Types of Fasting Recommended for Christian Discipleship
Christian discipleship has historically incorporated various forms of fasting, understood not as an end in itself, but as a spiritual discipline intended to cultivate intimacy with God and foster spiritual preparation [1, 2]. While the Old Testament law mandated only one annual fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31), pious Jews in Jesus' day often fasted twice a week [7]. Jesus himself acknowledged fasting as a practice for his disciples, particularly after his departure (Matthew 9:15) [2].
One primary type of fasting involves abstaining from food and drink, or specific kinds of food, for a period. This is seen in the example of John the Baptist's disciples, who "fast and pray regularly" [1]. The purpose of such self-deprivation is to shift focus from physical sustenance to God [3]. The prophet Daniel and his companions, for instance, chose a diet of "vegetables and water" to avoid foods that might be considered offensive and as a form of mourning during their exile [6]. This type of fasting is often linked with prayer and spiritual retreat, serving as a means to deepen one's spiritual life [1].
However, biblical texts also emphasize that the manner and motivation behind fasting are crucial. The prophet Isaiah critiques a form of fasting where individuals merely deprive themselves while continuing in self-interest and sin (Isaiah 58:4-5) [3]. True fasting, according to Isaiah, should lead to an "awareness of injustice and oppression" and prompt actions to help the needy (Isaiah 58:6-7) [5]. This suggests a type of fasting that extends beyond mere dietary restriction to encompass social justice and charitable acts.
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, cautioned against hypocrisy in fasting, just as he did with almsgiving and prayer (Matthew 6:16) [2]. He instructed his disciples to fast privately, without drawing attention to themselves, in contrast to the practices of some who would disfigure their faces to appear to be fasting (Matthew 6:17-18) [4, 8]. The intent was that the fasting should be known only to God, who sees in secret [8]. John Gill, commenting on Matthew 6:17, suggests that Christ's allowance of fasting implies a practice "quite different" from the outward displays of the Jews, focusing instead on "abstinence from sin, in acknowledgment and confession of it; and in the exercise of faith and hope in God" [4]. This interpretation highlights a spiritual dimension of fasting that prioritizes internal transformation over external observance.
Therefore, Christian discipleship embraces several types of fasting:
- Abstinence from Food and Drink: This is the most common understanding, involving a temporary cessation of eating and sometimes drinking, to focus on spiritual matters [1]. This can range from complete abstinence for a period to partial fasts, such as the "vegetables and water" diet observed by Daniel [6].
- Fasting for Spiritual Preparation and Repentance: Fasting is frequently associated with preparing oneself spiritually and expressing repentance for sin [1]. This aligns with the idea of self-deprivation to focus on God and acknowledge one's dependence on Him [3].
- Fasting Linked with Prayer and Spiritual Retreat: Many biblical examples connect fasting directly with intense prayer and withdrawal for spiritual seeking [1]. This combined discipline is seen as a way to cultivate a deeper relationship with God.
- Fasting for Social Justice and Charity: As highlighted in Isaiah 58, a true fast involves more than personal deprivation; it extends to actively addressing injustice and caring for the poor and oppressed [5]. This type of fasting prompts believers to engage with the needs of their community.
- Fasting as an Internal, Private Discipline: Jesus' teachings emphasize that fasting should be a private act between the individual and God, free from outward display or a desire for human recognition [4, 8]. The focus is on the internal spiritual state rather than external performance.
Matthew Henry notes that fasting is "not so much a duty for its own sake, as a means to dispose us for other duties," placing it within the broader context of spiritual disciplines, with prayer being central to its efficacy [2]. The various forms of fasting recommended for Christian discipleship thus share a common goal: to draw closer to God, to align one's will with His, and to live out the implications of faith in both personal devotion and outward action.
Sources
- Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 5:33: 5:33 John the Baptist’s disciples: Most rabbis had students who learned from them and served them (see also Acts 19:1-7). • fast and pray regularly: Many pious Jews fasted two days a week (Luke 18:12). Fasting was associated with spiritual preparation (Esth 4:16) and repentance (2 Sam 12:22; Joel 1:14; Jon 3:5). Fasting is not a means of righteousness (Isa 58:4-5; Jer 14:12) but a spiritual discipline for cultivating intimacy with God. Fasting is often linked with prayer and spiritual retreat. • Why are your disciples always eating and drinking? The point was that t”
- Matthew (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Matthew 6:16: We are here cautioned against hypocrisy in fasting, as before in almsgiving, and in prayer. I. It is here supposed that religious fasting is a duty required of the disciples of Christ, when God, in his providence, calls to it, and when the case of their own souls upon any account requires it; when the bridegroom is taken away, then shall they fast, Mat 9:15. Fasting is here put last, because it is not so much a duty for its own sake, as a means to dispose us for other duties. Prayer comes in between almsgiving and fasting, as being the life and soul of both. Chri”
- Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 58:3: 58:3 Fasting should be a time of self-deprivation in order to focus on God and pleasing him (Lev 16:29; see Zech 7:5). However, these people were only interested in pleasing themselves and continuing in their sins.”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 6:17: But thou, when thou fastest,.... Christ allows of fasting, but what is of a quite different kind from that of the Jews; which lay not in an outward abstinence from food, and other conveniences of life, and refreshments of nature; but in an abstinence from sin, in acknowledgment and confession of it; and in the exercise of faith and hope in God, as a God pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin; wherefore cheerfulness, and a free use of the creatures, without an abuse of them, best became such persons. Anoint thine head, and wash thy face; directly contrary to the ”
- Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 58:6: 58:6-7 True fasting creates an awareness of injustice and oppression and prompts the practitioner to reach out to help the needy in their struggles (see 42:7; Matt 25:35-36; Jas 1:27).”
- Daniel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Daniel 1:12: 1:12 vegetables and water: Such a diet would steer clear of offensive foods (1:8) and, as a kind of fast, would demonstrate mourning over their exile in a foreign land.”
- Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 18:12: 18:12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income: Fasting and tithing were signs of piety in Judaism. The law required fasting only once a year (Lev 16:29-31), but pious Jews in Jesus’ day fasted twice a week (see also Luke 5:33; 11:41-42).”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 6:18: That thou appear not unto men to fast,.... Which is just the reverse of the hypocrites, the Scribes and Pharisees; and quite contrary to the customs of the Jews, who when they fasted, particularly on their noted fasts (l), "brought out the ark into the street of the city, and put burnt ashes upon it, and upon the head of the prince, and upon the head of the president of the sanhedrim, and every man upon his own head.'' All which was done, to be seen of men to fast; but Christ directs to such sorts of fasting, and which is to be done in such a manner, as only to b”