Matthew 9:14-17 A Question About Fasting

Fasting is an almost universal phenomenon within both Eastern and Western cultures. Many people in the world fast for different reasons: to redirect the mind away from physical urges, to cause yourself discomfort in respect for the suffering of ancestors, to develop self-control, for medical/health purposes (lose weight), as a political act to get the government to listen.

When I became a Christian, I did not understand fasting at all. At first, I thought fasting was something practiced by the real fanatics of any religion because as we all know, Christians are not the only ones who fast in the world. In my mind, you had to be weird to fast. Then, I became legalistic in my approach to fasting. Fasting became this badge of honor for super-Christians. The “Green Berets” of Christianity are the ones who fast. The “Special Forces” of Christianity are the ones who fast. We would look down on other people for not fasting and take great pride that we were closer to the Lord because we fasted. This is how some Pharisees practiced fasting in Jesus’ day (Luke 18:12). Finally, in my personal journey concerning fasting, I thought that it was the only way to get something from God or get God to do something for me. If you were really serious about having God listen to you and grant you your wish, you had to fast - the more the merrier.

Fasting is expected of Christians (Mat.9:15b). And just like prayer, showing off doesn’t pay off and secrecy brings rewards (Mat.6:16-18). But while the bridegroom, Jesus, was around, the disciples could not fast. People celebrating a wedding were excused from fasting. Fasting is to hunger for God’s presence; it is an act of mourning. Jesus knew that a day would come when he had to leave the earth and all Christians would fast mourning his departure and yearning for his return. Fasting is a yearning for Christ’s return.

God’s presence in the OT was represented by bread in the temple and laid on a golden table! Why bread? Bread is the universal symbol of that which sustains life. But life is more than food (Mat.4:4).  Fasting puts things in perspective. Some people make food the most important thing in their lives. Instead of eating to live, they live to eat. While fasting, we voluntarily relinquish material food to focus on life! Jesus Christ is the bread of life! He is the sustenance of our life. We need him more than anything else.

The unshrunk cloth and the new wine of the new covenant in Jesus Christ could not fit the mold of the Pharisees legalistic wineskins and old garment. They practiced fasting in a very legalistic fashion and snuffed out of it its life giving quality. To follow Jesus is to break away from legalistic traditions that take life out of our relationship with God.