Matthew 6:16-18

D. THE MOTIVES OF THE WISE AND GODLY MAN

(Matthew 6:1-18)

4. HIS MOTIVATION FOR FASTING. (Matthew 6:16-18)

TEXT: 6:16-18

16. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.
17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face;
18. that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS

a.

Have you ever fasted? Why did you fast, if so?

b. Do you think fasting is a principle or is it a practice which represents a principle? Or, to put it another way, can one fast in another way that represents and abstinence from some habit, other than from food?
c. Of what positive benefit is fasting, if he who fasts does not understand the relationship in which his body, with all its desires, stands to God? In other words, does fasting, by itself without that understanding, carry with it special spiritual benefits?

d. If it be true that ascetic practices in general tend to promote rigor of devotion, self-abasement and severity to the body, but are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh, (Colossians 2:23) of what value then is fasting, a practice which may be considered to be ascetic?

e. Do you think Jesus intended this directive concerning fasting for His Jewish disciples only, giving them instructions for its correct observance for that era, or is this directive a universal command intended for any era and any disciple? On what basis does one decide this?

PARAPHRASE

So also when you abstain from the usual comforts of life for religious reasons, do not look all sad and gloomy, like the hypocrites. They disfigure their faces in order to present to others the figure of one who fasts. Believe me, they have received all the wages they are going to get. But when you fast, do whatever is necessary for good grooming: for example, anoint your head and wash your face. Do this so that no one will know that you are fasting, so that only your Father who is invisible may know it. Then your Father who sees what is secret will give you what is right.

SUMMARY

Fasting, like giving alms or praying, to have value before God must actually represent the heart attitude of the one who so expresses himself. If fasting is to represent the affliction of one's soul, it must be done before God, hence, secretly, lest men see and praise. Consequently, those whose fasting is deliberately aimed at public attention and personal self-exaltation have vitiated it into a tragicomic clown's act.

NOTES

4. HIS MOTIVATION FOR FASTING: He humbles himself before God, not to gain men's applause. (Matthew 6:16-18)

Matthew 6:16 To fast. The Law of Moses never prescribed fasting directly. Only in connection with the Day of Atonement was a command given to afflict your souls (Leviticus 16:29-34; Leviticus 23:26-32; Numbers 29:7). This order to humble, or bow, the soul, by restraining the earthly appetites, was interpreted to mean fasting (Cf. Acts 27:9), although the word actually meaning to go without food and drink-' (tsum) came into use first of all in the time of the Judges. (Keil-Delitzsch, Pentateuch, 11, 405, 406; cf. Judges 20:26; 1 Samuel 7:6; Psalms 35:13. This latter passage shows the distinction in translation: I afflicted my soul with fasting.) Thus, only this one day of the year was legally set aside for appropriate observance in a right state of mind brought about by such abstinence. Nevertheless, the Jewish tradition had set as fast days also Monday and Thursday of every week. (Cf. Luke 18:12; Luke 5:33)

The professed purposes of fasting are wrapped up in the desire to express one's sincerity by this departure from the normal pattern of living. Devout men of all ages have fasted when they found themselves in trouble or in danger or to guarantee the sincerity of their penitence and prayers. Other times they fasted to humble the spirit and obtain the victory over selfishness, pride and desire, Again, fasting is a natural expression of mourning or an attempt to expiate some sin or an expression of penitence or even a preparation to receive revelations. (Examples: at Deuteronomy 9:9; Judges 20:26; 1 Samuel 1:7; 1 Samuel 7:6; 1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:12; 2 Samuel 3:35; 2 Samuel 12:16; 2 Kings 19:8; 1 Kings 21:4; 1 Kings 21:27; 2 Chronicles 20:3-4; Ezra 8:21; Ezra 9:3; Ezra 9:5; Nehemiah 1:4; Nehemiah 2:2; Nehemiah 9:1; Esther 4:16; Daniel 9:3; Daniel 10:2-3; Jonah 3:5-10; Joel 1:13-14; Joel 2:15-16; Zechariah 8:18-19; Matthew 9:14; Luke 2:37; Acts 13:3; Acts 14:23)

Since fasting is a natural expression, it cannot be regulated arbitrarily, since it is what every person in the need or mood for it does naturally. At such times when the soul is so oppressed by the burden of sin, so stricken with grief, so apprehensive of impending trouble, so awe-inspired by the solemnity of a particular occasion, going without the usual sustenance becomes a natural reaction of the spirit, Such fasting is acceptable because it is a real expression of the man. Clearly, then, the frequency or duration of a fast must be determined by one's personal constitution, need, regular activity and similar factors.

However, the Pharisees had wrung all of the beneficial content from the form of fasting. It is easy to see how what had been regarded as a guarantee of the sincerity of one's repentance should become the substitute for it. Thus, they used fasting as a means of appearing righteous, rather than a means to get right with God. They made it feed their pride until it became a meritorious lever to tip the balance of God's favor in their direction, thus giving them a false sense of control over God. Instead of humbling their spirits to faithful obedience to God's commands, they prided themselves in fasting according to their own regulations. Thus, they advertised, with all deliberate external ostentation, what should have been top secret between their soul and God.

Sad countenance ,.. disfigure their faces. The Master spared no words for these hypocrites who assumed expressions of unfelt sorrow or superficial humility, Sometimes these expressions involved putting dust or ashes on the head, wearing an irritating hair- or sack-cloth shirt next to the skin, allowing the hair or beard to go loose or unkempt, and neglecting the appearance in general for the duration of the fast. But where the attitude is hypocritical, probably the one who fasts fools none, for, not having felt the genuine motivation to be thoroughly righteous, he must resort to such disguises as Jesus describes. God had roundly condemned those popular fasting practices of the OT period, which were not expressions of true heart righteousness. (See Isaiah 58; Joel 2:13; Zechariah 7:1-7) Perhaps the Lord intended a smile-provoking pun, a play on words seen only in the Greek (aphanizousin. hopos phanosin): They make their (normal) faces to disappear, so that they might appear to be fasting.

Matthew 6:17 Anoint thy head, wash thy face. Take any measure necessary to appear as you normally do daily, so that your fasting might never be noticed by men. Anointing one's head is an allusion to the use of various oils as a refreshing skin protection against the dry hot air of Palestine. Whereas hypocrites had used such disguises, as are mentioned above, to hide the insincerity of their fasting, and, at the same time, to establish before men their sincerity, Jesus would have His disciples disguise their fasting exactly in the opposite way, with a view to guaranteeing their sincerity by reducing fasting to a matter done before God alone.

But, thou when thou fastest. Another personal word to the individual disciple, as in Matthew 6:6, also reinforced in Greek by six personal pronouns. But is this a word for every disciple of every age? While Jesus condemned the wrong formality and hypocrisy in some who fasted, it is obvious that He never meant that fasting should be completely eliminated from godly practice altogether. He rather assumes that His disciples will fast, in the same way that He assumes that he will help the needy (Matthew 6:2-4) or pray (Matthew 6:5-7). On the other hand, though fasting as a natural expression of anguish of spirit would continue to have its place in the spontaneous response of Jesus-' disciple, yet Jesus Himself indicated later that organized, legalized fasting as a rite would not harmonize well with His program. (Cf. Matthew 9:10-17; Mark 2:18 ff; Luke 5:29 ff) Though Paul was clearly discussing various ascetic regulations which originated in human precepts and doctrines, yet it is clear that his condemnation of all such practices, even when no such regulations would be involved, touches fasting, for it is a clear example of asceticism. For, he says, these practices have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting rigor of devotion and self-abasement and severity to the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:8 to Colossians 3:17) It should be inconceivable but unfortunately is not impossible that one gratify his lust while enduring a forty-day fast. Thus, making one's body suffer from hunger or thirst, while leaving the mind and imagination untamed, is futile. But one may well have a transformed mind and have crucified his flesh with the affections and lusts thereof, while eating and drinking too. (Cf. Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 11:18-19; Galatians 5:24) Therefore, fasting has no moral value in itself, It finds its only value in connection with those prayers, that repentance, that personal discipline, which fasting accompanies, and for which fasting makes excellent physical preparation. There are more important ways of afflicting one's soul than merely by going without food or drink for a specified period: that sweet self-domination that keeps us from retaliating, that stern self-discipline that crucifies lust in our heart, that powerful self-mastery that refuses, in short, to sin.

Why fast then? As notable examples demonstrate, the early Church fasted on certain occasions (Acts 13:3; Acts 14:23), as did Jesus Himself.

1. Because, since fasting is a natural response, one will naturally fast when sufficient occasion demands it, His vital concern with His impending whirlwind ministry and His desert situation made Jesus' forty-day fast a natural result. Although it is not said that Jesus refused the food brought by the disciples (John 4:6-8; John 4:31-34), yet His preoccupation with the Samaritans pointed out His understanding of true priorities.

2. Because fasting is not so much a duty for its own sake as a physical discipline to prepare one for other duties. In this sense, it may be good for the self-discipline. However, 'one must not conclude that such periodic self-denial is better moral training than the ordinary temperance or moderation in all things. Denying self at every meal is a course much better adapted to preserve the mind and body in the best spiritual tenor any exigency might require.

Therefore, Jesus' disciple is not bound by specific directions concerning the occasions or length of fasts, Rather, in line with the principles of Christian liberty (cf. Romans 14:1 to Romans 15:7; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; chs. 8-11), Jesus allows him to decide for himself to what extent, in what way and how often he should bring his body under subjection to the glory of God.

FACT QUESTIONS

1.

What does the NT teach about fasting? (regarding the appropriate use or occasions, the manner and purposes of it)

2.

What was the ancient practice of fasting among the Jews? What attendant rituals or habits or expressions accompanied fasting?

3.

List as many of the outstanding examples of acceptable fasts in the Bible as you can, describing who fasted, why, and, if possible, the results they obtained for having done so. Show why God respected the fast, even though in most cases those who fasted literally disfigured their appearance, wore a sad countenance and were seen of men to be fasting. In other words, what is the difference between their mode of fasting and that condemned by Jesus?

4. Is fasting appointed by God in the OT? Then, is it in force as a law under the present relationship to God by His covenant of grace?