The Hiddenness of the Devout Life Bonhoeffer - The Cost of Discipleship

Fasting as devotion

¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18)

Why fasting? The issue is not about skipping meals. Most of us could afford to skip a few meals, some of us more than others. The foundation of the matter here is discipline and self-control.

“Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian’s life.” And fasting helps to discipline the self-indulgent and slothful will which is so reluctant to serve the LORD,”.

D. Bonhoeffer

When you read through the Bible there is no rule or commandment to fast. For the Jews there was a rule to not prepare food on the Sabbath, doesn’t say anything about eating. In fact, during the exodus from Egypt, the people of Israel were to gather a double portion on the day before the Sabbath, and only on that day. On every other day they received their daily bread, sufficient for the day because the Sabbath was to focus on God, not their “jobs” and not on the barbecue.

I worked with a fellow named Jim some years ago. His practice was to not eat lunch on Wednesday, every Wednesday. He would take that hour, go park somewhere in his car and spend the time in prayer and meditation on God’s word. He chose mid-week because that’s when he felt he needed the break. If for some reason a business luncheon was set for that time he would participate but declined to eat. He never made a big deal about it. That weekly fast was one of his ways of exercising self-control. Had I not asked I would have never known. Being in charge of scheduling most company meetings I made every effort to avoid Wednesdays.

Jump forward 3,500 years. The practice and principle is effective for the same reasons today. Fasting is a form of self-denial, something rarely seen in the 21^st century, especially regarding advertising and social media. Matthew 6:24 and Luke 9:24 both quotes Jesus telling his disciples to deny themselves, the Christian life is NOT about self-service and gratification or making your efforts known to enable others to see how righteous you are. The Christian life is about serving Christ and by spreading the gospel, serving others without focusing on yourself.

Can you serve Christ and others without fasting, yes, but it would behoove you to establish the practice of self-denial for the purpose of setting that time aside to develop the discipline of spending time alone with God, privately. For medical reasons some people cannot fast by skipping meals. But there are options. It could be as simple as skipping dessert, substituting water for flavored drinks, turning off the TV (or your phone) or, brace yourself, making one morning a no coffee morning. Regardless, we are to set our desires for self-gratification aside, deny ourselves as a means of disciplining ourselves, much like an athlete denies lazy indulgence for the sake of strengthening their body.

Control yourself in one area and it becomes easier to exercise self-discipline in others. Start simple, start today.