Sermon on the Mount - When You Fast

Sermon on the Mount - When You Fast

This Bible teaching from Founded in Truth Fellowship, potentially delivered by Matthew Vander Els, explores the ancient practice of fasting within a religious context. The teaching emphasizes understanding the true essence of fasting beyond its diluted secular applications and examines Jesus' instructions on this practice in the Sermon on the Mount.

The Essence of Fasting

The speaker begins by addressing the term "fasting," noting that while it's a religious word, its meaning has been somewhat lost due to modern secular uses like intermittent fasting for weight loss. This contemporary understanding often overshadows the biblical and historical significance of fasting. In its traditional sense, as found in the Bible and throughout Christian and Jewish history, as well as in many other world religions, fasting is described as a deliberate act of stopping, pausing, and focusing on God. It's a time for meditation, processing struggles, or reflecting on specific circumstances in the presence of God. A Christian author and scholar, Scott McKnight, refers to this intentional engagement with a significant moment as "staying in the sacred moment," which he uses to describe the religious practice of fasting.

Traditional fasting typically involves abstaining from food and water for a designated period. However, the teaching highlights that the core of fasting isn't just about physical denial but about intentionally setting aside a moment to be with God and process a situation. The speaker draws a parallel between fasting and prayer, suggesting that both have become practices that people sometimes approach superficially, like a petition to gain something rather than an opportunity to truly connect with God and discern His will. Just as prayer is more than just asking for things, fasting, according to this teaching, is more than just going without food; it's about stopping the routine of life to intentionally engage with God in a significant moment.

Biblical Examples of Fasting

The teaching outlines three main demonstrations of fasting found in the Bible. The first is cultic fasting, or fasting during times of worship. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, as described in Leviticus 16 and 23, serves as a prime example where the Israelites were instructed to "afflict themselves" before the Lord, a practice historically understood as regular fasting. The purpose of this fasting, observed by ancient Israelites, Jews today, and many Christians, is to prepare for confession, atonement, and seeking forgiveness from God.

The second demonstration is fasting associated with kingdom work. The speaker references Isaiah 58, where God, through the prophets, calls out the hypocrisy of religious leaders and the people of Israel. God states that their fasting is meaningless to Him because while they observe holy days and fast outwardly, they continue to perpetuate darkness and injustice in the world. In this context, fasting should be coupled with actions that promote justice and help the poor; it should be an active part of a lifestyle that reflects God's light to the world, not merely a ritualistic obligation.

The third type of fasting seen in the Bible is a spontaneous response to tragic, unsettling, or grievous situations. Psalm 25 provides an example of this, where David laments the actions of those around him. Amidst his complaints, David mentions that when his enemies were ill, he put on sackcloth and humbled himself with fasting, even mourning for them as he would for a friend or brother. This demonstrates a practice of pausing his own life routine to share in the grief of his enemies, refusing to become a source of evil despite the conflict. David's act of fasting in this situation was not the same as praying, but it typically accompanied it, showing a deep empathy and a desire to process the moment with God.

Other biblical examples include Nehemiah fasting after hearing about the broken walls of Jerusalem, and Anna the prophetess fasting as she anticipated the coming of the Messiah. The story of the Ninevites in Jonah 3 is also highlighted, where the entire city, including the king and even the animals, fasted and repented in response to Jonah's brief message, illustrating the power of fasting to set the atmosphere for deep repentance and a meeting with God in a critical situation.

Jesus' Teaching on Fasting in the Sermon on the Mount

The teaching then turns to Jesus' instructions on fasting in Matthew 6, within the context of His Sermon on the Mount, where He addresses piety towards God. Jesus cautions against looking somber or disfiguring one's face to show others that they are fasting, as the hypocrites do to gain public approval. He states that those who fast for outward recognition have already received their reward in full. Instead, Jesus advises that when fasting, one should anoint their head and wash their face, so that their fasting is not obvious to others but only known to their Father in secret, who will then reward them.

The Purpose of Fasting

Ultimately, the teaching emphasizes that fasting is about intentionally pausing life's routines to hold onto a significant moment with God. It's a way to fully process the weight of experiences like mourning, grief, conflict, or repentance in His presence. Jesus' own words about his disciples not fasting while the bridegroom (Himself) was present, but that they would fast when He was gone, illustrate this concept of holding onto a moment of profound change and processing something significant. Similarly, biblical figures like Anna fasted while anticipating the Messiah's arrival, using that time to sit in a sacred moment with God.

Application for Everyday Life

• Practice intentional pausing: Recognize significant moments in your life, whether joyful or difficult, as opportunities to intentionally pause your routine and focus on God.
• Seek intimacy with God: Approach fasting as a way to deepen your personal connection with God, rather than as a religious obligation or a means to impress others.
• Fast with sincerity: Ensure your motives for fasting are rooted in a desire to be with God and process a situation with Him, avoiding outward displays of piety for human approval.
• Couple fasting with prayer: Like David's example, fasting often goes hand-in-hand with prayer, creating a focused time of seeking God's guidance and presence.
• Respond to grief and hardship: Consider fasting as a way to process personal or collective grief, showing empathy and seeking God's comfort and direction.
• Reflect on sin and repentance: When you recognize sin in your life, fasting can be a powerful way to humble yourself before God and seek repentance, as demonstrated by David and the Ninevites.
• Anticipate God's work: Like Anna, fasting can be a way to intentionally sit with God in moments of hope and anticipation for His promises.
• Use spiritual tools: Understand fasting as one of the spiritual tools available to believers for engaging with God and impacting the world, alongside mercy, kindness, grace, patience, self-control, goodness, and faithfulness.
• Evaluate your motivations: Regularly examine your reasons for engaging in spiritual practices like fasting, ensuring they are directed towards God and not driven by a desire for social status or approval.
• Be present with others: While personal fasting is important, be mindful of being available to support others in their moments of need, rather than being perpetually "in a moment" that isolates you.

For more Bible Teachings, visit our website.

References

• Leviticus 16
• Leviticus 23
• Isaiah 58
• Psalm 25
• Matthew 6
• Jonah 3

Note: This article contains affiliate links.