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Fasting Is Healthy!
John Mark Ministries
Jesus fasted during his wilderness preparation for ministry (Matthew 4:1-2, Luke
4:1-2), but said only two things about fasting in his teaching in the gospels:
it was an act of private devotion to God, and was appropriate once he left his
followers (Matthew 6:16-18, 9:14-15; cf. Mark 2:18-20; Luke 5:33-35). The apostolic
church apparently observed fasts during times of solemn commitment (Acts 13:2-3,
14:23).
Fasting is 'praying with the body', an affirmation of one's hunger for God
and his will, and act of spiritual discipline, and an assertion of the goodness
of God in creation, which one appreciates better in abstention; it 'expresses
penitence for the rejection and crucifixion of Christ by the human race; it
is a following of Jesus on his way of fasting; it is one element in mortification;
the acceptance of death of self in the death of Christ, and thereby an act of
faith in the resurrection.' (20)
Fasting has its dangers, when misused for selfish ends. The Bible notes such
abuses as fasting as a means of getting things from God (manipulation or magic);
it can be a substitute for genuine repentance and be formalistic; it can be
masochistic - an exaggerated self-denial; psychological evidence shows fasting
can sometimes lead to self-induced visions which may not be helpful. (21) R.D.
So, in summary, there are no biblical laws that command regular fasting, but,
as Martin Luther said, 'It was not Christ's intention to reject or despise fasting...
it was his intention to restore proper fasting.' It is clear that Christ both
upheld the discipline of fasting and anticipated that his followers would do
it. (22)
Further Reading: Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, San Francisco:
Harper & Row, 1978; Arthur Wallis, God's Chosen Fast, CLC, 1986; Joseph
F. Wemmer, Fasting in the New Testament, Paulist Press, 1982. |
