When I saw the sign, I couldn’t help but remember the words of Jesus. He instructed that when we fast we do so in a way that others would not know and in which we would not draw attention to ourselves (Matthew 6:16-18).
But just as mistaken as it is for one to broadcast his fasting to the world, it is also mistaken for one to never fast at all.
Think with me. Can you remember a discussion on the topic of fasting that didn’t begin with someone quickly saying, “But the Bible doesn’t command us to fast”? That reminds me of the person who says when discussing the merits of mid-week Bible study, “But the Bible doesn’t command us to meet on Wednesday night.”
Jesus was once asked why his disciples didn’t fast. To summarize his answer, he said it was because he was still with them, but when he is gone, “then they would fast” (Matthew 9:14-15; Mark 2:18-20; Luke 5:33-35).
Furthermore, the early church fasted. They fasted when missionaries were sent forth (Acts 13:2-3). They fasted when they appointed elders (Acts 14:23). And Paul gave guidelines to husbands and wives concerning fasting (1 Corinthians 7:5).
Friends, while Jesus didn’t command his disciples to fast, he expected they would. And when we examine the life of the New Testament church, we see that fasting was a spiritual discipline they practiced.
When one advertises to the world on a road sign that they are fasting, they make themselves an easy mark. But how much more an easy mark do the disciples of Jesus make themselves who never fast and never do what Jesus expected them to do? Give it some thought, and share your comments.