READ:
Matthew 6
The Sermon on the Mount continues in this chapter and as
before, deals with heart issues.
Verse 16 has a very important word: when. The verse
says: When you fast… It doesn’t say “if” you fast. Jesus’ assumption
here is that His followers would fast, no questions asked. This section,
therefore, has two things to teach us. The first thing is that fasting must be
a regular part of our spiritual practice. If we are not already fasting on a
regular basis, it would be wise to start. Traditionally, fasting means to not eat
food. However, food fasts are not the only kind of fasts listed in scripture.
Daniel fasted from lotions (or cosmetics). He also fasted from animal products
and rich foods and wine. Some fasts require no liquids or food. And another
fast in the Bible talks about fasting from sex. We need to inquire of the Lord
what kind of fast He wants us on if we are unable to do a food fast for any
reason. Even with severe health issues, there are still any number of things
one could fast from.
The other thing that stands out in verse 16 is how we should fast. Literally it says
to wash your face and put oil on your head. In Jesus’ time, people didn’t bath
or shower every day, or even every week. However, they did wash their faces and
do their hair. To do their hair they would put oil on it. This served to
protect the hair from the elements, helped to style it, and often was a kind of
oil that would keep insects out of the hair as well. So if we were going to
interpret Jesus’ instructions for today, it might be something like: take a
shower, do your hair, put on your make-up (or shave) and don’t let your
appearance look like you are fasting. Put another way: do what you always do. The
heart of the matter is not that we look good when we are fasting, or that we
severely change our ways, but that we are not drawing attention to ourselves
and our suffering. Fasting is hard. That’s part of the reason we do it.
However, if we’re getting our egos and confidence stroked when people feel
sorry for us, or congratulate us on our fasting, we have missed the whole point
and our focus is on the praise of man, not the glory of God.
Verses 25-34 are about worrying. Each one of us has at
least one thing that worries us. Some of us have so many things that worry us
that we can’t count them! However, the Lord uses this passage to remind us that
He is in control. He is sovereign. He loves us more than He loves the birds. So
if we really, truly trusted His love for us… and if we honestly believed in His
sovereignty… we would be able to freely live without worry because He is more
than able to care for us with beauty and abundance.
JOURNALING
AND PRAYER
1.
Do you have a regular spiritual discipline of fasting? If not, ask the
Lord how He wants you to begin to implement this into your life. If you do, ask
Him if there are any changes He wants you to make to your current fast.
2.
What kinds of things do you do to draw attention to yourself either in
prayer or fasting (or anything else) that could potentially be robbing you of
eternal reward? Ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart to see your true
motives and actions in this regard.
3.
What is worrying you right now? Ask the Lord to speak to you in words,
thoughts or pictures about how His sovereignty and love can take care of every
single detail. Thank Him for His glorious provision.
