FAsting

And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast—Matthew 9:15-17 (Cf. Mk 2:18–22; Lk 5:33–39)

The Setting

In Jesus’ day, fasting was a normal part of Jewish religious life. Beyond the Day of Atonement, many devout people fasted regularly each week. That is what makes the question in Matthew 9 so sharp: Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees fast, but Jesus’ disciples do not? Jesus answers with the image of a wedding. Wedding guests do not mourn while the bridegroom is with them. A wedding is a time for joy, not grief. To fast at a wedding would be to act as though something terrible were happening when in fact something beautiful was unfolding. Jesus is saying that his presence changes the moment. The kingdom of God is breaking in. Sinners are turning back to God. This is not the time for mourning. It is the time for celebration!

Why Fasting Was Inappropriate Then

Jesus deepens his point with two pictures. No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because it will tear and make the damage worse. No one puts new wine into old wineskins, because the skins will burst. In both cases, the issue is not that the old is bad or the new is bad. The issue is appropriateness. That is Jesus’ point about fasting. Fasting itself is not wrong. It simply was not the appropriate response to what God was doing in that moment. To keep fasting as if nothing had changed would be to miss the meaning of Jesus entirely.

The purpose of fasting

The NT gives little instruction about fasting, it only occurs in the narratives (Gospels and Acts). But what is clear is that Jesus expected Christians to fast. He says, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Jesus also speaks elsewhere by saying, “when you fast,” not “if you fast.” He assumes his followers will do it. Still, fasting is often misunderstood. It is not a way to earn God’s favor, force God’s hand, or punish ourselves. Fasting is a grace that teaches us to reach for God before we reach for comfort. It exposes what controls us. Often the things that rule us are not evil things, but good things we lean on too quickly. Fasting reveals those attachments and retrains the heart. It reminds us that God, not our comforts, is our true source of life.

Practical Guardrails for Fasting

Fasting does not earn God’s favor. First, fasting does not earn God’s favor. It is not a performance by which we prove our righteousness. Fasting is not a way to get God to do what we want. Second, fasting is not about getting God to do what we want. It is often our temptation to use good things to our own ends to try to get God to do what we want while seeming pious. Fasting is not meant to punish the body. Third, we should not fast to punish ourselves. Self-harm as a form of righteousness is gnostic and has nothing to do with Christianity. God does not teach us dependence through self-violence but through self-love. We are not to make crosses for ourselves by denying ourselves nourishment.

Do not become overly rigid about rules. Fourth, we should not be so keen on rules. Rules about fasting are extremely limited in the Bible. So, the specifics do not help us. Fasting is not Covenant Going without eating is not a covenant you make with God that if you break it you have broken a promise. Fasting is praying with your body. In the same way that if you get distracted while praying you just refocus and keep going, it is the same with fasting. Don't make it about health Sure fasting has health benefits. But you are not here to lose weight, that distracts your purpose.

A Fasting Practice

Step 1: Fast from food. All the examples in Scripture show that biblical fasting is a fast from food, but fasting from water is not required. Water can still be taken during a fast, fruit juice can also be helpful because it gives some calories and helps keep the body hydrated. Step 2: Or fast from something good. Fast from something that is good that is central to life. The point of fasting is not to abstain from bad things. Bad things like sin should be abandoned not fasted from. Fasting is stepping away from good things that hold the heart (or may be holding the heart too tightly) to allow the soul to hunger for it and feed yourself God in it's place. Step 3: Do not fast during times meant for joy and celebration. Jesus’ teaching in this passage makes clear that fasting has an appropriate time. A wedding is not a time for mourning, and a feast is not a time for fasting. In the same way, fasting should not be practiced during moments set apart for joy and celebration. For example, in early Jewish and Christian practice, people fasted on weekdays so that they could feast and rejoice on the Sabbath. Step 4: Choose a length of time. The exact length of a fast is not the main issue. A person should choose a time that fits their health, work, family responsibilities, and schedule. A good place to begin may be from supper to lunch the next day, then a twelve-hour fast, then a twenty-four-hour fast, and later perhaps a three-day fast. Anything longer than that should be approached carefully and prayerfully. The best thing to do is to choose a short weekly fast and designte longer ones when you have deeper burdens to lament (ref step 8) Step 5: Keep it personal. Jesus teaches that fasting should not become a public display of spirituality. Fasting should remain quiet, sincere, and known only to those who need to know. Step 6: Pray, worship, and read Scripture. Fasting should never be separated from prayer and worship. On its own, it is only going without food. In the NT fasting is inseparably tied to worship and prayer. Luke 2:37 tells us that the prophetess Anna was “worshiping with fasting.” In Acts 13:2, we are told that the apostolic band was “worshiping the Lord and fasting.” We can pray and worship without fasting, but we can never fast without prayer and worship (Acts 14:23).  Joined to prayer, worship, and Scripture, fasting becomes a way of turning the whole person toward God. Hunger then becomes a reminder to pray, to listen, and to seek God more deeply. In that way, fasting teaches the soul to reach toward God first rather than toward comfort. Step 7: Let God move in Whatever you fast from will create a gap in your day (free lunch preriod, no food prep, less bathroom breaks, no doom-scrooling, etc...). Let Scripture, prayer, and worship move into that space. Step 8: Lament freely Sorrow, cynicism, anger, doubts and questions need somewhere to go. Designate your fasting hours to lament your disappoints, and longings. Don't use it primarily as a time to get something from God, but as a time of honesty. Imagine what your life could look like if you designated honesty once a week? A Word of Advice Fasting is not a covenant. If a friend you have not seen in a long time unexpectedly invites you to lunch, you can break your fast without guilt. You do not win medals for going longer. Fasting is not a way to get God to do something. It is a way to create room for the Holy Spirit to rearrange the impulses of your heart. If God responds to our fasting, it is not because we were faithful to its length, but because fasting is prayer with our bodies, and God hears the prayers of his people.

A quickstart

1. Don't tell anyone you are doing this unless your doing it with someone and only tell people that need to know.
2. If you choose to fast from food, let your next meal be your last meal and skip one meal. If it's an object stop using it immediately.
3. In the free space, mediate of Psalm 22
4. In the free space, lament.
5. Before you break your fast, do a prayer of gratitude for God giving you space to grieve. "Lord, thank you for holding space for my grief. Amen"