Thoughts on Christian Fasting

 •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 7
Fasting is publicly practiced in many Christian groups, but it seems to me by what the Lord Jesus says in Matthew 6:16-1816Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:16‑18) that it is meant to be something done privately [without a public display]. In Acts 13 there were several doing it together, but even there it did not seem to be the whole assembly that was involved—only individuals are mentioned.
Fasting means to deny yourself something that is not wrong in itself. The Lord Jesus said, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” It’s not necessarily only food that we deny ourselves; it may be many other things—a recreational activity, time spent in some sort of relaxation, or, perhaps, a shopping trip. None of those things are morally wrong in themselves. But when there is some particular need, we deny ourselves those things for the Lord’s sake. The whole Christian life is denying ourselves that Christ may be seen. See 1 Peter 2:1111Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Peter 2:11).
This is why fasting is almost always mentioned in conjunction with prayer or ministering to the Lord. Prayer is the major part of fasting—so important that eating [or anything else] becomes insignificant. If your brother or sister were sick to the point of death and someone offered you a big meal, would you feel like eating? There’s nothing wrong with eating; it’s just that there is something so much more important and you give yourself to that.
It is so easy to get under the power of things around. Food can be something that we enjoy so much that we get under the power of it. The same can happen easily with music, sports or other things. These things can become just as addicting as even strong drink or drugs. We have to learn to say no.
Paul said that he would not be brought under the power of any (1 Cor. 6:1212All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (1 Corinthians 6:12)). I think it might be good for us to test ourselves whether we can really do without what we think to be so important. I believe we might find that these things have much more power over us than we realize.
In Isaiah 58:3-123Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors. 4Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. 5Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? 6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. 9Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: 11And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:3‑12) we find that real fasting, which is pleasing to God, is to help those under heavy burdens, to share your bread with the hungry, or to cover those that don’t have covering. Instead of having a whole piece of bread, I share it with someone who is needy. I still eat, but only half a piece now. I am denying myself what I would normally eat. Seeing a person who has no clothes, I give him one of my shirts. Now, instead of two I have only one shirt, so that he can be covered.
Maybe instead of going to a ball game, I go to see some elderly shut-in who needs encouragement. I may think that going to a ball game isn’t wrong, but I go there to please myself. Going to visit that old sister or brother wasn’t what I would have chosen naturally. But I deny myself for the Lord’s sake.
In our affluent culture, denying ourselves does not seem necessary or feasible. We can find all sorts of excuses not to deny ourselves. We have to go against the current of this world’s philosophy, which is (specially in the Western world) self-pleasing. The characteristic of true Christianity is self-denial.
R. Thonney (adapted from the YP Forum)