And whoever
does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:27
What would you give for those you love? Would you give up your
lifestyle and become a different type of person? Would you quit your job if it
meant growing more in love with your spouse or family, even if it meant living
in poverty? If you didn’t know where your next meal came from, or if you had to
go without it for someone who had not eaten in days to have a meal, would you
do it? The most important question of all is what does it mean to you to be a
Christian? Are you a convenient Christian, and as long as it doesn’t cost you
too much it’s all good, but if it ruffles your feathers you find yourself like
Peter saying, “I don’t know the Man!”
Many of us don’t consider what we would give to love someone. We
don’t really think of love as being costly, but as being a good feeling. Love
is not an emotion. It does prompt emotions, some of them are very pleasurable.
Sometimes love can hurt. Love always requires action. Love always requires
sacrifice. It’s the attitude we take toward the act of sacrifice that determines
the manner of love we are expressing. Of all the expressions of love, the
denying of what we need so that we can give more of what we are is the hardest.
Fasting is such a sacrifice, and so it is an ultimate expression of love. This
is the reason the Master touched on it at the Sermon on the Mount, and why He
gave it as an example before beginning His ministry.
“Moreover, when you fast, do
not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their
faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they
have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your
head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be
fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and
your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:16-18
We can see that the expectation is laid out that fasting is a part
of the follower’s lifestyle. In the modern church, it seems to be a lost part
of our observance of worship to be fasting, but at the time of Christ it was a
part of religious rites observed as part of their custom. The most notable was
the Day of Atonement as prescribed by the Law of Moses. It was safe to say that
all those Jesus spoke to on the mount that day were familiar with fasting, but
in today’s society not many truly know what it is to give up our food or
something else we ingest and thrive on willingly. For a person reading
the Bible today it’s easy to skip right over these verses and lose the power of
the message behind them because we don’t fast like they did back then. Maybe if
we did, we’d get it.
Fasting is a means of giving up the physical to strengthen the
spiritual. It’s the laying aside of those things that encumber us in the flesh
in so we can truly seek our Creator and be in communion with Him, for whatever
purpose we have need of Him. A fast usually is for one of three purposes,
repentance as in the case of David’s fast, guidance as the early Church did
before sending out Paul and Barnabus, and finally as a means of remembrance as commanded
in Leviticus 16:29 for the Day of Atonement. So, why don’t we practice fasting
as often as our ancestors in the faith did?
Part of the reason is that we don’t see the benefit in it. If
fasting was of some health benefit to us, like it was part of our workout
routine, we would probably be all about it. We don’t view fasting, as a means,
to advancement. We feel we can achieve the spiritual just as easily with a full
stomach and all our physical needs met. If we’re physically comfortable then
we’re surely going to be able to connect with God, right? Well, let’s look at
that from a Biblical stand point as well as reason it out.
Fasting is about denying the flesh so we can pursue the spiritual.
It stands to reason that to ignore one is to give more attention to the other.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
and follow Me. Matthew 16:24
I say then:
Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh
lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are
contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Galatians 5:16-17
And those who are Christ's
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:28
For he who sows to his flesh
will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the
Spirit reap everlasting life. Galatians 6:8
It makes perfect sense that
fasting would be something Christ would advocate since He did it prior to
beginning His ministry. Hollywood would have us believe that He went into the
desert, stumbled about, and came close to death during his 40 days of fasting.
If you have ever fasted you know the power of denying your flesh. Yes, it is
hard, for about the first few days of the fast, but then it’s not so hard. It
can even get to a point where we don’t think much of food at all. If we place
ourselves in place where food is unattainable it could even be a little easier
because there would be no one around to tempt us into eating it. I’m not saying
it was easier for Jesus than anyone else. He knew hunger. He also had a mission
which meant more to Him than his flesh’s temporary desires. Satan threw his
attempts at tempting the Lord Jesus, but they were fruitless because of who he
was dealing with. Jesus demonstrated His deity in his rebuke of Satan:
When tempted with the lust of the flesh: “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Matt 4:4
When tempted with the lust of the flesh: “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Matt 4:4
When the Lord was tempted
with the lust of the eyes: Jesus said to him, “It
is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Matt.4:7
And once again when Jesus
was tempted with the pride of life: Then Jesus said to him,
"Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your
God and Him only you shall serve.'" Matthew 4:10
Since Jesus did fast, then
it’s clear He wasn’t against fasting. He often went alone while others were
eating to be with His Father and pray. We don’t read in the scriptures where
Jesus was asking, “What’s for dinner?” But we do read where He was preparing
the meal for the disciples after his resurrection on the shore. We know He ate
the Passover meal with them. We know He had dinner with Simon the Pharisee, and
with numerous others listed in the Bible. We know that He ate at Martha’s
house, but not a meal Mary prepared for Him, no, but she did perfume his head.
We know that Jesus spent a lot of time with people, and so it makes sense that
if He was fasting he wouldn’t want anyone to be skipping out on the feast
around Him. He knew where the food was in His spirit, and that’s what He passed
on to us.
But He said to them, “I
have food to eat of which you do not know.”
Therefore, the disciples
said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “My
food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. John 4:32-34
Fasting is not just about skipping meals, or media fasting. It’s
about drawing close to God. It’s about praying, seeking God out, going on a
journey with Him through your spirit by denying the flesh. It’s not about
giving something up as much as it is about letting someone in. When we fast let
us press in and hold fast to our God. If the reason for the fast is for
repentance, let’s crawl up on His lap and lay it all out in humility, not
casting blame, but taking it to Him for healing so we can walk in forgiveness
and lay it down. If we are going to Him for guidance, let us sit and meditate
until we hear His voice over all the noise that drowns it out, and let us be
willing to stay as long as it takes. If it’s about remembrance, let us hold fast
to those things God would have us exercise in our lives and not forget to live
them out before the world. Let us testify to them, not just in our times of
fasting, but in our times of feasting as well. Fasting is a blessing. Doing
without the worldly encumbrances can be very liberating. So, wash your face,
put a smile on, and know God is all you will ever need.
These things I have spoken to
you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have
tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John
16:33
