Should Believers Fast?
January 15, 2007
Dear Friends,
Should believers fast? There appears to be reasonable evidence in the Bible that we should.
Jesus tells us that his disciples will fast in between his first advent and his second advent.
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. (Mark 2:19–20)
We would understand this passage to be self- evident. When Jesus arose from the dead and ascended to heaven, an epoch would begin in which his disciples would fast until he was again present.
Jesus also says in Matthew 6:16, “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites.†Notice he does not say “if you fastâ€, but “when you fast.†There seems to be a built in assumption that his disciples would fast. Similarly, early in this chapter Jesus said “when you pray†and “when you give alms [money for the poor].†Hopefully, no one would suggest that the need to pray and give to the poor was no longer an element of proper discipleship.
If it is true that Jesus’ disciples would fast, is there any evidence that they did so?
The brethren in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch fasted on a visit from Paul and Barnabas. “In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.†(Acts 4:23 NJB) There is another account of the brethren in Antioch fasting. In Acts 13, it records a fast:
In the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.’ So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:1–3 NJB)
If the above evidence is compelling, we are left to figure out why God wants us to fast. Intuitively and from experience in other cases, we know that if God is asking us to do something, there must be a tangible, spiritual benefit for so doing. God is not asking us for empty ritual or for the sake of the Mosaic Law. Next week, Lord willing, we will look at why the disciples of the Lord should fast and what benefits accrue to us when we do it.
Have a great week,
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