Should Christians fast today?
Among our overstuffed bellies in the American church, the practice of fasting has taken a back seat in comparison to some of the highly esteemed and more commonly practiced spiritual disciplines such as prayer and lectio divina.
However, if we turn to Scripture, we see that Jesus assumes that we will fast.
Matthew 6:16-18 says: “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
This passage comes in sequence with Jesus’ teaching on generosity and prayer (Matt. 6:1-15) This seems sets up the tone that fasting is as basic to Christianity as giving to others and asking from God. Here, Jesus doesn’t say “if you fast,” but “when you fast.” (v.16)
Is it a biblical mandate that all Christians should fast on certain days or with specific frequency? No. However, simply because something is not given in the form of a command does not mean that one is precluded from its practice. Therefore, I will argue that while Scripture does not command all Christians to fast, it does suggest that we should fast.
In Matthew 9:14-15, the disciples of John came to Jesus, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” and Jesus said to them, “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.”
When Jesus, our bridegroom, was here on earth among his disciples, it was a time of feasting as the arrival of the kingdom of heaven is cause for a time of rejoicing. But now that He is “taken away” from his disciples, “they will fast”. This is confirmed by the pattern of fasting that emerged right away in the early church (Acts 9:9, 13:2, 14:23).
How should Christians fast?
As with giving and praying (Matt 6:1-15), fasting is to be a matter of the heart between the believer and God. Be cautious with legalism, and there are no techniques or a twelve-step plan to fasting. We should not publicize the physical hardships of fasting, groan and complain all day long of how hungry we are. Instead, with the working of the Holy Spirit, to focus our feelings and their expression toward God in PRAYER. This is where the spiritual discipline of prayer comes hand in hand with fasting. Through prayer and fasting, we will come to see how much we have allowed our belly to be our god. This is where the literal reminder that “Man shall not live on bread alone” comes in (Luke 4:4). But instead, we shall feast on the word of God, intensify the earnestness of our prayer, and proclaim with our broken, limited, physical bodies that we long to be satisfied in God alone!
As in the words of the psalmist, we were made to feast on God.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food. (Psalm 63:1–5)
In conclusion, why should we fast?
We fast because we’re hungry for God’s Word and God’s Spirit in our lives.
We fast because we long for God’s glory to resound in the church and His name to be praised among the nations.
We fast because we yearn for Christ’s return and His kingdom come.
We fast because we want God more than we want anything this world has to offer us.
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