Fasting

Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Fasting is one of the more important spiritual disciplines that we practice today. As Christians, we believe abstaining in some significant way from food teaches us a lot about ourselves. in other words, fasting reveals to us how much our own peace depends upon the pleasures of eating, and we are reminded that we often use food to ease the discomforts caused by our unwise and fearful living attitudes – lack of self-worth, meaningless work, purposeless existence, or lack of rest or exercise. However, in ancient times fasting was more than simply refraining from food and learning about oneself. Therefore, what does it mean to fast? What is its purpose? How should it be done?

In the Bible, the word “fast” simply means to voluntarily abstain from food. However, the basic purpose of a fast was to demonstrate the humility and dependence upon God in times of sorrow or great pain. It may be the anguish of repentance, it could be the distress of impending danger, or perhaps a response in mourning when a friend or loved one is ill or dead.

Jesus is calling out the religious people as “hypocrites” because he knows that they are seeking the wrong reward by receiving esteem from other people. To be seen as a righteous or spiritual individual seeking and loving God. Does this mean that you must keep ALL fasting a secret? No. Jesus is not articulating or commanding that fasting must be done in private. What Jesus is saying is that it is wrong to fast for the purpose of impressing people. It’s not an issue of who knows about it or what they think of it, but what is the motivation for doing it.

The intentions of the heart belong to a man, but the answer of the tongue comes from the Lord. All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates the motives.

Proverbs 16:1-2 (New English Translation)

• Why do you think fasting along with prayer is so uncommon among Christians today? Why do you think it is common?
• What’s the difference between abstaining and fasting?