Fasting to Be Seen Only by God
Matthew 6:16 “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. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 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.“
Once more Jesus is taking out after the religious establishment and once more, the crowds are loving it! How many times have these people seen Avram and other religious leaders going around appearing as if their entire family has died, smearing ashes on their faces, wearing ragged old clothes, and generally looking miserable because they are ….wait for it…FASTING! While this display might be impressive, those who know Avram are aware that as soon as he goes home, he becomes a petty tyrant, verbally and physically abusing all those around him in the Name of the Lord. The neighbors can testify to having listened as Avram has viciously criticized his family, and everyone knows that Avram’s servants are miserable and would leave if they could. Once more, an act that should be a form of worship is merely for show.
Isaiah has quite a lot to say about fasting. Isaiah 58:3-14 “Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?”
“Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers.
You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.
Is this the fast I have chosen, a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD?
Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke?
Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.
The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.
If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Even though Avram and others have memorized these scriptures as children, they are observing the forms while ignoring the substance. Now Jesus is telling the crowds that in matters of the heart, attitude and secret worship are far more important than public shows, for once you have courted public adulation, you have received your reward. Praise has a lifespan even shorter than that of a breath of air, and the same people who praise you today may be screaming for your blood tomorrow.
All the time that Jesus is teaching the disciples, he is trying to get them to see that their personal relationship with God the Father is what’s important. When we deny ourselves enjoyable things secretly, God the Father sees and knows. God keeps the books as long as we are looking only to Him for approval and not to other people.
What is our relationship with God the Father? “Father?” you might ask. “My father was horrible! Why should I want anything to do with someone like that?” Good point. Here’s the thing: Your father failed you, but God is the perfect Father and He will never fail, nor can He. No earthly father can ever be equal to God, no matter how wonderful that man might be. Ask God to show His father heart to you and ask Him to help you accept Him as your father. Once you have done this, trust that God will do His part and will manifest Himself to you.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us hear the word “father” and we cringe because our fathers disappointed us or abused us. Please help all who read these words to trust You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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