Fasting: Earnest Devotion

As I sat in study this week, I couldn’t help but notice the irony of where our passage fell this week. On the week of Thanksgiving, the holiday where we as Americans gather with our friends and families to feast and overeat, the passage falls on the topic of fasting. Now, I know the Holy Spirit works in these ways, but if you don’t see at least a little humor in that, I’m concerned about the health of your funny bone.

This is the third of three topics that Jesus has been addressing, issues of Piety or religious deeds that we ought to do, but we must guard carefully to be sure that we don’t do them “in order to be seen by others.” We have already covered the topics of charitable giving and prayer thus far. Those two things, as we noted, were religious deeds or deeds of piety that would have been part of the normal, routine life of the faithful Jew. And as Jesus addressed them, he speaks assuming that they will continue to be part of the lives of His followers also.

He says, not if, but“when you give your alms… When you pray…” and finally here he says, “when you fast...”

Fasting, of the three, is probably the least spoken of, the least understood, and the least practiced - at least in my experience. Now, maybe I am revealing too much about myself there - but as I think back on teaching I’ve heard and read, and conversations I’ve had with many many Christians in my lifetime, I can say for certain that giving and praying are assumed for most Christians, but fasting doesn’t get nearly as much air time.

What is Fasting?

The basic meaning of the words for fasting used in the Bible mean to abstain. In the Old Testament, the word means specifically to abstain from food. The New Testament word is a little more broad, meaning simply to abstain, but it is always food in the Bible that is being abstained from in a fast.

Most of the fasts we see in the Old Testament were communal fasts. Fasts that were done as the congregation of Israel to mark a special time, a time of mourning, or a time of repentance.

As the topic turns into the New Testament, we see smaller fasts, or even individual fasts becoming the more usual form.

Now, in our day, the most common type of fasting that we hear of is dietary fasting for the purpose of regulating health. There are things like intermittent fasting for weight loss, fasting before a weigh-in for athletes in certain weight classes, etc. But this is a modern adaptation - fasting in ancient times was only voluntarily done for religious purposes. In a time where food supply wasn’t as regulated and guaranteed, a “dietary” fast would have seemed foolish or at least odd.

Jesus, of course, isn’t speaking to the idea of medical or dietary fasting in this passage. The Bible doesn’t speak to that concept. As this is grouped with prayer and giving, this is clearly a religious fast.

Fasting, then, in this case, is a specific time of abstaining from food for the purpose of religious devotion. It is almost always coupled with prayer, seeking an answer, seeking forgiveness, or seeking wisdom. Perhaps we are less prone to fasting because the idea of being in need of answers or provision is further from us as 21st century individuals. But Jesus assumes His followers will fast, and He gives instruction on how to do so in a God-honoring way.

For followers of Jesus, fasting is not an empty ritual, but a time of private and earnest devotion; seeking the will of God, not recognition by men.

1. A Survey of Fasting

This first point might be a bit tedious, and we are going to look at a lot of scripture, and I’ll try to keep my comments to a minimum. But I want to take a quick survey through scripture to see fasting in as full as a sphere as possible, because it is such a foreign concept to many people. We will start in the books of Moses and work our way all the way to the early church in Acts. Lets start with the Old Testament

A. Old Testament

To begin, we first see the command to fast at the celebration of Yom Kippur, or 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.

We see fasting there in the term “afflict yourself.” Now, that is not the exact word for fasting, but the way it was always applied historically, and still today by Jewish people, was in fasting. There is no question, historically speaking, that fasting was in mind here.

So Israel was commanded to fast on the Day of Atonement, a day marking the cleansing and purifying from sin of the congregation of Israel.

That really is the only regulatory “command” to fast that we have in the scripture. Now, there are other times where people were told to fast at specific times, but as far as an overarching command to fast, we only see that on the Day of Atonement.

The idea of fasting in relation to forgiveness, atonement, or repentance continues through the Old Testament in a big way, though.

Joel 2:12 ESV

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

There, through the prophet Joel, the Lord tells his people to return to him, and part of their repentance was with fasting, fasting and mourning.

This even was seen among those who were not Jewish. In the story of Jonah, the city of Nineveh also took part in this kind of penitent fasting.

Jonah 3:5 ESV

And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

So fasting often took place in times of repentance or atonement, but it also was seen often in times of general mourning.

Judges 20:26 ESV

Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

Here, after tens of thousands of people of Israel were killed in a war with the Tribe of Benjamin, the army of Israel took part in a corporate fast of mourning for their great loss.

1 Samuel 31:13 ESV

And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

Here, after the death of Saul, the bones of Saul and his sons were gathered, buried, and some of the warriors took part in a fast of mourning for seven days.

So fasting in the Old Testament was largely corporate, although it was done in smaller groups at times. We see it was only commanded at the day of atonement, but was seen as appropriate at other times of mourning as well.

B. New Testament

As we turn the corner into the New Testament, the use of fasting really shifts from corporate repentance and mourning, to personal devotion. The first example we see of Fasting is that of the Prophetess Anna, the Old Woman who was present when Simeon gave his blessing over the baby Jesus in the temple.

Luke 2:36–37 ESV

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

This was not a commanded fast, it was simply a personal, private fast for the purpose of worship and devotion.

The next example of fasting that we see is Jesus fasting alone. This is really the greatest example of “devotional” fasting that we see in scripture, where Jesus was fasting in the wilderness for 40 days.

Matthew 4:1–4 ESV

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

We see Jesus was prepared for this battle with Satan, even being physically weakened by a long fast, yet he fought valiantly with prayer and the Word of God as he had sought his Father earnestly for 40 days.

By Jesus’ day, other private or individual fasts were quite common. It is noted in history that the Pharisees fasted twice weekly, and we see a snippet of that in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

Luke 18:11–12 ESV

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

This personal fast by the Pharisees was typically done on Monday and Thursday, and it was common knowledge among the people they came in contact with. That is much of what Jesus is probably addressing in this passage. More on that in a bit.

By the time of the early church, we see fasting was carried on by the Christians as they prayed and sought the Lord. one example we see is at a major turning point in Christian History, when the Holy Spirit separated Paul and Barnabas to take the Gospel of Christ to the Gentile cities of the known world.

Acts 13:1–3 ESV

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

This sparked the beginning of the greatest missionary endeavor that has probably been seen with human eyes. And fasting seemed to be a continual part of this mission as well. Later on, we see fasting involved in the planting of the early Christian churches.

Acts 14:23 ESV

And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

So we have seen both corporate and private fasts. We have seen fasting for repentance, mourning, worship, consecration, and seeking wisdom. Fasting almost always seems to be accompanied by times of prayer and devotion to God. By the New Testament era, individual fasts seem to be much more commonplace than corporate fasts. God’s people throughout the centuries have utilized fasting as a means of drawing near to him, focusing their minds and intentions, and seeking the Lord.

But just like prayer and giving, fasting certainly can be an avenue for showboating or pretense. That, of course, is exactly what we are to avoid in all our religious acts. So let’s look at negative examples of fasting. One from the book of Isaiah, and one from Jesus’ teaching in our passage today.

2. Negative Examples of Fasting

A. Isaiah

If you think back around 10 months, you might remember this topic coming up in Isaiah 58. I won’t re-preach that sermon, but lets just look at a few verses from that chapter.

Isaiah 58:1–4 ESV

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.

Here, the people are asking God a question, and fasting is involved here.

“Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, yet you take no knowledge of it?”

The answer, of course, was because their fasting was only an outward exercise that wasn’t backed by any true spiritual change or devotion. They fasted with their mouths, as it were, but they continued acting unrighteously. We could ask this question - if we fast from food but keep on in our unrighteousness, what good is our fasting?

The answer to these people was stern but direct - Fasting like this will not make your voice to be heard on high.

That sounds exactly like what Jesus says in Matthew 6, so lets finally come to His words.

B. Jesus

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.

Jesus’ words here speak, really, about the same problem and the same result that Isaiah spoke of. You have people fasting, publically, openly, expecting some reward from it - but their fast was false, because it was only a facade of righteousness with no depth.

We mentioned in the first point, that the pharisees made a practice of fasting twice a week - normally on Monday and Thursday. This, again, was common knowledge. They were personal fasts, but public displays. Jesus, again, uses the word “hypocrite” here - a play actor, a stage actor - to describe people who fasted to be seen by others. What he says is really interesting. He says, “don’t look gloomy like the hypocrites who disfigure their faces.”

The “hypocrites” are no doubt some of these pharisees, and Jesus will use that word specifically for them in later passages. They fasted personally, but they intentionally made themselves appear famished and gloomy so others would know they were fasting. The word for “disfigured” is literally “disappear.” That is, they made their faces unrecognizable, perhaps with makeup, or soot, or what have you.

This was all for display. This was all for attention. Think of it. You and I, especially me, could easily go one full day without eating. At the end of that day, we may be a bit more tired than normal, but we probably won’t be that bad off. It wouldn’t have been any different for the Pharisees, but they made it a point to be sure all around them knew they were fasting. Their fast, which should have been for intense devotion and seeking the Lord, was only seeking an audience - and they recieved their reward.

3. Positive Instruction on Fasting

Jesus, of course doesn’t just give us a “what not to do,” but he always gives positive examples also. He, himself, is the first positive example, and his words teach us as well as his actions.

He gives us two sets of instruction here - one outward, and one inward.

A. Outward Appearance

“anoint your head and wash your face.”

This wouldn’t be considered special treatment, or special activity. This “anointing” wasn’t spiritual or even medicinal, it was a common practice or daily routine, and was considered a joyful thing.

Now, it may seem backwards. Why do something considered joyful when taking part in an activity that often represents mourning? Well, it is for the very reason that fasting is to be a spiritual endeavor, and Jesus clearly sees its main application as private and personal.

For us, this would simply be akin to taking a shower, washing our faces, brushing our teeth, taking care of ourselves, putting on makeup if your so inclined, shaving if you’re so inclined.

Is Jesus saying to hide our fasting? To lie about it? No, but he is saying that we should not do anything out of the ordinary to draw attention to our fasting. This is a personal time, a time of seeking the Father - that is the goal, and he is our only audience.

B. Inward Intentions

That leads to the inward part. Yes, clearly fasting has physical ramifications. If you are not going to eat for a day, you will experience physical hunger. But that physical affliction is lighter than the spiritual need that you are addressing in the fast. Fasting gives way in our physical need to acknowledge that communion with God is far superior. It recognizes God as provider of all good gifts, and values devotion to Him above temporary satisfaction.

For that reason, we don’t have to make a display of the fast for it to be legitimate. In fact, we are better off being as private as we can. God the Father sees our hearts even when we are totally alone. Just as he sees when we give privately, and just as he knows our need before we even utter a word in prayer, so he sees our pure intentions in fasting even if nobody else knows that we are fasting.

And such it is with all these religious activities - if we ever get the notion that our prayer, our giving, our fasting is only good or worth it if other people know we are doing it, then we need Jesus’ teaching in this regard. We live, again, before an audience of One.

4. Practical Questions about Fasting

I want to close today by simply voicing a few common questions about fasting. I don’t claim to have all the answers here, but maybe these will spark some thinking or a conversation this week in your own life.

A. Must we Fast?

If you remember back to the first point, we noted that the only overarching command to fast had to do with the celebration of Yom Kippur. Fasting was commanded at other times in specific instances, but doesn’t appear as a law in any other place.

There is no “command” for Christians to fast, but there certainly is an “expectation” that we will fast, and there is good reason and precedent that we should fast.

Again, Jesus anticipates that His followers will be giving, praying, and fasting people. Those things go assumed. He doesn’t spend his words browbeating people into doing those things, but rather is concerned with why we are doing these things.

I will admit, that of the three, fasting is certainly the lowest in my priorities. I could blame that on my upbringing, on teaching I have recieved, I could blame it on culture, but I really only can blame myself. I know it is expected, I know it is a good practice, and I know there are countless anecdotes giving us reason to fast. So must we fast? Technically, no. But let’s follow that up.

B. Should we Fast?

The answer to this is generally, yes. Again, God’s people throughout the centuries have fasted consistently as part of their religious activity. Jesus, again, fasted for 40 days. That is not to say that we should fast 40 days, but If Jesus did it, and teaches us how to do it, and if the early Christians seemed to do it as part of their lives, then there is little reason to not do it.

Now, why might we not? Well, again, we are not commanded to fast - if you have some specific health concern that would put you in danger, then the Lord knows your heart, and you should devote yourselves to him in another way.

But as a rule, we should see fasting as a good thing. It shouldn’t become ritualistic, it shouldn’t become rote or mundane - just like prayer - but it should be joyfully utilized. We are free to fast, and Christ gives us a reason and instructions to do so.

C. Should we ever tell others we are fasting?

You might read Jesus’ words here and think that it is wrong if anyone else ever knows you are fasting. Well, clearly that is not the intention. And as we saw in the book of Acts, small groups of believes seemed to fast together quite often. So there is no indication that absolutely nobody should know if we are fasting. The idea is that we are not fasting in order for others to know about it.

If you are married, and you decide to fast for a day, it would be pertinent to let your spouse know what you are doing. You shouldn’t lie about it! Perhaps you are fasting and praying over a very specific concern or need. It would be good to let others know about your need. If you have a close brother or sister, a spiritual person, you could let them know you are fasting and ask them to pray for you as you seek the Lord in that matter. That is not bragging, that is simply leaning on one another.

Now, there are some times you may not want to fast. I joked at the beginning of the sermon that there is some humor and irony in studying fasting on the week of Thanksgiving. But, you may want to consider things like holidays when you choose to fast. For example, if you are planning on gathering with 20 people this thursday, and you wake up that morning and decide to fast, you have to seriously judge whether or not it is worth it to have to explain to 20 people why you are not eating. You are probably better off celebrating with your family and friends. Again, the lord knows your heart - you can fast another day.

D. Can Fasting include things other than food?

This is a common question. Many Christians celebrate Lent as part of their church calendar. This is a time of abstaining, like fasting, only it usually involves giving up something that is not limited to food.

Lent, of course, is not the only time you might do this. People often take “fasts” from reading, from social media, from watching the news, from entertainment, many things. So, can or should we do this?

Well, the Bible doesn’t give any instruction on these things. Fasting in Scripture refers to abstaining from food. But again, in fasting there is freedom. If fasting is a time of earnest devotion and seeking the Lord, then we can think logically about it.

Say I sense the need in my life to fast because i feel my spiritual life is dwindling, that I’m too distracted by the cares of life, and find myself worrying about everything going on around me.

Well, If i decide to not eat for a day or two, but I still indulge myself in watching the news for 2-3 hours, looking at facebook or instagram for a long time, and worrying about the stock market, then am I really fasting? I am, technically, but am I really devoting myself to anything? It seems in that case, I will be just as worried about the cares of life, and on top of that, I’ll be hungry.

Think of the differences in our life, compared with that of Jesus’ day - the media, of all sorts, sets us in a totally different environment. The internet, news television, sports, investment magazines and newspapers, even radio programs - all these things are distractions that Jesus’ disciples didn’t have to deal with.

Think of it this way - food would have been one of the primary, consistent concerns of people in ancient times. They had no refrigeration, no supermarkets, no vast government-backed supply chains. Of all the things that took up their thinking, “what we are going to eat” would have often been one of them. To give up food, then, was to say that they were more devoted to seeking the Lord than attending to their biggest concerns in life.

For us, food is not our primary concern. Most days, its an afterthought. We are far more concerned with other things, other worries.

And while I can’t technically say that removing these distractions is “fasting,” I would say that if you are fasting, and seeking a time of earnest devotion before God, then most likely giving up media and other distractions is of greater benefit for you than your food.

I want to close with one story. I read this story in a commentary by James Boice, and it hit close to home.

We are all familiar with Teen Challenge? We support their ministry as a church, and they have seen many lives freed from addiction and eternally changed because of the Gospel.

Well, Teen challenge was started from the work of a man named David Wilkerson. Not to be confused with Dave Wilkinson from First Step.

Anyway, Dave Wilkerson was an Assembly of God pastor in Pennsylvania. Felt unrest and much stress in his life. He spent several hours each evening unwinding by watching television.

Eventually, he wondered if his time spent in front of the television was a cause of much of his unrest and worry. He thought he might “fast” from television, and spend that time praying in stead. Well, he came up with many excuses. “I need to relax at night.” “I need to be in touch with world events.” But he eventually couldn’t convince himself with his excuses any more. He prayed to the Lord for wisdom, and he asked God to show him if he should get rid of his TV set.

He decided to put a sale ad for his TV in the newspaper. He said, Lord, if someone calls within 30 minutes of the newspapers hitting the streets, I’ll know that I made the right choice.

On the day that the ad hit the papers, he was literally sitting in his living room. His wife and children on one side, and his RCA Television on the other. He watched the clock for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes after their paper was delivered. At about 28 minutes he said, “Well, I guess we can keep the television.” Just then, the phone rang . He answered, the man on the other side of the line said, “do you have a television for sale?” “Yes, an RCA, 2 years old. $100” The man said, “Have it ready, I’ll be there in 15 minutes with cash.”

That was the beginning of the time of prayer that Mr. Wilkerson credits with leading him to minister to the teenage gang members in New York, what would eventually become Teen Challenge.

This example might not apply directly to you, but fasting should be seen by Jesus’ followers as a good thing. As a time of earnest devotion. Whether it is just food, or any other distraction in life that we may choose to clear out of the way, may we seek the Lord in our lives. We don’t need to make it a show, we don’t need to make it a pretense - our Heavenly Father will see our actions, and our hearts, and we are promised a reward for seeking Him.