The Right Way To Fast Series

I have entitled our message this morning, “The Right Way to Fast.” Jesus both practiced fasting and taught about it; and yet, fasting is something that is often feared and misunderstood. In many Christian circles, you rarely even hear about fasting; and yet, the Scripture mentions it more times than something as important as baptism (seventy-seven times for fasting, to seventy-five times for baptism). Believers in a gluttonous, self-indulgent society may struggle to accept and practice fasting, but we need to learn about it and occasionally, if not often, practice this spiritual discipline.

A biblical definition of fasting is “a Christian’s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes.” Fasting is more than just the ultimate crash diet for the body. It is abstinence from food, to help us grow in our faith. Ben Patterson says, “Fasting is a matter of exchanging one form of hunger for another. By withholding physical food from our bodies, we elevate the likelihood of developing a spiritual appetite.” He continues to say that the meaning of all hunger is to point us to God; therefore, this means that we can use physical hunger to our spiritual advantage.(1) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

In our passage of Scripture this morning, we are going to look at what Jesus has to say about our physical appearance when fasting. When seeking a deeper spiritual experience with God, we are still in a physical body. Though our heart is seen by God, our physical appearance is seen by people; and the way we present ourselves physically; or rather, our outward expression; can speak volumes about the inner man. So, a good question to get us thinking is this: “Who are we trying to impress when we fast? Jesus or the people around us?” In our passage today, we are going to discover that God is more concerned about our heart-posture than our physical posture and appearance.

Jesus’ Admonition on Fasting (Matthew 6:16-18)

16 Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

I want to begin this exposition by pointing out how, in verse 16, Jesus said, “Moreover, when you fast.” He also said in verse 17, “But you, when you fast.” By these statements, and by providing instructions on what to do and what not to do, Jesus assumed that believers will fast. This expectation is even more obvious when we compare these words with what He said about benevolence and prayer just a few verses prior in the same chapter. In Matthew 6:2, for example, Jesus said: “When you do a charitable deed,” and in Matthew 6:5, “And when you pray.” No one doubts that we are supposed to give and devote ourselves to prayer, and we often use these verses to teach about these principles. So, it seems safe to say that Jesus still expects His followers to fast even today, just as He expects us to give and pray.

So, let us look at how the Jews fasted during the time of Jesus; and see if we can learn the problem that He was addressing. In that day and time, “fasting lasted from dawn until sunset. Outside that time, normal meals could be eaten. For the Jew, in the time of Jesus, there was only one [required] fast, the fast on the Day of Atonement. On that day, from morning to evening, all men had to ‘afflict their souls’ [according to Leviticus 16:31]. The Jewish scribal law lays it down: ‘On the Day of Atonement it is forbidden to eat, or to drink, or to bathe, or to anoint oneself, or to wear sandals . . . Although there was only the one [required], universal day of fasting, the Jews made great use of private fasting,”(2) such as fasting in mourning and grief over the loss of a loved one, fasting as an act of penitence, and fasting in preparation for revelation from God.(3)

Jesus said, “When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites” (v. 16). Back in Matthew 6:1-8, He also admonished not to be like the hypocrites when giving alms and praying. We recently looked at Matthew 6:2 and also verse 5, and we learned that the word “hypocrite” is a Greek term that means “actor in a play.” It can also mean “to pretend,” “to conceal one’s true motives,” and “to wear a mask.”(4) So, to whom was Jesus referring? Well, in Matthew 23:13, Jesus said, “Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” The Scribes and Pharisees were the hypocrites! What they did wrong was they would put on “a sad countenance,” which A.T. Robertson says was “a gloomy look,”(5) and they would also “disfigure their faces” (v. 16), so that people would assume they were fasting. So, let us dig into this some more!