Matthew 6:16-18 Proper Fasting
“When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Well, this morning the citizens of Capernaum are being treated to the spectacle of Zachariah, the Pharisee, engaging in his biweekly ritual fasting. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Zachariah fasts for 36 hours and makes certain that everybody knows HE IS FASTING! Zachariah smears ashes on his face, dresses in his oldest clothes and spends the entire day looking as doleful as possible and speaking . Needless to say, Zachariah’s family and neighbors find this performance depressing; in fact, some of his children are so revolted that they are practically ready to avoid the temple entirely. Unfortunately, avoiding the temple will only anger Zachariah, so his children trudge along to services dragging their feet like those going to be hanged.
Jesus makes many revolutionary assertions about the Kingdom of God, and this is one of them. To the listeners on the hillside, the idea of secret fasting is incredible. All these people have ever known is the dolorous performances by Pharisees, who have turned keeping the Mosaic Law into an intolerable burden. The idea that the Heavenly Father might delight in His children and might even reward them is mind-blowing. And if that idea seems revolutionary, there’s more to come.
Treasures in Heaven (Matthew 13:44-46)
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Many of Jesus’ listeners are farmers or small shop owners or craftsmen and women. Most of these people have very few possessions; however, everyone has some small box or other container for keeping their most precious possessions. But moths seem to penetrate locked chests, and thieves are everywhere. Petty thievery is rife, particularly theft from market stalls. Everybody in town has ideas about the wealth of the local tax collectors and merchants trading in imported goods. And everyone hopes that their sons and daughters will marry into wealthy families and be set for life. Now Jesus is smiling as he advises his audience to change their focus from an earthly one to a heavenly one.
The Lamp of the Body (Luke 11:33-36)
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your vision is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your vision is poor, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Oh dear! As long as Jesus is talking about eyes being the lamps of the body, everybody is nodding in agreement. Of course, poor vision leads to being in darkness; however, Jesus is not simply speaking about physical vision but also about spiritual vision as well. That concept puzzles a few people. Then Jesus begins verbally stepping on toes as he warns that his audience must choose between serving God or serving money. You can imagine many poor people in the audience gasping and thinking, “But what’s wrong with being rich? I think I’d like to try having the problems of a rich person for awhile.”
If we take these teachings singly without looking at their flow, we are missing the main point. Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of truth and righteousness, not merely a kingdom of people going through religious rituals. Jesus wants us to know that his Heavenly Father sees our hearts and knows our intentions and that He knows our priorities. When Jesus says that “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” he is leading up to his statement that we can serve God or money but not both.
There’s a book entitled Money Talks; It Says Good-bye! For retirees who have lost their life savings in Ponzi schemes or in the collapse of savings and loans, that fact is obvious. Banking systems can collapse, leaving depositors with no recourse. So many couples have spent long years working and saving in hopes of a comfortable retirement, only to find themselves working at fast food restaurants. The bottom line is that earthly treasures can evaporate without notice. The more we serve money, the more we focus inward. Serving God allows us to worship Him and to focus on others rather than on ourselves. May God help us to listen to Jesus and to serve Him!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to serve You and not money. Help us to trust You, that You can and will reward us in ways we cannot even imagine. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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