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Fasting
As Jesus began his ministry, he retreated to a place in the wilderness for time of prayer and fasting. Fasting is a practice that has been linked with the pursuit of spiritual insight in cultures all around the world. It was practiced in concert with deep meditation by Siddhartha Gautama in his search for enlightenment; it formed a regular part of the practices of sannyasins in India for centuries; and in the Bible it was used not only in conjunction with acts of repentance and confession of sins, but also as a means to purify oneself and prepare for a deeper encounter with God. The constant need for food occupies much of our time and energy as humans. In fact, it is the primary concern of all living beings. By temporarily stepping away from the all-consuming need to consume, our mental energy and attention can be directed to practices such as prayer, meditation and contemplation. As the body no longer needs to direct its energy resources to the acquisition, preparation, eating and digesting of food, it has more energy available for the work of the brain as it engages in these exercises of the mind. Jesus enjoined the practice of prayer and fasting upon his disciples. At one point he admonishes his disciples for their apparent failure to heal or cast out demons as being due to their lack of prayer and fasting (see Matthew 17:21). Of course, it was not a hard and fast rule. At other points in the Gospels, Jesus is asked why the disciples of John pray and fast while the disciples of Jesus don’t (Matthew 9:14, Luke 5:33). What Jesus seemed to practice was a balance of spiritual disciplines, which is good instruction for us as well. |
The Spiritual Disciplines of Jesus |
Next Practice: Repentance.
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