Jesus and Fasting
Jesus assumed His disciples would fast: "And when you fast, do not look gloomy…" (Matthew 6:16) — not "if you fast" but "when." He modelled it Himself, fasting forty days in the wilderness before His public ministry (Matthew 4:2). When asked why His disciples did not fast, He said they would fast after the bridegroom was taken away (Matthew 9:15) — referring to after His ascension, which is precisely the age in which the church now lives.
The Right Motive for Fasting
Matthew 6:16-18 warns against fasting to be seen by others — the kind that advertises itself for religious reputation. Jesus condemns the outward performance and commands fasting before the Father who sees in secret. True fasting is vertical, not horizontal — it is between the believer and God, not a public display of spirituality. When practiced this way, God "will reward you."
The Fast God Chooses
Isaiah 58 is a searching passage. The people fasted but wondered why God didn't respond. His answer: their fasting was religious performance while they exploited their workers and quarrelled. The fast God chooses involves "loosing the bonds of wickedness, undoing the straps of the yoke, letting the oppressed go free" (v.6) and sharing bread with the hungry. True fasting connects vertical devotion to horizontal justice — it breaks the heart for what breaks God's heart.
Fasting in the New Testament Church
Acts 13:2-3 records a remarkable scene: "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off." The church at Antioch fasted before major decisions and missionary appointments. Acts 14:23 records Paul and Barnabas appointing elders in each church with prayer and fasting. Fasting accompanied pivotal moments in the early church.
Types of Fasting
Scripture describes various fasts: a normal fast (abstaining from food but not water), a partial fast or "Daniel fast" (abstaining from certain foods, Daniel 10:3), and an absolute fast (abstaining from food and water, practiced by Moses and Esther — always brief and extraordinary). The length can range from one day (Judges 20:26), three days (Esther 4:16), seven days (1 Samuel 31:13), twenty-one days (Daniel 10:3), and forty days (Moses, Elijah, Jesus).