03/14/2024
Fasting: Scripture and Tradition
“How do I live as a Christian?” This is a continuous question that needs to be answered and answered again as the generations of the Church continue. At The Garden and the Cultivating Center, we ask the question in a more specific way. “How do we live as disciples of Jesus?” We are committed to the way of Jesus. This commitment means we strive to conform the way we live to the teachings and model of Jesus’ life in addition to our knowledge of Jesus. We study Scripture and look to church tradition as we seek to conform our lives to the way of Jesus in the face of new challenges of every generation. As we continue our Lenten fast, we should be encouraged that fasting is both witnessed to in Scripture and practiced from the very beginning of the Church.
Scripture is our first and primary source for discerning life as a disciple of Jesus. All Scripture is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16), so we look to the Old Testament, Gospels, and the other New Testament books for our journey to be transformed into the image of Jesus. To discern the importance and benefit of fasting, we can look to the whole of the scriptural witness. Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, and Daniel all fasted as an act of devotion, discernment, or holiness throughout the Old Testament. Additionally, the whole of Israel was commanded to fast as part of the recognition of the Day of Atonement. In the New Testament, Jesus himself fasted for forty days at the beginning of his ministry (Luke 4:12). Jesus also assumes that fasting will be part of his disciples practice (Matt. 6:16-18; 9:15). The book of Acts records the apostles fasting to discern the will of the Holy Spirit and as part of commissioning leaders in the church (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23). Finally, Paul mentions his own practice of fasting as a servant of God (2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:27). We clearly see fasting is a well-established practice in Scripture modeled by the faithful from Moses to Jesus and those closest to Jesus.
The Church of today has the benefit of looking back at the practice of the Church from the earliest decades after Jesus through today. Church tradition refers to the broad consensus of Christian belief and practice. We do not need to reinvent the wheel each generation because we have the faithful witness of the saints of past generations. We can lean on the wisdom of those who have gone before us to guide our own life of faith today. Fasting is a practice that has been viewed as essential to disciples of Jesus from the earliest days of the Church. The Didache is the earliest Christian writing we have and dates from 50-70 A.D., just a couple decades after Jesus. The Didache instructs Christians to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays (from dawn to sunset) every week. Those who were preparing to be baptized fasted for two whole days prior to their baptism. Nearly all the Church Fathers taught on fasting. Here is just one example from St. Basil (A.D. 330-379),
“Fasting gives birth to prophets, she strengthens the powerful; fasting makes lawgivers wise. She is a safeguard for the soul, a steadfast companion for the body, a weapon for the brave, and a discipline for champions. Fasting repels temptations, anoints for godliness. She is a companion for sobriety, the crafter of a sound mind. In wars she fights bravely, in peace she teaches tranquility.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, somewhat more recently (mid-late 1700’s) expressed his disappointment that Methodists had neglected the practice of fasting, “I fear there are now thousands of Methodists, so called, both in England and Ireland, who, following the same bad example, have entirely left off fasting; who are so far from fasting twice a week… that they do not fast twice in the month!” Wesley fasted every Wednesday and Friday like the earliest Christians and refused to commission any pastor for ministry who did not do the same. I write this not to suggest that every Christian must follow this exact rhythm of fasting, but to communicate the importance of fasting that has long been recognized by the Church until the latest couple centuries in the West.
As the Church calendar formed over the centuries fasting became part of certain holy days (holidays) and seasons of the year. The Christian year begins with Advent which is traditionally associated with fasting. We fast in our waiting and anticipation of the second coming of Jesus and the finale restoration of all things. Christmas, the celebration the first coming of Jesus, is a 12 day season of feasting to break the season of fasting. Fasting is most closely associated with our current season of Lent for most of us. The fasting of Lent is paired with repentance for our sin, which was covered by Jesus’ death on the cross. The 40 days of fasting during Lent is followed by the 50 days of feasting during the Easter season when we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus and the freedom from sin and death it provided!
We are now in the last couple weeks of Lent. As you continue your fast (or recommit to it for remainder of Lent) I hope you are encouraged by the long witness of Scripture and Christian tradition that you are participating in. I pray you experience God in new and powerful ways!
