To Fast or Not to Fast?

Lent is the traditional time for Christians to examine their lives, repent of their sin, and learn to trust in Jesus. Three practices are historically associated with Lent: prayer, fasting, and giving money or time to the poor. These practices teach us to trust in Jesus by pointing ourselves away from the gratification of our own desires and toward the great promises that God gives His people. This is what is behind the tradition of “giving things up” for Lent. When we fast from something that is a regular part of our lives (a kind of food or drink, games, social media), we are given more time to focus on the one thing that matters: Jesus. Fasting frees us from pursing our own pleasure and comfort, and frees us to pursue God’s Kingdom instead.

Fasting is one of those things that we have for the most part stopped doing in the modern Church. In Luther’s day, fasting was mandated by Rome. To avoid sin, it was necessary to do
certain things: fast from certain foods and at certain times. Lutherans rejected these practices as binding the conscience in unbiblical ways.

However, fasting itself is never condemned, and is in fact encouraged. Luther and the Lutheran reformers never criticized the correct use of fasting, only the Roman Church’s abuse. In the early days of the Reformation, worldly culture said that fasting was a way to please God;
however, our times are much different. Today, we face not an abuse of fasting, but rather an abuse of feasting. Rampant consumerism encourages self-indulgence to the point of absurdity.
We are constantly marketed to, talked at, and persuaded to buy more and more things that claim to be able to satisfy us. We buy and buy, giving little thought to how our habits of consumption
shape our souls.

Self-indulgence damages us by encouraging us to pursue comfort and pleasure. When we
are focused on comfort, we put our own needs first. We become distracted and complacent; it
becomes hard to focus on God, when we are focused on ourselves and our pleasures. Self-
indulgence encourages us to ignore God, who calls us to die with Him that we might rise to new
life with Him.

Now, can fasting and giving lead one to trust in one’s own works? Yes, of course; the heart is ever inclined to make idols even out of good things. If one thinks he earns God’s favor by fasting he does no good to himself or anyone else. This is why Jesus condemns such attitudes: “When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting” (Mt. 6:16, NKJV). “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the
street corneres, that they may be seen by others” (Mt. 6:5, ESV). “When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others” (Mt. 6:2, ESV). If fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are done to draw attention to the self, then they are no better than the self-indulgence that brings pride.
Works righteousness has no place in the Christian faith; but notice, Jesus does assume the Christian will be praying, fasting, and giving to others. Today, we are less inclined to think that we have earned God’s favor than in Luther’s day. We are more inclined, however, to think that the way we live our lives doesn’t matter. We are more inclined to indulge the desires of the self than we are to think that we earn grace. Most of us could probably use less indulgence and more
discipline in our lives.

So this Lent, think about putting the desires of the self to death. Give something up for a time, or even use the money that would have been spent on some luxury to help someone else.

Give it to charity or the church. Drink less. Give yourself a break from the endless cacophony of
social media. Use your time wisely, in prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. By doing less
you might find that you can see more clearly the One who died to bring you back to Himself.

-Pastor Pope