We read in Jonah 3:4-5, Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, "In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!" The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented. (GNB)
God had sent the prophet Jonah to the city of Nineveh to convey a message to them. The people of Nineveh were living carelessly giving no thought to God their creator, or His ways whatsoever. As their wickedness increased the Lord intended to sensitize them about their sinful ways. Before the Lord decided to punish these people, He graciously gave them an opportunity to repent. God sent Jonah for this purpose, and when the people of Nineveh heard the preaching of Jonah they immediately believed, took a fast, put on sackcloth, and repented of their sins. The people of Nineveh though numerous did not hide their sins or justify their faults, nor did they argue or quarrel with the prophet, but on the other hand right away believed the word of the Lord. The reason for this turnaround was that all of them realized their sins, and decided to set their lives in order.
Each one of us as individuals are quite aware of the areas in our lives where we do wrong. Some may think that no one else is aware of the sins in their lives, but the truth is that nothing can be hidden from the sight of God. Moreover, inside of each of us is the voice of our conscience that no one can silence. Repentance is that sense of remorse that overwhelms us, for those things that are not right in our lives.
Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 12:41, “On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I tell you that there is something here greater than Jonah!” (GNB)
In His teaching, while Jesus was here on the earth, He referred to this incident of Jonah, and the people of Nineveh, though it happened hundreds of years before Jesus came. Jesus was forthright to teach that there was a day of judgement for all of mankind, and that the people of Nineveh would actually stand to accuse all those who heard the teaching of Jesus, but did not repent. Further, Jesus went on to say that He was the one greater than Jonah who was in the midst of them, whom they failed to recognize. Jesus was the Son of God who came down to the earth to take on Himself the sins of all mankind. He died, was buried and rose again on the third day, and will come again as the King of Kings.
Though Jonah lived so many years before Jesus came, the message that Jonah preached so pricked the hearts of the people of Nineveh that they immediately repented of their sins and wickedness. Interestingly, Jonah gave the people of Nineveh just forty days within which they had to set things in order or face the judgement of God.
The teachings of Jesus is a clear reminder to us that there is an impending day of judgement for all of us, and that we should be prepared to stand before the righteous judge. While Jesus was here on earth, He preached for three and a half years. However, it seemed that the people in those days were unwilling to change, and hence Jesus had to caution them with the example of the people of Nineveh.
One important thing that the people of Nineveh did was to take up a fast. A fast signified that more that the physical food, the relationship with God was of utmost importance. In order to live a life that is pleasing to God, we need His grace and strength, and a fast reveals this total dependence that we have on God. You may have a question as to what is the significance of setting aside food during a fast.
The first restriction that God set
We read in Genesis 2:16-17, He told him, "You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day." (GNB)
The one command that God gave to Adam and Eve was that they should not eat the fruit of this one tree in the garden, which interestingly was a food restriction. Adam and Eve enjoyed this amazing fellowship and relationship with God in the Garden of Eden until the serpent subtly entered in. When the serpent entered the garden, it deceived Eve and Adam into believing a lie which led to their disobedience.
In Genesis 3:6, we read, “The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.” (GNB)
The fruit was alluring to Eve, as it was beautiful to behold, and therefore she thought it would be good to taste, and would also make her wise. The serpent deceived Eve to believe his lie, so that she took and ate the fruit, and also gave some to her husband.
Have you noticed how when there is a restraint on something, it is that very thing that becomes most appealing to us. That is why we need to be extremely cautious about these things. If we want to be victorious in this world, and want our flesh to overcome the lusts and temptations, we understand that there is some connection with food.
This was the punishment that the serpent received from the Lord.
We read in Genesis 3:14, Then the LORD God said to the snake, "You will be punished for this; you alone of all the animals must bear this curse: From now on you will crawl on your belly, and you will have to eat dust as long as you live. (GNB)
The punishment that the serpent received from God was also pertaining to food, when He cursed it to crawl on its belly, and eat the dust of the earth as long as it would live.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God to eat the fruit that God forbade, sin came into this world and there was a huge divide between God and man. However, when Jesus came down to the earth, just before He went to the cross, these were His words as recorded in Matthew 26:26,While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. "Take and eat it," he said; "this is my body." (GNB)
At this Passover meal Jesus revealed an extremely important truth to His disciples. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit the consequence was that all of mankind became enemies of God. However, when Jesus the Son of God took bread, blessed it, and gave it to His disciples, it signified His precious body that would be broken on behalf of all mankind. The two vital truths that we can pick up is that when man ate the forbidden fruit there was a separation between God and men, but when Jesus gave His body on our behalf there was peace, and reconciliation between God and men.
What is fasting?
Fasting is to set aside food, humble ourselves, and seek the Lord. We will understand about this from an incident in the bible.
The healing that the disciples couldn’t do
We read in Matthew 17:14-18, “When they returned to the crowd, a man came to Jesus, knelt before him, and said, "Sir, have mercy on my son! He is an epileptic and has such terrible attacks that he often falls in the fire or into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." Jesus answered, "How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me!" Jesus gave a command to the demon, and it went out of the boy, and at that very moment he was healed.” (GNB)
The disciples of Jesus were in a predicament when a man brought to them their son who was demon possessed, and had frequent epileptic attacks. The boy was tormented with terrible attacks that often prompted him to fall into the fire, and into the water, which left his father helpless. When the father brought this boy to the disciples of Jesus they were unable to heal him or deliver him in any way. Jesus was concerned that the disciples were still lacking in faith, and unable to do what Jesus did. No wonder Jesus rebuked them as an unbelieving and perverse generation. The disciples of Jesus must have felt ashamed that they were unable to perform this miracle, and also that they had to be reprimanded by Jesus in front of the crowds.
The word of God clearly portrays the devil as one who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Often the enemy will make offers that are subtle, but the end of it is destruction. This boy was tormented by the evil spirit which sought to take his life from him. Jesus on the other hand came to give life, and give it more abundantly.
The power of prayer and fasting
It was at this juncture that the disciples of Jesus came to Him to find out what the reason was for their inability to bring deliverance to the boy. They realized that they lacked something that prevented them from performing this miracle in the life of that boy who was in agony.
We read in Matthew 17:19-21, “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why were we not able to cast it out?" And Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a tiny mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Remove from here,' and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."” (AFV)
Jesus firstly mentioned to the disciples that they were lacking in their faith. He exhorted them that if they had faith as tiny as a mustard seed they would be able to say to the mountain, to be removed, and that it would be done. Jesus further reiterated that if they had that kind of faith there would be nothing that would be impossible for them. This is the anointing and blessing that God gives to those who trust Him completely. Often in the bible we read how Jesus commended some for their faith, and at other times He rebuked some for the lack of it. The amount of faith that we have in God strengthens us to fulfill the great plans of God through our lives.
There is another point that Jesus mentioned to them, and that was that the kind of evil spirit that possessed the boy could not be cast out except through prayer and fasting. Jesus was emphasizing to His disciples that prayer and fasting were the two components of the Christian lives that could help strengthen one’s faith in God. By praying we reveal that we are dependent on God, and need His strength. Whenever we venture to do anything without prayer, we are in other words telling God that we do not need His help and can do things on our own. Fasting on the other hand is to humble ourselves before God, cut off the noises of the world around us, abstaining from food, and to receive the strength that God will bestow on us. The mighty things that we desire to accomplish for God are directly proportional to the amount of faith we possess, which in order to accomplish prayer and fasting are absolutely essential.
Jesus Himself fasted
Jesus taught His disciples to fast, but let us remember that He first practiced it.
We read in Matthew 4:2, “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” (ESV)
Jesus the Son of God came down as a man to take upon Himself the sins of the world. He lived the perfect life that a man should live, and one of the important disciplines that Jesus followed was that of fasting. As children of God if we want to overcome the ploys of Satan, and lead a victorious life, God will give us the needed strength when we pray and fast. Fasting helps us to keep our bodies under control, to understand God’s will, and fulfill His will on the earth.
Many people are not aware of these benefits, and hence do not practice this discipline of fasting. Let us also learn to fast and pray just as Jesus did. Sometimes we give the excuse that we are unable to fast citing various reasons. If we have valid medical reasons for not being able to fast it is understandable. However, if we are able bodied, it will be very beneficial if we can learn to fast at least once a week. Fasting does not mean abstaining from food, and carrying about our daily routine. To fast means to spend much time in the presence of God in prayer, reading His word thereby discovering God’s plan, and will for our lives. When we do so God will enable us to receive strength to accomplish His purposes in and through our lives.
There are three important principles Jesus taught as essential for our Christian lives.
1. Giving
In Matthew 6:3 we read, “But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”(NLT)
Jesus talked about giving to those who are in need. All around us there are those who are in need, and we are called to give, but this should be done in secret. Sadly, today giving is done with so much of publicity, and we miss out on the principle that Jesus taught. Our giving should always be done in secret, for only then the Lord will bless us openly.
2. Prayer
Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”(ESV)
There are many who have an inadequate personal prayer life, but will often make lengthy prayers when in public. The ones who pray alone can easily be identified as their prayers in public will be short and specific, directed to God alone. They will not try to impress those around them. The Lord honors our secret prayers, and He promises to reward them openly.
3. Fasting
We also read in Matthew 6:17, “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,” (ESV)
We are called to fast by setting aside the food we eat, and spending time with God and His word. It would be totally wrong to fast in such a way that everyone gets to know we are fasting. Sometimes there are people who are at work, who are fasting, their faces really downcast, and when someone enquires about their welfare, they are prompt to inform them that they are on a fast. So also, fasting should not be a ritual undertaken once a year, for a specified number of days, which after it is completed many go back to their previous life of sinfulness. Fasting is a good discipline, but should be between God and the individual concerned, and never done to please or impress others.
If you have never taken fasting seriously or thought of it unnecessary, God’s word reminds us that it is good for us to fast and pray. Jesus did that while He was here on earth, and if we too want to lead a life of victory, we must most certainly discipline ourselves to fast and pray. You can start off with one meal, and then you can increase it as you find strength to do so. When we wait in God’s presence with fasting, seeking His counsel, we will receive added strength, and we will receive favor from God.
Fasting should not be done with the thought that we can twist God’s arm or change His heart concerning something we are praying about. On the other hand, fasting should help us fulfill God’s will, and should bring about transformation within us. We set aside physical food so that our inner man can be strengthened. Let us decide to undertake the right kind of fast just as Jesus did. Jesus fasted and lived a life of holiness with victory over sin, and authority over everything. In that incident where the man brought his son to the disciples, when Jesus came on the scene he spoke a word and the boy was totally healed. May God give us His grace and strength to each one of us to live a triumphant life here on earth.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
