In the Sermon on the Mount, after the “Beatitudes” and the discussion of the laws Jesus gives the warning:
Matthew 6:1 (NIV) "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Jesus then goes on to talk about how we should not give to the needy and pray in ways that draw attention to ourselves but that it is between us and our “Heavenly Father”. He concludes the section talking about fasting:
Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV) 16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
I grew up in an evangelical church that didn’t talk too much about fasting. For those of you that come from traditions that observe Lent you will know that tomorrow (Feb 5) is Fat Tuesday and Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. For those of you who are not familiar with the tradition, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a traditional forty day “fast” to prepare for Easter. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday. Traditionally it is a time of prayer, almsgiving and fasting. The forty days are modeled after Jesus’ forty day fast in the wilderness before He began his earthly ministry. Lent is actually longer than forty days. It is forty days not including the Sundays. The Sundays in Lent are traditionally mini-Easters and are considered feast days.
The Bible does not command the observance of Lent. It is a church creation but it is a helpful one. Some Christians worry that Lent seems too “religious” that it is somehow trying to earn God’s favor, attention or love. Fasting will not make God love you more. Fasting, like all other aspects of the Christian life, is about our relationship with God, not us earning His favor.
Fasting provides two things that help our relationship with God. First, it provides us with time. In our day of drive thru windows and microwaves, skipping a meal doesn’t seem like it could give us that much extra time but in antiquity it would have. Second, Fasting gives a physical reminder to pray. When a fasting person craves food or feels hungry it reminds them why they are hungry and prompts them back to prayer. Fasting was done by the early church (Act 13:1-3) and by many in the Old Testament (e.g. Esther) often when they wanted to focus on praying for something specific (deliverance or a decision).
You can fast from anything - it doesn’t have to be food. Setting aside anything that will give you more time and give you a reminder to pray is a type of fast. Traditionally Lent is not a total fast but just giving up “luxury foods” such as coffee, chocolate and sweets. A total fast is likely unwise for longer than a day, especially if you are working. (Notice that Jesus fasted before His ministry, He was not serving at the time.) It doesn’t need to be about food though. I learned about the tradition of Lent in my late twenties and one of the most helpful things I ever did was fasting from the radio in the car. I was driving about 1000 kms a week at the time and every time I got in the car I would reach for the radio knob. This would remind me “stop and pray”. I would pray for a bit, my mind would inevitably wander and then a few minutes later I would reach for the knob again and I would be reminded “stop and pray”. It gave me time and a physical reminder. Some people give up T.V. (or a favorite show), the Internet, hot water (cold showers give you time in the morning) or something else.
The point of all this is the relationship. If you try giving up something, and it is not helping you get closer to God, then stop or switch to something else. It isn’t a commandment. Just find another way to focus yourself on God. The relationship is what is important. Don’t do it to feel better about yourself or to “show your acts of righteousness before men.”
Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Grass or Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday) is the day before Lent begins. Traditionally it would be a day to eat all the fatty, decadent foods in the house before Lent. Sadly for many, it has become a day of excesses and the Christian meaning has been lost.
I will give just one word of warning. If you give up coffee, I think it is only fair to warn you that “roll up the rim to win” is usually during Lent.
Mark Wallace
Matthew 6:1 (NIV) "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Jesus then goes on to talk about how we should not give to the needy and pray in ways that draw attention to ourselves but that it is between us and our “Heavenly Father”. He concludes the section talking about fasting:
Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV) 16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
I grew up in an evangelical church that didn’t talk too much about fasting. For those of you that come from traditions that observe Lent you will know that tomorrow (Feb 5) is Fat Tuesday and Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. For those of you who are not familiar with the tradition, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a traditional forty day “fast” to prepare for Easter. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday. Traditionally it is a time of prayer, almsgiving and fasting. The forty days are modeled after Jesus’ forty day fast in the wilderness before He began his earthly ministry. Lent is actually longer than forty days. It is forty days not including the Sundays. The Sundays in Lent are traditionally mini-Easters and are considered feast days.
The Bible does not command the observance of Lent. It is a church creation but it is a helpful one. Some Christians worry that Lent seems too “religious” that it is somehow trying to earn God’s favor, attention or love. Fasting will not make God love you more. Fasting, like all other aspects of the Christian life, is about our relationship with God, not us earning His favor.
Fasting provides two things that help our relationship with God. First, it provides us with time. In our day of drive thru windows and microwaves, skipping a meal doesn’t seem like it could give us that much extra time but in antiquity it would have. Second, Fasting gives a physical reminder to pray. When a fasting person craves food or feels hungry it reminds them why they are hungry and prompts them back to prayer. Fasting was done by the early church (Act 13:1-3) and by many in the Old Testament (e.g. Esther) often when they wanted to focus on praying for something specific (deliverance or a decision).
You can fast from anything - it doesn’t have to be food. Setting aside anything that will give you more time and give you a reminder to pray is a type of fast. Traditionally Lent is not a total fast but just giving up “luxury foods” such as coffee, chocolate and sweets. A total fast is likely unwise for longer than a day, especially if you are working. (Notice that Jesus fasted before His ministry, He was not serving at the time.) It doesn’t need to be about food though. I learned about the tradition of Lent in my late twenties and one of the most helpful things I ever did was fasting from the radio in the car. I was driving about 1000 kms a week at the time and every time I got in the car I would reach for the radio knob. This would remind me “stop and pray”. I would pray for a bit, my mind would inevitably wander and then a few minutes later I would reach for the knob again and I would be reminded “stop and pray”. It gave me time and a physical reminder. Some people give up T.V. (or a favorite show), the Internet, hot water (cold showers give you time in the morning) or something else.
The point of all this is the relationship. If you try giving up something, and it is not helping you get closer to God, then stop or switch to something else. It isn’t a commandment. Just find another way to focus yourself on God. The relationship is what is important. Don’t do it to feel better about yourself or to “show your acts of righteousness before men.”
Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Grass or Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday) is the day before Lent begins. Traditionally it would be a day to eat all the fatty, decadent foods in the house before Lent. Sadly for many, it has become a day of excesses and the Christian meaning has been lost.
I will give just one word of warning. If you give up coffee, I think it is only fair to warn you that “roll up the rim to win” is usually during Lent.
Mark Wallace
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