Thoughts of a Pastor-Historian

Moreover, 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. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:16-18

“The man who never fasts is no more in the way to heaven than the man who never prays.” So said John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who refused to ordain anyone who did not fast at least twice a week. Lest you think this requirement too severe, consider the authoritative words of our King in Matthew 6:16-18. In these verses Jesus assumes that His disciples will be fasters. The same language is used for fasting as for giving and prayer, “when you . . .”. For the Christian fasting should be just as natural as giving and prayer. Maybe that’s the problem!

Matthew 9:14-15 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Those days have now come! We are expected to fast.

The issue here (as with Jesus’ teaching on giving and prayer) is motivation. Why do you fast? For the praise of man or for the glory of God?

In our text today, Jesus contrasts the motivation of the hypocrite with that which He requires of His disciples. When the hypocrite fasted, he would walk around with a sad face. He wanted everyone to know how much he was suffering. Some people look like this all the time, but that’s not the point. These people were deliberately letting people know they were fasting. If someone would come up and ask them why they looked so sad, they would immediately and mournfully respond, “I’m fasting.”

The hypocrites would also “disfigure” their faces. The word translated “disfigure” literally means to cause to disappear. This is a reference to the practice in Jesus’ day of the “hypocrites” who covered their face in ashes in order to let everyone know they were fasting. They would do this so that as they would walk through the streets with their faces covered with ashes, people would say, “There goes a godly man.” When these hypocrites overheard such statements they were satisfied. They had gotten what they wanted. They had their reward!

By contrast Jesus says that His disciples should wash their face and anoint their heads with oil whenever they fasted. The point is to not advertise your fasting. If someone finds out, make sure that it is not because of the way you presented yourself. When you fast only before God the Father, He will reward you openly!

That’s the meaning of the text. It deals with our inward motivation when we do our religious duty of fasting. Jesus is emphasizing that it is not only important what we do, but also why we do what we do. When we give, we should give for God and not man. When we pray, we should pray for God and not man. When we fast, we should fast for God and not man.

Although we now understand the meaning of the text, since this topic is so infrequently preached and practiced I would like to spend some time this morning explaining.

First, what is fasting? Don Whitney in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life has defined biblical fasting as “a Christian’s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes” (152). It is fasting by a Christian, he says, because “fasting by a non-Christian obtains no eternal value because the discipline’s motive and purpose are to be God-centered.” It is voluntary because it is not to be coerced. And it must be for spiritual purposes.

We understand that fasting is about abstaining from food for a certain period. Many of you have fasted before a medical test or procedure. Each of us fast every night from bedtime till the time we rise. That’s why we call the first meal of each day “breakfast”, we’re breaking our overnight fast. But these fasts are not biblical or Christian fasts. Merely abstaining from food does not qualify as a Christian fast.

Believe me when I say that this is a difficult topic for me. Not only is our society set up to work against any form of self-denial, my own body and appetites are strongly opposed to this practice. I like to eat. I wake up wanting to eat and while I’m eating breakfast I’m thinking of what I’m going to have for lunch. My wife has summarized my approach to eating by saying that she eats to live, but I live to eat. That’s a good and accurate summary.

Let me add that there are some who cannot abstain from food for long periods of time for medical reasons (e.g. diabetics or those taking certain medications). This doesn’t mean that you’re exempt from the discipline of fasting. I gave you Don Whitney’s definition earlier, I also like Richard Foster’s who defined fasting as “the voluntary denial of a normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity.” In other words, there are other things of which you can deny yourself in order to pursue spiritual goals. Anything (not just food) that is part of your normal, everyday life can be laid aside temporarily or permanently for the purpose of pursuing godliness. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains in his classic commentary on the Sermon on the Mount,

To make the matter complete, we would add that fasting, if we conceive of it truly, must not only be confined to the question of food and drink; fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose. There are many bodily functions which are right and normal and perfectly legitimate, but which for special peculiar reasons in certain circumstances should be controlled. That is fasting. There, I suggest, is a kind of general definition of what is meant by fasting (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 314).

Don Whitney has listed the variety of fasts found in the Bible (153-154):

• A normal fast involves abstaining from all food, but not from water.
• A partial fast is a limitation of the diet but not abstention from all food.
• An absolute fast is the avoidance of all food and liquid, even water.
• The Bible also describes a supernatural fast that requires God’s supernatural intervention in the bodily processes.
• A private fast is what Jesus was speaking of in Matthew 6:16-18 when He says we should fast in a way not to be noticed by others.
• Congregational fasts are the type found in Joel 2:15-16 and Acts 13:2.
• The Bible also speaks of national fasts. See 2 Chronicles 20:3, Nehemiah 9:1, Esther 4:16, and Jonah 3:5-8.
• There was one regular fast that God commanded under the Old Covenant. Every Jew was to fast on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29-31).
• Finally, the Bible mentions occasional fasts. These occur on special occasions as the need arises.

The Purpose of Fasting

As we’ve defined the term, “fasting” must be done for specific spiritual purposes. Again, Don Whitney has provided a great service to us by summarizing in ten categories the purposes of fasting in Scripture. The following is a summary of his summary (pages 156-170).

To strengthen prayer. There’s something about fasting that sharpen the edge of our intercessions and gives passion to our supplications. So it has frequently been used by the people of God when there is a special urgency about the concerns they lift before the Father. The Bible does not teach that fasting is a kind of spiritual hunger strike that compels God to do our bidding. If we ask for something outside of God’s will, fasting does not cause Him to reconsider. Fasting does not change God’s hearing so much as it changes our praying.

To seek God’s guidance. There is biblical precedent for fasting for the purpose of more clearly discerning the will of God. Fasting does not ensure the certainty of receiving clear guidance from God. Rightly practiced, however, it does make us more receptive to the One who loves to guide us.

To express grief. As mentioned in Judges 20:26, the Israelites wept and fasted to express grief for the forty thousand brothers they had lost in battle. Grief caused by events other than a death can also be expressed through fasting. Christians have fasted because of grief for their sins and as a means of expressing grief for sins of others.

To seek deliverance or protection. One of the most common fasts in biblical times was a fast to seek salvation from enemies or circumstances. Fasting, rather than fleshly efforts, should be one of our first defenses against persecution because of our faith.

To express repentance and the return to God. Fasting for this purpose is similar to fasting for the purpose of expressing grief for sin. But as repentance is a change of mind resulting in a change of action, fasting can represent more than just grief over sin. It can signal a commitment to obedience and a new direction.

To humble oneself before God. Fasting, when practiced with the right motives, is a physical expression of humility before God, just as kneeling or prostrating yourself in prayer can reflect humility before Him.

To express concern for the work of God. Just as a parent might fast and pray out of concern for the work of God in the life of a child, so Christians may fast and pray because they feel a burden for the work of God in a broader scope. A Christian might feel compelled to fast and pray for the work of God in a place that has experienced tragedy, disappointment, or apparent defeat.

To minister to the needs of others. Those who think the Spiritual Disciplines foster tendencies of introspection or independence should consider Isaiah 58:6-7. In the most extensive passage in Scripture dealing exclusively with fasting, God emphasizes fasting for the purpose of meeting the needs of others.

To overcome temptation and dedicate yourself to God. Ask Christians to name a fast by a biblical character and most will probably think first of the supernatural fast of Jesus prior to His temptation in Matthew 4:1-11. There are times we struggle with temptation, or we anticipate grappling with it, when we need extra strength to overcome it. Fasting for the purpose of overcoming the temptation and of renewing our dedication to God is a Christlike response.

To express love and worship to God. Fasting can be an expression of finding your greatest pleasure and enjoyment in life from God. That’s the case when disciplining yourself to fast means that you love God more than food, that seeking Him is more important to you than eating. This honors God and is a means of worshiping Him as God.

Our ultimate goal in fasting should be God Himself. John Piper has stated this well. He wrote of the reward of the Father in this morning’s text,

Seeking form God the reward of God’s all-satisfying supremacy puts all other desires to the test. Are they for God’s sake? This is the ultimate reason why Jesus called us to fast without wanting to be seen by others. Not just so that we could get worldly desires satisfied from God rather than men (and thus make God party to our spiritual adultery), but so that we would count God himself as our desire, and all else a subordinate spinoff of his enthralling glory.

And so we ask, as we fast and pray, Do we want to conquer bad habits and old enslavements, to remove every obstacle to the fullest enjoyment of God, so that people might see and give him glory? Do we want our prodigal sons and wayward daughters to come home because this would honor God’s name? Do we want our churches to grow because the hallowing of Christ’s name is at stake among unbelievers? Do we want China and North Korea and Saudi Arabia and Iraq and Lybia to open their doors to the gospel for the sake of the advance of the kingship of Jesus? . . .

This is what Jesus is calling us to – a radically God-oriented living and praying and fasting. So for the sake of your own soul, and in response to Jesus, and for the advancement of God’s supremacy in all things for the joy of all peoples, comb your hair, and wash your face, and let the Father who sees in secret observe how hungry you are for him with fasting. The Father who sees in secret is brimming with rewards for your joy and for his glory. (A Hunger for God, 79-80).

What spiritual desire do you have that will advance God’s glory that you can begin to fast for?

How will you fast? What will you give up in order to seek God’s face and show Him how much more you desire His glory than your satisfaction with whatever you’re giving up?

When will you fast? When will you start? Can you set aside a day or days now?

To not fast isn’t an option. Fasting is expected for a Christian. The only questions are why, how and when. May God grant that we will fast in such a way that at the end of the day we may say, “To God be the glory, great things He has done!”

Filed under: Expositions, Matthew | 2 Comments »

One of the greatest sins of Christians today is prayerlessness. Samuel said to the people of Israel in 1 Samuel 12:23, “God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you.” In our text this morning, Jesus assumes that His followers will be people of prayer for He does not say “if”, but “when you pray” three times in verses 5-7. Paul told the Colossians to “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2) and the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).

Important preachers from the past and present agree about the importance of prayer. The 16^th century German Reformer Martin Luther said, “As it is the business of tailors to make clothes and of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.” (Don Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 64). Modern day expositor John MacArthur has written that “For Christians prayer is like breathing.” (Alone With God, 13). T. W. Hunt, author of several books on prayer, has bluntly stated both that “Prayerlessness is sin.” and “Prayerlessness is deadly.” (The Doctrine of Prayer, 92).

But our question this morning is what did Jesus say about prayer. After all, He’s the King and what He says is the authority. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus continues to emphasize the necessity of heart-righteousness for the citizens of His kingdom. This is a righteousness which exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees because it goes beyond merely being outwardly obedient to having the proper inward motivations for what we do.

Here Jesus discusses the proper position for prayer, provides a reliable pattern for prayer, and includes an important postscript to prayer on the subject of forgiveness. Let’s read together what Jesus says to us about prayer.

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. (6) But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (7) And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. (8) Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (9) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. (13) And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (14) For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:5-15

I. The Position of Prayer, vv. 5-6.

Jesus begins His authoritative teaching on prayer by contrasting the position of the hypocrite and the position of the genuine follower of Christ during prayer. This is more than just about location; it is about motivation, the attitude of one’s heart before God. It is not about the where, but the why of prayer. Nevertheless, Jesus speaks to His disciples in terms of location.

The hypocrites of the day loved to pray standing in the synagogues or on the corners of streets (classic illustration of this is in Luke 18:9-14). Their motivation for their location was clear: they wanted to be “seen by men.” Here we see that what we do is important, but why we do what we do is vital!

In verse 5 Jesus is undoubtedly referring to the practice of the Jews in His day who would pray the Eighteen Benedictions at 9 am, noon, and 3 pm each day. There is a reference to this in Acts 3:1 when Peter and John are said to go to the temple “at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour” which would correspond to 3 pm in our way of telling time. Jewish custom dictated that regardless of where you were or what you were doing during these times, you were to stop and pray toward the temple. This was a practice very similar to what Muslims practice when they pray toward Mecca at certain times during the day. But the problem which Jesus is denouncing here is that apparently some Jews would plan their entire day around being in some conspicuous place when these three times for prayer came. They planned on being where everyone could see them so they could be seen doing their religious duty by as many as possible. They were motivated by their desire to be seen by men (See Robert Mounce, Matthew, NIBC, 54-55). Jesus says, “Truly they have already received all the reward they will ever receive.” Just as with giving, if you’re motivated by others thinking well of you, that’s all you will receive.

In contrast to the practice of the hypocrites, Jesus calls upon His followers to go to the secret place to pray (v. 6). The word translated “room” or “closet” could refer to either a storeroom or bedroom. It usually referred to a place of privacy. Jesus says go to your place of privacy because God is in that secret place. You don’t have to be standing on a street corner or in a church for God to be able to see you. God can see you in your bedroom on your knees, and the God who sees in secret will reward you openly. What a powerful description is the title “your Father who sees in secret.” It strikes both terror and delight in our hearts. Terror because we often do things we shouldn’t do in secret. But delight because we know that those times spent with God which no one in this world knows anything about, God knows about it and will one day reward you openly.

II. The Pattern of Prayer, vv. 7-12.

Jesus’ famous teaching on prayer in verses 9-12 is given in contrast to what the heathen do as described by Jesus in verses 7 and 8. Whatever else our prayers are to be, they are not to be like the prayers of the heathen. These prayers are described as containing “vain repetitions”. There is much praying like this today which is repetitious. It is the idea that if we say the right words, the right way enough times loud enough, then surely God will be bound to answer our prayers. That is praying like a heathen. It is treating prayer as if it were a magical formula like “Hocus Pocus”, Abra Cadabra”, or even “Open sesame!”

We are not to pray like the heathen because, Jesus says, “your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” This clues us in on the problem of vain repetitions in prayer. As John Piper has said it makes God look unaware and uncaring about our problems (See A Godward Life, Book 2, 333-336). This could not be farther from the truth. He is our Father, so we know He cares. And He “knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

Therefore Jesus proposes an alternative way of praying in verse 9-12. It is the prayer which we call the Lord’s Prayer, but it would be more properly called the Disciple’s Prayer for this is the prayer which Jesus taught His disciples to pray. Jesus is not telling them what to pray here, but how to pray, or the “manner” in which to pray. That this is not a mantra to be repeated mindlessly is evident from the context since Jesus just warned His disciples against the “vain repetitions” of the heathen. Jesus is instead teaching them an outline to guide them in their prayer by listing for them the kinds of things for which they should be praying. It is a prayer of seven petitions. I will not go into detail with them here, but this prayer begins with God and His kingdom and ends with God and His glory. And everything in between should be understood in light of God’s kingdom and His glory. In other words no prayer for daily bread, or forgiveness, or deliverance from temptation and evil should be prayed without a reference to God and His glory. God’s glory, kingdom and will are the atmosphere in which we make our daily requests. If God’s glory is not our ultimate end in our praying we have not prayed a Christian prayer! Of the seven petitions, the first three are characterized as referring to God’s nature and purposes. Does this pattern reflect your own personal prayers? Or, are your prayers mainly concerned about you and your kingdom? While we are not to mindlessly repeat this prayer, I think it is helpful to use this prayer as a mental outline of the kinds of things we should be praying for (according to the authority of our King).

III. The Postscript to Prayer, vv. 13-14.

But Jesus is not done with this teaching. He adds an important postscript to His teaching on prayer in verses 13 and 14. A postscript is the P.S. placed at the bottom of a letter which adds a note to the end of the letter after the signature. Sometimes these postscripts are trivial in our letters, but not this one. Jesus is adding an important word regarding the fifth petition in the above prayer. It is the petition regarding forgiveness. Jesus had said that we should pray for forgiveness of our debts (Luke’s version says “trespasses”) “as” we forgive our debtors. Obviously there is some link between the forgiveness that we wish to experience and the forgiveness which we show to others. Jesus explains further in verses 14 and 15.

Frankly, Jesus’ explanation does not make the text any easier. In fact, it is now much harder. Jesus says that if we forgive others, we will be forgiven by our heavenly Father. But if we fail to forgive others, we will not be forgiven. What does this mean? Well, it certainly means no less than to say that forgiving people are forgiven people and unforgiving people are unforgiven people. I believe that Jesus is saying that one who has truly experienced forgiveness has experienced such a work of God’s grace in his life that he or she will be a forgiving person. They will understand that they have been forgiven an infinite debt which they owed to a holy God, and therefore they will be willing to forgive the small debt in comparison which others owe them. But those who will not forgive others give evidence that they have not truly experienced the forgiveness which God gives. They have never come to understand their sinfulness and need of grace for if they had they would not be so reluctant to forgive the weaknesses of others.

I’ve recently been enjoying reading the newly released Reagan Diaries which are the edited personal daily entries of President Ronald Reagan which he maintained during his eight year presidency. One of the most interesting entries in Reagan’s diary is the one from March 30, 1981 (the day he was shot by would be assassin, John Hinckley):

Getting shot hurts. Still my fear was growing because no matter how hard I tried to breathe it seemed I was getting less & less air. I focused on that tiled ceiling and prayed. But I realized I couldn’t ask for Gods help while at the same time I felt hatred for the mixed up young man who had shot me. Isn’t that the meaning of the lost sheep? We are all God’s children & therefore equally beloved by him. I began to pray for his soul and that he would find his way back to the fold. (12).

In some sense President Reagan understood that his ability to pray for himself was linked to his forgiveness of others. This is a link which Jesus clearly makes in our text today. Do you understand that link? Do you forgive others?

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