Shepherd's Lighthouse Church

Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn [pentheo] as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 

No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."  Matthew 9:14-17

According to the Rabbinical commentary known as the Talmud, a Jew named Zadok did for 40 years so mortify himself with fastings that he was commonly called Chalsha (the Weak.)  He did this so that a prophesy of destruction would not claim his city.  But when the city was destroyed, and he saw it was in vain to fast any longer, he used the physicians of Titus to restore his health, which, through too much abstinence, had been wasted.

There seems to be a great deal of mysterious and hidden knowledge surrounding the ancient practice of fasting; but a sincere and honest study of this subject reveals a simplicity and sensibleness that the serious student of theology comes to expect of God.

First of all it is to be noticed that ceremonial fasting is not a uniquely Christian practice. 

The pagan world was doing it long before there was an Isreal.

From perhaps the beginning of human history, people who believe in the existence of supernatural agencies or forces which may have the power to bestow, capriciously, good fortune or bad, have been finding ways to bargain with these agencies in the hope of gaining their favor. 

The primary technique seems to be abstaining from food.

It is well known to psychologists as well as to the many practitioners of food deprivation that fasting in this form can cause an alteration of consciousness. 

In this way pagans of old and modern "New Age" pagans both seek to gain access to the "higher" or "spiritual" realms of the "gods".

To the Jews food deprivation was the highest form of "safe" sacrifice that one could make on his own behalf. 

And even today the Jewish people use fasting as their means of atoning for their sins on Yom Kippur – the day of atonement. 

The idea behind this seems to be to make oneself miserable.

As if self punishment is adequate payment for personal sins.

But we know that true atonement is only by the Cross of Christ.

In the Bible, fasting appears quite suddenly in Judges 20:26 and with no clue as to its origin.  Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

I find it interesting and perhaps appropriate that it began in the period of Jewish history when "everyone did what was right in their own eyes."

Judges 17:6  In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

All references to fasting in the Old Testament use the word tsuwm (Strong's number 6684) or one of its derivatives. 

This Hebrew word means "to cover the mouth" which is a good indication that it concerns abstaining from eating.

So fasting became a very early form of bargaining with God – I'll do this for you if you'll do that for me. 

This is not to say that all fasting was motivated by selfishness, but even the fasting that was practiced in order to purify oneself before coming into the presence of God was, and still is, based on a false premise and makes little sense when reason is demanded of it. 

If God wanted us to clean up our act before we could come to Him nobody would be acceptable.

Unfortunately the ritual continues to seduce the religious with little or no regard for what it means.

This is just another form of works theology.

I want to say that again because it is the very heart of the matter - 

Fasting in its orthodox forms is energy of the flesh and can lead to pride - it certainly did with the Jewish religious classes.

Jesus had to address this on several occasions.

There are about 51 references made to fasting in the Bible (this does not include the books of the Apocrypha), and in all but a few cases in the New Testament, they are concerning food deprivation. 

However, the only place where we find a clear and definitive discussion of just exactly what fasting is, and its purpose, is in the 58th chapter of Isaiah. 

In this chapter the Jews complain that God has not honored His promise to answer their petitions. 

They are swimming in hypocrisy yet expect God to favor them because they have starved themselves on a national scale.

This traditional fasting is done in order to gain an audience with God. 

This makes it just another form of ritual appeasement since it cannot be assimilated into the daily life of the believer. 

True fasting is designed to promote fellowship with God rather than to provide access to Him; it must be an everyday reality rather than an occasional technique – 

It regards the character - that is to put divine will above human will.

And I hope to show how it relates to Sabbath Rest.

Open to Isa 58 

Verse 4 tells us that instead of bringing us into the presence of God, this type of fasting often causes contention and argument - possibly due to the irritability which often accompanies starvation.  He tells us that this type of fasting is without value.

In verse 5 he goes on to tell us that it is a mistake to think that God can be bargained with - to think that all man has to do is to make himself miserable and humble himself as a show of righteousness and God will favor him with the desires of his heart as a kind of divine wages.

Equally wrong (though far less reprehensible) is the idea that by starving ourselves we can "purify" ourselves before communing with God;

One may take this practice on faith, but it makes little or no sense when exposed to New Testament doctrines of forgiveness and repentance. 

As is illustrated throughout the New Testament, confession is the correct preparation to come into the presence of  the Holy God. 

So, if fasting is not a matter of food deprivation with the right motives, just what is it?

In verse 6 Isaiah declares that God defines fasting as: separating oneself from wickedness; freeing oneself and others from unreasonable demands; and releasing those who have been oppressed and burdened by unreasonable demands.

He says in verses 7-8 that when we feed the hungry, or shelter the poor, or clothe the naked (even at our own loss or expense - 

That we, ourselves, may even go without in order to do so), then we reflect God's own Spirit of compassion and we will be righteous in His eyes. 

When we respond to the needs of others, then God will respond to our needs. 

Verse 9 tells us that we must cease doing those things which weigh us down – bad habits or wrong thinking that withhold us from righteousness; and we are to cease from hypocrisy. 

If we do all these things, verses 10-11 tell us that our understanding will blaze forth and the Lord will be our constant guide and protector. 

God will be well-pleased with us and we will prosper as God counts prosperity.

Implying a common purpose to some traditions, it is interesting to note that the end of Isaiah 58 leads right into a discussion of the sabbath and its true meaning. 

Again this is a teaching tradition which declares in Isaiah 58:13-14 that if we turn from our own efforts and trust God to be in control in our lives, He will honor that trust with a prosperity and blessing which it is beyond human ability to provide. 

Sabbath may have been presented as a special day, but Sabbath Rest is a spiritual objective that God offers to man.

That Divine objective is explained in 2 Peter 1:4 that says that God has ".... given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

Can you see that God desires that His people manifest His character, His mercy, His generosity and love to each other.

It is in partaking of His nature that we have relationship with Him.

Unfortunately, here again human tradition gets caught up in the medium and through placing special importance on the seventh day of the week.

This misses the whole point of the exercise which is to learn a spiritual truth through a paradigm.

So it should be understood that while man and his traditions consider fasting to be abstaining from food (and in some more knowledgeable circles sex and sleep also), God appears to have permitted this error to serve as a substitute for a deeper and more significant sacrifice - that of denying one's own needs (even to the point of going without) in order to help another; for such is the will and character of God. 

There is a second type of fasting that may also be in line with God's intent - that of being so preoccupied with God's will that you disregard your own biological needs as you focus on the job at hand. 

But remember that whatever form fasting takes in your life, it must be in fulfillment of God's purpose (not our own) and must glorify or honor God; anything else is vanity.

So, what about the passages in Matt 9:14-17 that I quoted at the very beginning of this message?  Look at them again.

Matthew 9:14-17

Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 

And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber (pentheo) mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. -- No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

It is thought and taught that fasting continues in the New Testament and was practiced by Jesus. 

It may be asked then, just why did John’s disciples inquire of Jesus why He didn’t fast – a question that Jesus in no way denied. 

His answer was concerning losing the appetite because of grief (mourning). 

Read it for yourself. 

In the very next verse Jesus really answers their question – He says that you don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. 

This is undoubtedly a denial of ceremonial fasting as a religious practice in the New Covenant.

In Mark 7:9 Jesus told the religious leaders, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.”

The Church has a few sacred cows and fasting is one that those who practice it defend vigorously. 

I know full well that many will cry out, “… but I’ve done it, and it works!” 

But know that fasting also “works” for the pagan and the New Ager. 

If we measure our faith by how much it works we fall short of God's purpose in sharing His nature with us.

My question is this, is it better to measure truth by human experience, or by the Word of God? 

Is it to be by pragmatism or by Divine establishment.

My purpose here is not to offend but rather to inform. 

As God says in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together.”

I only hope that I have separated the truth from the tradition. 

One final word – In August, 1999, a very religious Catholic man set out to find God in a 40 day fast in the desert of Western Australia. 

After almost dying, he actually did have an encounter with God. 

When he was asked by a TV interviewer if he would do it again, he responded, “No, I found out that God is not so much interested in us going without food.  He would much rather that we were kind and compassionate to each other.”

Matthew 25:40  "And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’"

The greatest honor that a believer can pay his Lord is to be a reflection of the Character and Will of God.

This can only occur through relationship.

The Church has taught that it is what you abstain fro that is important.

But the Scriptures declare in so many ways that what you attach to is of the greatest importance - Philippians 2:13 says that, “… it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

 

Amen