Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: Fasting, the Spiritual Discipline No One Talks About

Matthew 6:16-18, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Jesus is speaking here about the spiritual discipline of fasting.  And we all know what fasting is, not because we see it as a spiritual discipline, but because it’s been resurrected more as a dieting fad.  More often than not, nowadays, it’s a simple way to lose a few pounds.  I’ve gone through periods of intermittent fasting; I’m sure you’ve heard of it.  That’s where you fast in the morning till lunch, then no food after dinner before bed, because you want to be a healthier you.  But what happened to us as a spiritual people that fasting for spiritual reasons has passed out of practice?  We’ll answer that question a little later.  But first, why is fasting a spiritual discipline in the first place?  What does it accomplish, other than to make you hungry? 

I’m going to use two words to describe the reasons for fasting, and they are 1. Humility, and 2. Focus.  You could also say that fasting is a way to put our hearts and our eyes in the right place.  Fasting is a way for us to humble ourselves, because we’re denying ourselves something that we want, that we crave, and we’re putting off satisfying that desire so that we can have more of something that’s far better, which is being fully present with The Lord.  Fasting should only have one object, and that is God.  So, when we fast, we humble ourselves, choosing put off immediate gratification of our apatite, so that we can have more of God. 

Jesus said when he fasted in the wilderness, “man cannot live off bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  There are times when our desire for God’s voice in our lives should be greater than our desire for the golden arches; am I right?  Focus is that second word.  Why fast?  Because we’re constantly distracted, and our eyes are continually being drawn away from God to the unspiritual and temporary things of this world.  When we fast, changing up our daily routine and substituting a meal or meals for time in the word and in prayer, do we not increase our focus on God?  Of course we do.  And our hunger is a good reminder that things aren’t just business as usual. 

So, two things we accomplish through the spiritual discipline of fasting: we humble ourselves before God, and we focus our attention on God.  It puts our hearts where they need to be.  Our temporary, fleshly desires aren’t important.  We need food, but not right now.  We need God more!  And it puts our eyes where they need to be, not on the things of this world but on God.               

Now, knowing that, let’s address the issue raised by what Jesus is teaching here in the text in the sermon on the mount.  There were evidently those who made a big deal out of their fasting when they practiced it.  They’d go out of their way to let people know they were fasting, and they’d even make themselves look haggard.  Why?  So that people would say how good and spiritual they were.  And here’s the problem with that, it’s pretty much the opposite of what’s intended by fasting in the first place.  Instead of humility before God and focus on God, these folks were puffing themselves up and focusing attention on themselves.  Their whole motive was wrong!  That’s what Jesus is teaching against here.  Jesus is saying, ‘when you fast, get your motive right.’  Your motive when you fast should be less of the world so that you can have more of God.  You spend less time with your cob salad or your waffle fries, so that you can spend more time in the word and just seeking God in Jesus’ name, in prayer.  Less of the world, more of God.  Less of the flesh, more of God.  When you fast, let it be fasting that pleases God.

Now, let’s go back to our first question, why don’t Christians fast more?  Why don’t we hear more about it?  I’m going to read a little from a great book by Richard Foster.  The book is called “Celebration of Discipline” and I’m going to say it’s probably the best contemporary book on the spiritual disciplines.  In the chapter on fasting, Foster writes, “In a culture where the landscape is dotted with shrines to the golden arches and an assortment of pizza temples, fasting seems out of place, out of step with the times” (pg. 47).  “What could account for this almost total disregard of a subject so frequently mentioned in Scripture and so ardently practice by Christians through the centuries?”  And then he points out two reasons he thinks this has happened.  The first has to do with the way fasting was abused in the past.  Ok, maybe so.  But the second, which I believe is more the case, has to do with our habits and the kind of philosophy we’ve adopted from the modern world.  Foster says, “the constant propaganda fed us today convinces us that if we don’t have three large meals each day, with several snacks in between, we are on the verge of starvation.”  That’s the habit part.  We’ve gotten into the habit of eating constantly.  Think about how much of your day is spent not just eating food but thinking about food, planning for food.  It’s quite a lot of time!  Foster continues, “This, coupled with the popular belief that it is a positive virtue to satisfy every human appetite has made fasting seem obsolete.”  It sounds like he’s onto something.  We’ve kind of inoculated ourselves with food to the point that fasting seems like torture.  “That sounds awful!  Why would you do that to yourself.”  But if you talk to yourself that way, you may find that you’re robbing yourself of a God-ordained way of getting closer to and experiencing more of God.  That’s tragic! 

Now, having said all this, I do want to mention the actual practice of fasting.  What does it look like to fast?  How do you do it?  Well, it begins with a hunger for more of God.  If you aren’t hungry for more of God’s presence and work in your life, there’s a problem.  We don’t fast because we just want to see ourselves as spiritual people, that’s what Jesus was warning against.  We fast because we want more of God!  So, pray for God to fill you with a hunger for more of him, a greater desire for his presence, his Spirit in your life.  And then, when you fast, try first just using your lunch break at work to spend time in the word and in prayer.  This isn’t like quiet time plus, but rather, spend more of that time reading (reading Scripture) and listening.  Do without food and feast on God’s word.  Soak in it.  And go from there.  Maybe you’ll go without breakfast and lunch one day and devote more of your time to God, in worship.  And there may come seasons in your life where you are desperate for a word from God, or for God to show up, so that you spend days instead of hours fasting.  It won’t kill you, I promise.  But don’t be surprised in those seasons when God speaks and fills you with joy and wonder at his presence, or when he shows up in power.  Why?  Because you’ve gotten your motives right; you’ve chosen to humble yourself and turn your focus on him.  He’s glorified by this!  And you’ll be blessed beyond measure.