’t expect as much from Christians today. We have become accustomed to our cozy middle-class lives, to all our creature comforts and entertainment on demand. Christians in the First Century were willing to give up their lives rather than deny their faith in Jesus. I wonder what we are willing to give up.

The devil, who seeks always to destroy the Church of Christ, has employed many strategies over the centuries. At first, he tried brute force: Christians were dragged from their homes and fed to lions in the stadiums of Rome. But with the death of every martyr, God raised up a dozen more believers, and the Church grew. Today, Satan has found a more cunning and dangerous strategy. Rather than killing Christians outright, he seeks to ensnare us with the pleasures and trappings of this world. There is no need to try to take the faith away from believers forcibly when they will give it up willing in exchange for worldly trinkets.

Is this effective? Perhaps, more than we realize. The Christians of old were accustomed to fasting. But for many of us, fasting is an utterly foreign idea. Is this part of your Christian vocabulary, your Christian practice? If not, then perhaps the devil has succeeded to some degree in lulling you to sleep with worldly pleasures and comforts.

So why do Christians fast? What’s the point? Does it make God love us more? Of course not. Will it help you get to heaven? No. God loved us when we were his enemies, and sent his Son to die to open the way to heaven. This is already finished. It’s a done deal. Your salvation has already been accomplished. So why do Christians fast? We fast because we are sinners. It is a form of spiritual training. In the same way that an athlete trains his body, so we ought to train and discipline our mind and soul. Fasting is part of the habit of being a Christian.

The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were commanded not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They were commanded to fast. But they broke this godly fast and willingly chose to enter into sin. We are descendants of our sinful father and mother, and we have inherited their sinful nature. The Bible calls this nature the Old Adam. This is the nature that every one of us has at birth. But when you were baptized, the Holy Spirit gave birth to a new nature within you, the New Man that loves holiness and hates sin. But you still have that Old Adam within you as well, struggling for dominance, trying to lead and entice you back to old sinful desires and pleasures.

The Apostle Peter writes, “You have escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire, having become partakers of the divine nature. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue… and self-control… and steadfastness” (2 Peter 1:4–6). What happens to an athlete who stops training? His body grows fat and lazy. The same is true for Christians. Yes, you are saved. Yes, you have escaped from the corruption that is in the world. Yes, your name is written in the book of heaven. And still St. Peter commands us, “Make every effort to supplement your faith with holy living and self control.” We ought to recognize the very real danger of becoming spiritually fat and lazy. That’s why we must train continue with our spiritual training. Christians must practice saying no to the sinful desires of the Old Adam. We must cultivate godly habits. We must discipline ourselves in body, soul, and mind. This is why Christians have fasted throughout the centuries. It is a way of telling the Old Adam, “Get used to not getting everything you want.” How will you say no to the big sins, the sins that destroy lives and marriages, if you have never practiced saying no along the way? This is why we fast.

The world teaches that we are nothing more than animals. We are creatures of impulse and instinct. We are driven by our desires for food, and sex, and comfort. But the Word of God teaches the opposite. You are not a slave to every bodily craving and base impulse. You are a dear child of God. You have been cleansed by the blood of God’s own Son. Yes, you have a body that is subject to natural desires. You also have a sinful nature that wants to succumb to every sinful desire. But you are more than these things. You are a Christian, that is, a follower of Christ. And as a Christian, you are called to deny yourself, say no to the Old Adam, pick up your cross, and follow Jesus. Before Cain killed his brother, God said to him, “Sin is crouching at your door. It wants to rule over you, but you must overcome it” (Gen 4:7). This is why Christians fast. It is part of the training and conditioning of our spirit, so that we can overcome the desires of the sinful nature.

If you have never fasted during the season of Lent before, I encourage you to consider it this year. What sort of thing might one give up for Lent? It could be a certain food that you enjoy: meat, or chocolate, or alcohol. It might be certain forms of entertainment: video games, Netflix, or Facebook. It ought to be something that hurts, something that costs you. Don’t give up cigars if you never smoke them. And don’t give up things that are sinful for Lent: you shouldn’t be doing those anyway. Give up something that is good, something you enjoy, something you will miss. Why? Because it’s good practice. It is good to be reminded that we are not slaves to our passions and desires. Yes, the Old Adam may still be hanging around, but he is not running the show. And when you make a habit of denying yourself, it is much easier to say no to actual sins.

Will God love you more when you fast? No. He couldn’t love you more than he already does. But fasting may teach you to love God more. It will certainly strengthen your faith. It will cause you to remember Jesus who was willing to leave behind the joy of heaven, willing to give up even his own life, in order to rescue you from certain death. So 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. Amen.