by Rev. Jeremy Vaccaro
In Matthew 9 Jesus is asked by John’s disciples, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Apparently, Jesus and his disciples weren’t fasting during one of the many traditional Jewish fasts. Do you remember what Jesus said? He answered (Mt. 9:15), “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” Jesus pointed to the image of a wedding. A wedding is a time of celebration, not mourning, especially when the bridegroom is present. Jesus and the disciples weren’t fasting because the Messiah was in their midst; a new day had dawned. It was a time of celebration. But then He said that a time would come when they would fast, when the bridegroom was taken from them.
So, in what time are we? Is it appropriate for us to fast? Jesus bought our salvation on the cross. He is resurrected from the dead. He is reigning at the Father’s side. He has given us the Holy Spirit. Those don’t seem like reasons to fast; they seem like reasons to celebrate. And yet, the fullness of Jesus’ Kingdom has not fully come. There is still poverty, injustice, violence, hatred, racism, and materialism in our city. Those seem like reasons to fast and pray. Those seem like reasons to seek the Lord with great earnestness, to beseech Him to come again and bring His Kingdom in its fullness. So, which is it? Is it a time for celebration or fasting? The answer is “yes.”
There will be a time when we don’t need to fast anymore. It will be the time when Jesus’ Kingdom is fully come. When He returns and brings everything under His Lordship it will launch an eternity of celebration for those who belong to Him. But that time has not yet come. So, we fast. The Risen Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at work in the life of every believer to bring her/him from one degree of glory to the next (see 2 Cor. 3:18). The Holy Spirit is at work in our church. So, we celebrate. We live in a time to celebrate and to fast.
But I think our tendency is avoid the whole fasting thing. We think it’s for other people. We think it’s a Roman Catholic thing. That’s one of the reasons I loved that so many of us spent the days of January 11 – 31 in prayer and fasting. We were joined in this season by some sixty churches in Fresno and Clovis, which ended with a great celebration at Fresno Pacific University. Some in our church had never fasted before. Others wanted to fast, but never took the initiative to go for it. For both groups, the corporate fast gave them the courage to step out in faith in to a season of prayer and fasting. And I believe God is blessing them for that.
For most of us, it was a challenging time. We were constantly faced with our physical or material yearnings. We were tempted, but in our temptations we were reminded to pray. We were reminded of all that Jesus gave up to be our Savior (see Phil. 2). And the Holy Spirit used that reminder to give us strength to continue in a season of self-denial for the sake of pursuing Christ’s Kingdom.
I heard from many during the fast that it was an important time in their spiritual lives. And I believe the same will be true for us as a church. I believe that God will use this season of fasting to shape us more into Christ’s image together. I believe God will use it to make us more aware of the ways He is working in our city. I believe God will use it to break our hearts for the things that break His. I believe God will use it to draw us deeper in our walk with Him. Even though the fast is now done, I eagerly await what God will do in and through us in 2016.
Let’s not be afraid to enter a season of prayer and fasting. Let’s be ready, when called by God, to give up something physical to pursue something spiritual. Let’s have high expectations that God is going to work in and through us while we turn our hearts to Him in this way. And let’s remember that a time is coming when we’ll never need to fast again.
On the following page are some Reflections on Fasting.