Fasting

Continuing in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “And when you fast . . .” (v. 16). Jesus assumed that His disciples practiced fasting as it was expected in the Jews’ religion. “Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’” (Matthew 9:14). This verse reveals two things: (1) fasting was commonly practice among the Jews, but (2) the disciples of Jesus were not following this custom. In other words, there was biblical fasting to observe, and there was mere religious fasting to be rejected. We have a window into this in the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector (Luke 18:9–14) where the Pharisee boasted, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:12). This regular ritual fasting was nowhere commanded in the OT but was done to boast one’s “godliness” before others. Jesus and His disciples did not observe this practice, as the disciples of John observed. On the other hand, corporate fasting was expected of all Jews on the Day of Atonement and at various times for personal and national reasons, as we shall consider.

Fasting, as a spiritual discipline is not found in the NT epistles but only in the Gospels and Acts. This raises the question of whether it should be of concern to Christians. Praying is unquestionably expected (1 Thessalonians 5:17); however, there is no such command for fasting. It is my opinion that the nature of fasting takes it out of the arena of disciplines. Jesus simply states that fasting must be private and before the Father only (Matthew 6:17, 18).

In Acts fasting and prayer are often intimately connected. The church at Antioch worshiped the Lord with fasting and praying. While they were thus engaged, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). They obeyed and “after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off” (v. 3). This passage is particularly important to our understanding of this neglected practice among the churches. The church worshiped with fasting and prayer, the context intimating that the church was burdened to ascertain divine direction to get the gospel that had so transformed their lives out to the rest of the world.

The book of Acts records the infant church’s seeking to fulfill the great commission to make disciples (Matthew 28:18–20) without the guidance of the NT Scriptures. Now that we have the complete NT, perhaps the need for dependence on the Spirit has lost its urgency. Rather than shrug off what we have afore neglected without conviction, this we should actively pursue because Jesus clearly said, “When you fast.”

Prayer is a work of the Spirit of God. Spiritual warfare demands “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18). Jude’s call to perseverance includes “praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20). Romans 8:26 points to our hope of future glory with the promise that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” There is no praying to the Father unless the Spirit enables. We can “pray,” but without the Spirit our words get no attention in heaven. Fasting is the same. Some have suggested that it is only as we are overwhelmed with burden that we simply do not eat, but I would argue that we are not sensitive to the leading of the Spirit to do so. Prayer and fasting must be Spirit-enabled as it was in Antioch. Our lack of fasting ought to cause us real concern and drive us to seek God’s will on the matter.