Matthew 6:16-18
Jesus
Teaches about Fasting
6:16
"When you fast, do not look somber as the
hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to
show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth,
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 men 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."
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way that
we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
What Jesus Says about
Fasting
What is
fasting?
Dictionary.Com
TM
describes the word fast as ..
"1. to abstain from all
food.
2. to eat only sparingly
or of certain kinds of food, esp. as a religious
observance. "
Fasting -- going without food
in order to spend time in prayer -- is noble and
difficult. It gives us time to pray, teaches
self-discipline, reminds us that we can live with a
lot less, and helps us appreciate God's
gifts.
Jesus was not condemning
fasting, but hypocrisy -- fasting in order to gain
public approval. Fasting was mandatory for the
Jewish people once a year, on the Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 23:32).
The Pharisees voluntarily
fasted twice a week to impress the people with
their 'holiness.'
Jesus commended acts of
self-sacrifice done quietly and sincerely. He
wanted people to adopt spiritual disciplines for
the right reasons, not from a selfish desire for
praise.
.. Jesus was saying to go
about your normal daily routine when you fast.
Don't make a show of it.
As we have seen through the
last few passages of Matthew Jesus is overall
talking about how pride can get in our way of true
worship.
We met this morning at my
church and discussed what people want most out of
their work. Surveys show that the majority of
workers cited recognition for good service and
effort as one of the top wants from their
superiors.
So, in order to please God,
we muse sometimes do things that feel "unnatural"
to us like abandoning the need for recognition when
we do something for God. Lord, help us to be more
humble. d:-)
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
go
here and take the
first
steps to salvation.
Continue with this lesson
...
How
to Pray the Lord's
Prayer
-
One of the
best known prayers for Baptists and other
Christians begins with "Our Father, which art in
heaven .. " . Growing up, I learned my bedtime
prayer; "Now I lay me down to sleep" but, as I grew
older, praying became a different matter to me.
It's talking to God so needs to be done in
reverence. Jesus teaches us how to pray in this
message from Matthew. The passage became known as
The Lord's Prayer.
Verses about how to fast are from Life
Application Study Bible: New International
Version
Comments are welcome. Please email
me with any questions or comments you
may have.
|
