Fasting

Fasting

 

Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it.

---John Wesley

 

Fasting has been in general disrepute both in and outside the Church for many years. In his book Celebrating Discipline, Richard Foster wrote that he was unable to find a single book published on the subject of Christian fasting from 1861 to 1954. More recently renewed interest in fasting has developed, but we have far to go to recover biblical balance.

What accounts for this almost total disregard of a subject so frequently mentioned in Scripture and so ardently practiced by Christians through the centuries? Two things. First, fasting has developed a bad reputation as a result of the excessive ascetic practices of the Middle Ages. Fasting has been subjected to the most rigid regulations and practiced with extreme self mortification and flagellation. Modern culture confuses fasting with mortification.

Second, we have become convinced that if we do not have three large meals each day with snacks in between, we will be on the verge of starvation. This with the popular belief that each human appetite must be satisfied. Anyone who seriously attempts to fast is bombarded with objections concerning the destructive nature of fasting to one's health. Objections based on prejudice. While the human body can survive only a short time without air or water, it can go for many days before starvation begins. When done correctly fasting can have beneficial physical effects.

The list of those who practiced fasting reads like a "Who's Who" of the Bible: Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Anna, Paul, Jesus.

Fasting is not exclusively Christian Discipline: Zoraster, Confucius, the Yogis of India, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Hippocrates. Now the fact that all these person, in and out of Scripture, held fasting in high regard does not make it right or even desirable, but is should make us pause long enough to be willing to reevaluate the popular assumptions concerning the Discipline of fasting.

Throughout the Bible fasting refers to abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. It is not a hunger strike, the purpose of which is to gain political power or attract attention to a cause. It is also distinct from health dieting which stresses abstinence from food for physical purposes. Biblical fasting always centers on spiritual purposes.

In the forty-day fast of Jesus we are told he "ate nothing" and that toward the end of the fast "he was hungry" and Satan tempted him to eat, indicating that the abstaining was from food  but not from water.

Sometimes what could be considered a partial fast is described: that is, there is a restriction of diet but not total abstention.  Although the normal fast seemed to be the Daniel's customary practice, there was a three-week period which Daniel declared "I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all" (Daniel 10:3). We are not told the reason for this departure from his normal practice.

There are also several examples in the Bible of what has been called an "absolute fast," or abstaining from both food and water. It appears to be a desperate measure to meet a dire emergency. Upon learning that execution awaited herself and her people, Esther instructed Mordecai, "Go, gather all the Jews … and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do" (Esther 4:16). Paul engaged in a three-day absolute fast following hi encounter with Jesus (Acts 9:9).  Since the human body cannot go without water much more than three days, both Moses and Elijah engaged in what must be considered supernatural absolute fasts of forty days (Deut 9:9, 1 Kings 19:8).

In most cases fasting is a private matter between the individual and God. There are occasional times of corporate or public fasts. The only annual public fast required in the Mosaic law was the day of atonement (Lev 23:27). It was to be the day in the Jewish calendar when the people were to be in sorrow and affliction as atonement for their sins. Fast were called in times of group or national emergency: "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people" (Joel 2:15). When Judah was invaded, King Jehoshaphat called the nation to fast (2 Chron. 20:1-4). In response to the preaching of Jonah, the entire city of Nineveh including the animals---involuntarily, no doubt---faster. Before the trip back to Jerusalem, Ezra had the exiles fast and pray for safety while traveling on the bandit-infested road (Ezra8:21-21).

In 1756 the King of Britain called for a day of solemn prayer and fasting because of a threatened invasion by the French. John Wesley recorded in his journal for February 6^th of that year: "The fast day was a glorious day, such as London has scarce seen since the Restoration. Every church in the city was more than full, and a solemn seriousness sat on every face. Surely God heareth prayer, and there will yet be a lengthening of our tranquility." In a footnote he wrote, "Humility was turned into national rejoicing for the threatened invasion by the French was averted."

Throughout history what could be called regular fasts also developed. By the time of Zechariah four regular fasts were held (Zech 8:19). The boast of the Pharisee in Jesus' parable evidently described a common practice of the day, "I fast twice a week" (Luke 18:12). (A frequent practice of the Pharisees was to fast on Market Days so there would be larger audiences to see and admire their piety.

Regular or weekly fasting has had such a profound effect in the lives of some they have looked for a biblical command for it so that it may be urged upon all Christians. They cannot find any such command. Our freedom in the gospel does not mean license; it means opportunity. Freedom for Paul meant that he was engaged in "fastings often" (2 Cor 11:27). Paul told the church in Galatia, "Do bnot use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh" (Gal 5:13).

Many passages of Scripture deal with fasting but two stand out in importance. The first is Jesus' teaching about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount. His teaching on fasting is directly in the context of his teaching on giving and praying. We have no more reason to exclude fasting from the teaching than we do giving or praying. Second, Jesus states "When you fast…" (Matt 6:16). He seems to make the assumption that people will fast, and is giving instruction on how to do it properly. He was not rejecting fasting his intention was to restore proper fasting.

However, these words do not constitute a command.  Jesus was giving instruction on the proper exercise of a common practice of his day. He did not say it was a right practice or if it should be continued. So, although Jesus does not say "If you fast"  neither does he say "You must fast." He simply said "When you fast."

A second crucial statement of Jesus about fasting comes in response to a question by the disciples of John the Baptist. Perplexed over the fact that both they and the Pharisees fasted but Jesus' disciples did not, they asked "Why?" Jesus answered "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast (Matt9:15).

In the coming of Jesus, a new day had dawned. The kingdom of God had come among them in present power. The Bridegroom was in their midst: it was a time for feasting, not fasting. There would come a time for his disciples to fast although not in the legalism of the old order.

If the present Church age in light of its connection with Jesus' statement on the new wineskins of the kingdom of God(Matt 9:16, 17). His apostles may have understood the time of his absence is from the time He ascended until the time of his return. Acts 13:2,3 where we read about them fasting may support this view. The time is now.

Jesus appears to make it clear he expected his disciples to fast after he was gone. It is clear Jesus both upheld fasting and anticipated his followers would fast.

In the strictest sense Jesus did not command fasting. But with his statements on the subject why are we comfortable rejecting it off hand?

Are we so accustomed to "cheap grace" that we shy away from more demanding calls to obedience?  Why has the giving of money been unquestionably recognized as an element in Christian devotion and fasting so disputed?  Certainly we have as much evidence from the Bible for fasting as we have for giving. In our society does fasting represent a larger sacrifice that the giving of money?

The very first statement Jesus made about fasting dealt with motive (Matt 6:16-18). It would so easy to use fasting to try to get God to do what we want. We could be tempted to believe that with a little fast we could have the world, including God, eating out of our hands.

Fasting must center on God. Like the prophetess Anna, we need to be "worshiping with fasting" (Luke 2:37). As with the Apostles at Antioch, "fasting: and "worshipping the Lord" must be said in the same breath (Acts 13:2).

God asked the people in Zechariah's day, When you fast… did you at all fast unto me, even to me?" (Zech 7:5). If our fasting is not unto God we have failed. David wrote "I humbled my soul with fasting" (Ps 69:10). If our fasting is not unto God we have failed. Physical benefits, success in prayers, the enduing with power, spiritual insights---must never replace God as the center of our fasting.

Fasting is not commanded it is presumed that we will. Today we are largely ignorant of the practical aspects of fasting but they just might be worthwhile discovering.