fasting basics

Fasting is perhaps one of the most ancient and common practices among all religions.  It is the practice of abstaining from eating, and sometimes drinking, for an extended period of time.  In ancient religions fasting was used to prepare priests and priestesses for the task of approaching the gods (Hellenistic religions); for obtaining penance (pre-Columbian Peru); as the preparation for a vision quest (Native American peoples); as a means to receive visions (Evenk peoples of Siberia); as a means for shamans to control the spirits (multiple religions); as preparation for changing seasons (Pueblo peoples); as a way of enabling individuals to reach a transcendent state (Jainism); as a way to celebrate holy days (Theravada Buddhism). 

Fasting is also a part of most major world religions.  It is integral to the Baha’i faith where during most of March Baha’i’s will not eat or drink during daylight hours.  In Buddhism it is practiced during times of intense meditation, though monks and nuns seldom eat after the noon meal as a way of practicing an almost daily fast time.  Hindus (depending on which school one follows, or which gods one worships) can fast on certain days of the month, certain days of the week or during religious festivals.  The type and duration of fasting varies as well. In Islam, fasting is the fourth of the Five Pillars of the faith.  Most Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan.  The fast is daily and lasts from dawn until dusk.   Fasting is believed to move one away from bodily desires and toward charity and humility because it focuses on giving up indecent speech, fighting, arguing and improving ones charitable giving.  Sikhism is one of the few world religions that does not promote fasting.

The ancient Israelite religion (the precursor to Judaism) practiced fasting as well.  One of the oldest examples of this occurs in the book of Job when Job’s friends join him on the ash-heap and sit with him for seven days and nights.  Though fasting is not specifically mentioned, the context of mourning (wailing, dust and ashes) implies that they did not eat for this period.  
A second example of fasting as mourning occurs in the book of Esther when the Jews fast because of a decree which was intended to destroy them.  This use of fasting, as part of mourning, is one of many different ways in which fasting was used. Here are some other ways in which fasting was used.

Fasting was used as a way of preparing to encounter God.  Moses speaks of having fasted for forty days and forty nights on Mt. Sinai as preparation for encountering God (Deut. 9:9).  Daniel used it as preparation to meet God in prayer (Daniel 9:3). It was used as a means of expressing penance for wrong-doing, such as when King David, having been convicted by the prophet Nathan of having committed adultery and murder fasts as his infant son dies (2 Samuel 12:17); or when Moses fasts because he broke the first copy of the Law (Deut. 9:17-18); or when Ezra mourns for the faithlessness of the people in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:4-5).   It was used as a means of seeking God’s forgiveness.  We see this in the writings of the prophet Joel when he encourages the people to fast in order that God’s judgment not fall upon them (Joel 1:14).  The prophet Jonah calls the people of Nineveh to fast for the same purpose; so that God will not destroy them (Jonah 3:7).  Fasting was also used to humble one’s soul (Psalm 35:13), to celebrate a victory (2 Chronicles 20:3), to seek God’s protection in dangerous times (Isaiah 58:3) and as preparation for a dangerous mission (Esther 4).

In modern Judaism fasting continues as a religious practice.  There are six major fast days within Judaism, with the two primary being Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and Tisha B’Av (the remembrance of the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians).  Certain Jewish traditions add other days and times such as a bride and groom fasting on their wedding day.  Fasting is used seek atonement, to mourn and to express gratitude.

fasting in the new testament

As we turn to the New Testament we will see that while fasting is present, it does not play as significant a role as it did in the Old Testament.

The scriptures only record one fast of Jesus.  This fasting occurs during his testing in the desert at the beginning of his ministry.  In Matthew 4:1-4 we read of Jesus being forced into the wilderness by the Spirit in order to be tempted by Satan.  For the Gospel writer this is Jesus’ Moses-like wilderness experience which will require total concentration on his call from God if he is to save humanity.  In order to succeed, Jesus fasted, setting aside all physical desires so that he could be totally connected to God.  The fast prepared him for the test and gave him the courage to remain faithful to his mission.  It is noteworthy that on at least one occasion (Mark 2:17-19) when the disciples of John the Baptist were fasting and Jesus and his followers were not, Jesus explained this by saying that his followers could not fast because he was with them (implying that they might fast later). Jesus also continued the prophetic tradition of condemning fasting that is for show and not as an act of inward devotion to God  (Matthew 6:16-18) .


The Book of Acts offers us a glimpse into the place of fasting in the early church.  In Acts 13:1-3 we read of the church at Antioch praying and fasting in order to discern God’s will for their congregation.  The result was that the Holy Spirit commanded them to set aside Paul and Barnabas for missionary work.  A second example of fasting is that of the commissioning of elders.  Paul and Barnabas in their travels would appoint elders in each of the churches they visited.  This appointment process was accompanied by prayer and fasting  (Acts 14:21-23) . 
 This passage can be understood that all “ordination” of elders was accompanied by fasting…though it may only mean that Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in all the churches.  The third and final occurrence of fasting in Acts comes in Acts 27:9 which refers to “the fast.”  This would imply that Paul along with his companions continued to keep the Jewish fast of the Day of Atonement.  The dearth of references to fasting in Acts has been taken by some scholars to mean that the practice was not essential in the life of the early church.  I would take it to mean that Jewish Christians brought this practice to the Gentile Christians and it took a while to take hold in those communities. 

I believe this to be true because over time fasting became a required practice in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican traditions.  Within these traditions there are fast days and fast seasons such as Lent.  Each tradition created its own rules and regulations so that people would know when and how to fast.  Lutherans encouraged individual fasting but it was not a prescribed practice.  Our own Protestant tradition initially rejected fasting as a practice.  Calvin believed that believers’ entire lives ought to be focused on a simple life which would produce a sense of continual fasting.  Zwingli (an early Reformer) was so opposed to periods of fasting that he encouraged people to have a sausage-fest during Lent.  In more recent years we Protestants have come to see fasting as a spiritual discipline which can be used to focus our lives while we seek God’s guidance and direction.

fasting practices

Following our discussions of fasting you may be wondering how you could experiment with the practice as a means of focusing your life upon God.  What follows is a brief overview of how one might go about fasting.

Be clear about your basic purpose for fasting:  as has been said, fasting is a spiritual practice by which we can focus our mind and heart upon God rather than upon the body.  Fasting is not to be used as a means of earning “brownie points” with God, as a way of punishing yourself for misdeeds, or as a means of losing weight.  It is to be used as a time of self-examination and focus in which our hearts can be opened in new ways to God’s leading.

Check with your doctor: you should not begin a fast until you have cleared it with your doctor.  For many of us there may be requirements to take medications with food, issues with blood sugar levels, or existing eating disorders (among other issues) which might make fasting difficult and even dangerous.  By checking with your physician you may be able to work out a modified fast regime that keeps you safe while you practice.

Begin slowly:  some of us have a tendency to set extreme immediate goals in all that we do.  This might express itself in trying to fast for a long period of time at the outset of experimenting with fasting.  It is better to begin slowly, fasting for part of day, then a day and if desired perhaps for a longer period after that.  Remember that fasting is a spiritual discipline intended to focus our minds and hearts.  It is not a competition to see who can fast the longest or the best.

Let someone know you are fasting:  this may seem a bit odd that you should let someone know about this practice considering Jesus did not like public displays of fasting.  I offer this advice for two reasons.  First it allows someone to pray for you while you fast in order to encourage you in your fasting.  Second there is someone who is watching over your physical well-being, helping to assure that your fast does not harm you.   
Decide on the type of fast in which you will be engaged:  this means deciding if you are fasting as the beginning of an ongoing practice (weekly, monthly, annually), for a specific purpose (seeking God’s will on a particular issue in your life), or merely experimenting to see if this might be a practice in which you might want to further engage.  By so doing fasting does not become haphazard but has a focus which will make it more meaningful. 

Set a definite time and length for your fast:  good parameters are helpful in any task including spiritual disciplines such as fasting.  Setting parameters entails making clear when you will begin your fast and when you will end it.  You may want to choose a particular day of the week as well as a specified time during that day.  This will help to insure that you actually fast rather than letting it slide by.

Be consistent: if you choose to make fasting a practice, it is good to be consistent in the timing and length of your fasting.  By so doing you begin to develop a rhythm to your practice which will deepen your experience of encountering God.  This is similar to prayer, where having a set time and place to pray helps to ensure that prayer (and fasting) become long term practices. 

Spend time in prayer:  as I have noted in earlier articles, fasting is a practice intended to connect us more fully with God. If it is to do so it needs to be accompanied by prayer.  The connection between the two can be seen in the scriptures where fasting and prayer are almost always linked. 

Reflect on your experience:  Ultimately any spiritual discipline must deepen your relationship with God or it is not worth doing.  If fasting does not prove to be meaningful to you, then perhaps other disciplines might prove more beneficial.