Luke 5:33-35

Luke 5:33-35 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” Jesus answered, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast. ”

Luke 18:9-14 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus told the Pharisees and the teachers of the law that after He is gone his disciples will fast. Consequently, followers of Jesus have fasted throughout the centuries. How often, how long, should Christians fast? I don't know, but fasting is a directive. As long as the disciples were in Jesus' presence, they did not fast, for they were in constant communion with him, but as soon as Jesus departed from them, they fasted, for they needed his SPIRITUAL presence; they needed their lives focused back on him and away from the world. We also need to do likewise.

Yes, we have the Holy Spirit within us, but sometimes we become so earthy that we cannot hear his voice within us, and sometimes we become so focused on the natural that we cannot believe God for great things. Instead of hearing his voice, we hear the voices of doubt, of unbelief, that circumstances cannot change. But fasting brings the voices of faith, brings an orientation towards God and away from the flesh and unbelief. Our life perspective changes. Rather than being inundated by worldly thoughts, worldly ambitions or even the mundaneness of the world, we find ourselves through the fasting exercise rededicating our lives to God, seeking his pleasure and not our own.

Jesus said do not do your fasting before men. As we forgo the pleasure of eating and drinking, we should also forgo the pleasure of recognition by men as spiritual. Our fast should be seen by God alone. He is the rewarder of all good things, even our dedication to him. In the Luke 18 passage, we see a Pharisee exploiting fasting for his own purposes. He served God to be seen by men. In the temple, he reminded God of his dedication and righteousness. But God rejected his prayers, for true righteousness comes from God, not from man. Consequently, God accepted the prayers of the tax collector, who knew he was a sinner, who knew he needed a merciful God. The tax collector knew his sinfulness, but sadly the Pharisee did not know the wickedness of his heart. He thought his works, his spiritual activity, could stand before God as righteousness.

We should not fast to justify our spirituality. We should fast to serve God, to allow him into our lives in a deeper more meaningful way. Jesus Christ is not with us physically, but we still need his presence, his voice, his healing, his teaching. Fasting allows our inner ear to hear his voice more clearly through the Holy Spirit. Christ's voice, his presence, always warms our spiritual hearts and opens up a real conversation with him. When we fast, we realize God loves us and desires good for us. We realize that we are truly sons and daughters of the MOST HIGH, THE BRIDE OF CHRIST. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days THEY WILL FAST.