Matthew 6:16-18  And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist fasted twice weekly—specifically on Mondays and Thursdays—as a mark of piety, mourning, and anticipation of the Messiah. These days coincided with first-century market days, allowing the Pharisees to display their fasting publicly. While John’s disciples likely fasted out of sorrow for his imprisonment and to express repentance, the Pharisees often used these fasts to demonstrate superior righteousness, a practice Jesus questioned when compared to the joy of His presence.

While the Law only required one fast day a year for the Jews (the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23:27,29,32), these voluntary, twice-weekly fasts became a strict, traditional practice. Jesus did not condemn fasting but explained that his disciples did not need to fast while the “bridegroom” (Jesus) was with them.

Mat 9:15  Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.“ (Mk 2:20, Luke 5:35)

Remember, Jesus said: Mat 28:20 “And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This phrase about being “taken away” refers to the future separation of the Bridegroom from His guests (His crucifixion/ascension), which initiates a time of mourning and fasting. The only time Jesus was taken away from His disciples, was during His crucifixion and His time spent in the tomb, and I’m fairly certain no one was eating during that time because they were in mourning. This was not out of religious observance, but the natural result of their grief and confusion. After His Resurrection, He appeared to the disciples in the upper room and to the disciples from Emmaus, and one of the things Jesus did was eat, in fact one of His last activities on earth was preparing and eating a meal of broiled fish with the Apostles. (Luke 24:42-43)

The word in Greek for fasting is nēsteia or nēsteuō and it means: a voluntary, or a religious exercise to abstain from food, the public fast as prescribed by the Mosaic Law and kept yearly on the great day of atonement (Yom Kippur), or a fasting caused by want or poverty.

I know of a few teachers that teach that fasting is a Christian requirement, based on the statement of Jesus in Mat 6:16 of “when you fast” not “if you fast”, but Jesus was speaking this instruction on fasting specifically to a Jewish audience. In Mat 15:24 Jesus pointed out “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The “lost sheep of the house of Israel” refers to the Jewish people, specifically those of the covenant who had strayed, were dispersed, or were spiritually neglected by their leaders. In Matthew 10:5-6 and 15:24, Jesus identifies them as the primary focus of his initial earthly ministry to bring them back to God. 

Paul speaks about this in Acts 3:25

Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days. And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, “Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.” When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.

It’s important to remember that Jesus was speaking to the Jewish people about their legal and customary, practice of fasting, and was specifically addressing their desire to show their acts of religious piety in public, to receive honor and praise from men.

Fasting in the New Testament is a voluntary, beneficial practice for Christians rather than a legal requirement. Gentiles were not commanded to fast under the Mosaic law, which primarily applied to Israel.

Isaiah 58:6-11 beautifully describes the Lord’s heart concerning fasting.~

Isa 58:6  Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? 
Isa 58:7  Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 
Isa 58:8  Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 
Isa 58:9  Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk, 
Isa 58:10  and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday. 
Isa 58:11  The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 

Now, if you feel led to fast, ask the Lord to walk you through it. Make sure your motives for fasting are for spiritual reasons and not carnal ones. If you’re seeking guidance and want to deny your flesh for a period of time to hear the Lord clearer, or are praying for deliverance for you or someone else; fasting can be very effective in spiritual strengthening. It’s important to set realistic goals and not set yourself up for failure. Start slow, and work your way up to going longer spans of time without eating. This is a spiritual exercise, and like all exercise you need to warm up and ease into it in order to build up your endurance. Fasting is a way to activate or increase faith by focusing solely on God, so prayer during your time of fasting is essential.

One final mention on fasting I would like to point out in this article is in Mark 9:29. The phrase “and fasting” (και νηστεια) in Mark 9:29 is absent from the oldest and most trusted Greek manuscripts, such as Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, which date back as early as the 4th century. 

Mar 9:29  And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. 

This story of the boy with a deaf and dumb spirit is all about unbelief. Mark (9:17-29) of which prayer in faith is the remedy. If fasting increases a persons faith while praying, then I believe it would be beneficial, but in this story, the key point being made is faith and belief, not fasting. Let me show you.

After the disciples were unable to cast out the demon from the young child, Jesus said this; “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.” (Mk 9:19)

Then Jesus tells the father of the child; “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (Mk 9:23)

Then the boys fathers says this in tears; Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mk 9:24) It was after this heart felt request from the boy’s father that Jesus cast out the spirit from the child and he was set free. Prayer was what was needed, and the father of the boy cried out to Jesus and he was delivered of his unbelief, which in turn played a big part in the deliverance of his son. When you think about it, being deaf and dumb is the perfect physical manifestation to represent a person’s unbelief in God.

Okay folks, that’s about all I have thus far on the topic of fasting. I didn’t feel led to be too lengthy on the topic. I just wanted to point out a few dogmatic beliefs that are popular among modern Christians and present to you what the scriptures actually say on the matter. Pray about it and do your own research on the topic, and as always, Be Free and Set Free in Jesus Name!

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