The Disciplined Disciple

“Moreover, 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.  But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That 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

Most folks do not like someone who is a bragger, you know, the person who boasts about himself or herself because of some accomplishment or some other thing.  When someone does brag about something, folks will smile and say, “Oh, that’s great”, and then walk away rolling their eyes.  It is particularly obnoxious when someone brags about something that they have done for the Lord as if He needed their help.  All believers are to serve the Lord from a heart of love and not to earn “brownie” points.

Jesus had just given the disciples an example of how they should pray to the Father (Matthew 6:9-15).  He then decided to go a little further into the subject of prayer by speaking of fasting.  In Isaiah 58, God chastised the people of Israel for their improper use of fasting.  We know that fasting is going without food for a certain period of time so that time can be spent in prayer and worship.  Unger’s Bible Dictionary gives us a much deeper meaning to the word “fasting”.  It is “a profound humbling of the soul before God in repentance and mortification (self-denial) on account of one’s sin and the punishment with which it had been visited.”  To be so mortified and appalled at one’s own sin that one has no desire for food was a sign of true repentance.

The Jews of Isaiah’s day fasted, but did not repent, yet they still expected God to be pleased with their “pious” acts of pretended devotion.  The Jews of Jesus’ day were no different.  The Pharisee in Luke 18:11-14 bragged about his fasting twice a week, but his heart was not right before God.  Jesus gave us some real insight into the act of fasting.  He warned us that when we fast to not be like the hypocrites because they were only trying to impress those around them.  They wanted others to look at their long, sad faces so that they would be praised for their “selfless acts of piety and devotion”.  However, the “day of Atonement” was the only day set aside for public fasting.  All other times of fasting were to be done privately, but then could be done among groups of people for various causes.

Some of the Jews of Jesus’ day would fast one or two times a week, and Jesus didn’t condemn the Pharisee in Luke 18 for fasting.  Jesus condemned him for boasting about it.  Here, as in most all sin, pride is the root of disobedience.  Matthew Henry wrote that fasting is an act of self-denial and an act of humility before God.  “The most grown (mature) Christians must hereby own, they are so far from having anything to be proud of, that they are unworthy of their daily bread”.

The Christian life requires discipline.  In our day, fasting is a form of godly discipline that is mostly neglected by Christians.  One doesn’t have to look very far to see how society, even believers, have let their appetite for food get out of control.  When the pleasure of eating has such a hold on a person, fasting is not even a consideration.  But for those who do choose to fast, Jesus gave us a pattern to go by.  We are to get ready for the day like we would any other day.  Dress, brush our teeth, comb our hair, and put a smile on our faces.  Don’t act any differently that we would if we weren’t fasting.  Don’t do or say anything that would call attention to the fact that we are fasting.  It is no different than when we give of our tithes and offerings.  Jesus said to not let out right hand know what our left hand is putting in the collection plate (Matthew 6:3).  Fast, pray, and worship to our Father in secret.

Fasting can be a cause of ridicule by others when, for instance, one must attend an unexpected work luncheon on the day when is fasting.  Even if one explains his or her purpose in fasting, most folks wouldn’t understand.  They would just think the one fasting was a “religious fanatic”, and it would likely make them uncomfortable.  However, that would likely be a rare occasion.  There is a gigantic blessing in fasting for the right purpose of prayer:  God will reward those who make the effort.

God doesn’t’ desire that we brag about the efforts we expend to serve Him as if we had done something above average.  Also, He desires for His children to fast in honor of Him, but He doesn’t want us to go around with a long face acting like it’s such a hard task to serve and obey Him.  Why would anyone be enticed to follow the Lord if they observed our intense, melodramatic, morbid, and miserable example.  “If we’re happy and we know it, then our face should surely show it”!