We're currently in Lent, which is the time of year when my Catholic brethren give up something to focus on God. The idea of giving up something to focus on God is considered fasting.
Fasting is something that rarely gets discussed. What's the point? Should we fast? Is fasting a Catholic thing? Am I allowed to eat during a fast? What does Jesus say about fasting?
All of these questions are good questions to ask. I am a Southern Baptist by label, and fasting is something my denomination rarely discusses or practices. So, what does the bible say about fasting? Let's take a look.
One of the passages that is central to understanding fasting is found in Matthew 7. I wrote a post on this passage last year, entitled To Fast or Not to Fast, That Is the Question. I would ask for you to read that post after reading this one, as they are really companions for each other. It discusses the heart behind fasting, which is one of humility and God-focusedness. That's not my goal today.
Today, my goal is to simply show that fasting is not a bad thing for Christians to do, and, in fact, is very helpful. Check out Mark 2:18-20 with me.
"Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, 'How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?'
Jesus answered, 'How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.'" -Mark 2:18-20, NIV
This passage alone shows that we, as the Church today, are not wrong to fast in a biblical manner (which is outlined in my other post). In v. 18, we see that Jesus' disciples were not fasting, while other "religious types" were. So they asked Jesus what was up with this apparent lack of striving for God.
At first glance, it appears that Jesus is supporting the abolition of fasting. Yet, keep reading on down to verse 20...
Here, Jesus discusses that "the bridegroom will be taken away, and on that day they will fast." Guess what: Jesus is not physically on this earth right now. Jesus, our Bridegroom, has ascended to the throne of God. The day has come for our fast.
Allow me to clarify something, though: God is not gone from this earth. His presence is all around us, and in the believer. I do not want you to walk away thinking that we are without our God; that is untrue. In Mark 2, Jesus' disciples literally had Him in the flesh, there beside them. They had no need to fast at all, and because of that, they didn't. We don't HAVE to fast, either; if you never fast, you are not doomed to Hell. We have the Spirit of God within us; thus, we do not have to fast. We are saved by grace, not works, and our salvation rests only in the work of Christ.
However, we are in a waiting period. We are in between the human life of Christ and His return. We cannot speak with Him in the same way that the disciples did then, and we will not have that level of closeness with Him until He returns. So, allow me give a scenario that I hope will show the benefit of fasting while we wait for His return.
Let's say a couple is dating. The man gets down on one knee and proposes. Do you think they are abstaining from enjoying life at that moment? No! They'd by excited! He is physically with her, and she will enjoy every moment with him!
But let's say that this man is deployed to Iraq before they are married. What do you think the future bride will do? Is she going to continue her life as if he were here? Of course not. She will call him, Skype him, email him... You get what I am saying. She will abstain from chasing after other guys, because she already has her man. She will even be willing to wake/remain up at crazy hours of the day to talk with him. She will sacrifice sleep, food or other relationships in order to grow closer with him, even in his time away.
We, Church, are currently that future bride. Our Groom has gone for a time, and we are now waiting for His return. We should desire to grow closer with Him at all costs, no matter what. There may come times when separation from food or sleep or other things will allow us to communicate with and draw nearer to our Groom, and we shouldn't be afraid to embrace that. This fasting with the desire of growing closer to God is a good thing.
Our Groom is on His way back to us; are we willing to do whatever it takes to be as close as possible with Him while we wait?
Thanks to Mr. Scott Fertig, who challenged me to go deeper with this post and better communicate my thoughts. If you, reader, ever find what I say to be erroneous or confusing, please let me know. I will be happy to clarify or study further.
No comments:
Post a Comment