Welcome to part two of this series on fasting! In part one, we explored what biblical fasting is, places in scripture that mention fasting, and some important figures that practiced fasting. Here in part two, we will briefly learn if fasting is really something that
we should try in our walk with the Lord.
First let's establish that as Christians, God encourages us to prepare ourselves here on earth for the kingdom of heaven (1 Timothy 6: 18-19). Fasting is one of the ways that we can draw closer to the Lord, and one of the most pertinent verses that helps to clarify if we should be fasting is in Matthew 9. John the Baptist's disciples came to Jesus and ask him about who should be fasting, as the disciples of Jesus were not fasting. They asked Jesus, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”. Jesus responded, “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" (Matt. 9: 15). His response is twofold: first explaining that while He is here on Earth doing his ministry, his disciples need not fast. Second, He reveals that after He is gone from them, He expects them to fast. While not a direct command, it certainly seems that Jesus is assuming that his disciples (that includes us!) will fast after he ascends into Heaven.
In scripture, we see that members of the early church fasted as part of their ministry (Acts 13: 1-3, 14: 21-23) and the apostle Paul also fasted and suggested fasting as good ministers of the Lord (2 Cor. 6: 4-10). Following the example of these early church pioneers, as well as Jesus himself, might not be a bad idea for believers today.
The question 'should we fast?' seems best answered with 'why not?'. As we have investigated, many of the most influential heroes of the faith have fasted; maybe this is something we should consider implementing in our own lives. Therefore, the final part of this series will discuss how we should practice fasting. Thank you for joining me for part two, stay tuned for part three!
Kramskoi, Ivan. (1872). "Christ in the Wilderness" [Painting].
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