The Fasting Jesus Wants
Isaiah 58:3 – They lament, ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’ Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers. 4 – Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven.
verse 5 – Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the LORD? 6 – No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke.
verse 7 – I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 8 – Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the LORD’s splendor will be your rear guard. 9 – Then you will call out, and the LORD will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’ You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.
Humility and confession are more than just praying to God with a list of sins that you want Him to forgive; It’s more than just fasting from food and ‘patiently’ waiting for God to respond while doing nothing. These verses describe the folly of trying earn the ear of Jesus through a modern kind of self-flagellation – pointing a finger at myself and saying “Look how humble I am – I skipped a meal for you, Jesus!” How foolish we must look to Him.
We may skip a meal or two or deny ourselves time on social media or on TV in a desire to impress Jesus with our ‘holiness’ but how many people are going hungry in our communities – on forced fasts that they haven’t chosen? How many are suffering from exposure to the cold because they don’t have adequate clothing to keep them warm in the winter? How many of our families are being torn apart because we keep nursing grudges against each other, turning our backs on them when we could be nursing forgiveness?
Jesus wants to respond to us with a “Here I am!” He wants us to let go of burdensome yokes of self-righteousness. He wants us to stop pointing fingers of blame and speaking angry, sinful words at each other. Ease the suffering of stranger and family member alike then we will discover the response and restoration of Jesus. The splendor of the LORD will be left behind in our wake, like a pleasant fragrance of one passing by. Let’s leave behind us the pleasant smell of love wherever we go and we’ll find Jesus attentive to our prayers, ready to respond to our cries of pain.
May the light of Jesus dispel our darkness and shine through us to dispel the darkness of all those we help today!
Where two are gathered 