Proper Fasting

Nearly dead-center in the middle of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, we pick up an interesting motif.  

“When 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.” (Matt. 6:16-18)

So what is the context here?  Jesus touches on a lot of details and examples in this famed sermon, but the general thesis seems to emerge: “Don’t merely practice the Letter of the Law devoid of the Spirit – some sort of vain righteousness that’s intended to be observed and praised by others – but rather understand and practice the true Spirit of the Law.”

Although this is one example among many, it is interesting to observe that Jesus assumed His audience would fast – “when you fast”, not “if you fast”.  

Fasting, of course, has been, and continues to be a common practice around the world.  For many, it represents a health benefit, and for others it can represent the discipline of the mind/spirit over the body/flesh. 

In Jesus’ first century Palestinian culture, fasting was often grouped with something else, such as mourning, repentance or prayer.  In this life, we know that we will have ample opportunities to mourn, repent and pray, so again it’s really not a question of “if” but “when”.

So when we fast, what are our motives? 

“Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist.  You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.  Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?  Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?  Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?

Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?  Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you remove the yoke from your midst, the point of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday.  And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” (Isa. 58:4-11)

Although the whole chapter is certainly worth a read, even this small passage paints an accurate picture of the difference between bad fasting (surface-appearance, showy, self-glorifying) and good fasting (breaking the bonds of wickedness, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, etc.).

When fasting (as when praying, or performing charitable acts), the action itself is only a part of the equation (the “Letter of the Law”).  The other part of the equation is the “Spirit of the Law.” 

Understand the Spirit of the Logos in order to understand the Law.