Spiritual Fasting

I hear it so often I can’t count. “It’s not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out!” Every time I talk about the importance of fasting, this argument is taken like an arrow from its quiver. I wonder if people understood that Christ used this comment in reference to the hypocrites, if they would use it in their defense. Fasting is as much a part of our spiritual journey, if not more, than any other discipline.

At that time, when the men of Gennesaret recognized Jesus, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick, and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well. Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.’ But you say, ‘If any one tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father.’ So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ ” And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Matthew 14:35-36;15:1-11

It is true that fasting will not in itself save us. That does not remove the spiritual benefit from fasting. What Christ was expressing was that fasting is not about food. Fasting is about spiritual discipline. When a trainer teaches intermittent fasting, nobody responds, “It’s not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out!” So, why do we say it about spiritual fasting?

It is also true that fasting brings us physical benefits. I believe that was God’s ‘extra blessing’ for those who fast. Losing weight is not the purpose of fasting, but fasting can help someone who is eating out of control to lose weight.

In the Gospel lesson for today, many sick were brought to Christ and He healed them. The only response from the elites was to question their motives. Christ rebukes them as if to say, “If only you had been paying attention to the Law, you would also bring sick to Me.”

The most important spiritual benefit to fasting is to learn that our agenda, our desire, our way of thinking, is not what will save us. When we fast, we learn to control these aspects of our lives. We learn that eating a cheeseburger on a Wednesday is our desire, but since we are fasting, we control our desire rather than our desire controlling us. So, we fast.

Interestingly, I never hear arguments against fasting from those who fast. In other words, those who fast understand the purpose. If we are visiting the home of a friend who is not Orthodox and we are served meat, we eat understanding that we are not breaking the fast for our desire, but out of love. That is very different that being at home and simply wanting to eat a cheeseburger.

The Pharisees were wanting to retain their ‘way of life’ rather than change to conform to Christ and His teachings. Christ challenges their intentions rather than their actions. That is our lesson today. Fasting is about intention, not menu items per se. We all fall short. It is the intention that proper spiritual fasting encourages.