Isaiah 58:3-7 “We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ ‘I will tell you why!’ I respond. ‘It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. 4 What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. 5 You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord? 6 ‘No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. 7 Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.”
Fasting is pretty much a lot art in modern, western Christianity. Would you be surprised if I told you there are 77 Biblical references to fasting? Think about that. Apostle is mentioned 79 times, Baptize 74, Crucify 53, Hell 54, and the word “Christian” is only mentioned 3 times. Fasting is referenced more than the crucifixion. Obviously I don’t believe that frequency is the only determination of significance, but I wonder if we have underestimated an important spiritual discipline. When we think of fasting, our attention is usually directed toward abstaining from food for a certain period of time. However, Isaiah alludes to alternative methods of fasting that have nothing to do with food. Actually, I wonder if fasting from food carries the same significance in the 21st century as it did in the 1stcentury? 2000 years ago people struggled to maintain a nutritious diet. Most people endured a grueling work week simply to put enough food on the table to sustain their families. In the 1st century people spent upwards of 50% of their salary on food. Normal meals were very expensive; but in our society we spend about 10% of our income on groceries. So fasting in Biblical times was a really big deal. Obviously food is always essential to every generation but it does not have the same level of importance to us as it once did. This is not to say we shouldn’t fast from food as a spiritual discipline. There are many benefits to glean from such a practice, but I believe there are forms of fasting that may be even more meaningful to the modern day follower of Jesus. Because of the hurried society we live in, our time is a much more valuable commodity than food. What if we fasted from some of the time-wasters in our lives? Most of us can barely take a few minutes to focus our hearts on Jesus during the week. Our attention spans are so short due to the constant use of technology. Microsoft did an actual study in 2015 and discovered that the attention span of the average American is 8 seconds. Can you believe that the attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds? Yes, you read that correctly. Goldfish have a greater attention span than we do! No wonder our times of rest with the Father are often so anemic. Would you consider fasting from technology for a portion of your week? Take a break from social media, television, movies, games on your phone or any technology that takes up so much of your time that you don’t have margin to rest with God. What would you do with the extra time? How about we take a page out of Isaiah: free the oppressed, live generously, share a meal, practice hospitality, and stop hiding from your annoying relatives – now that does sound pretty radical! And of course take some time to relax in worship, prayer, and study with the One who is most worthy of our time.
