Darla wrote:
scottbiddle wrote:
Fasting was part of Judaism. It was done for various reasons, but it is not commanded in the New Testament. It generally falls under the category of "If you want to do it, feel free, but don't bind it on anyone else." (look at what Paul says regarding sabbaths and new moon festivals and other practices that were brought forward by some folks from Judaism but not required for Christians)
I don't think I fully agree with the emphasized part above. Jesus didn't do away with all-things-Jewish, He fulfilled them. The original church had/has a lot of practices that are Judaic in origin; they're just Incarnate-Christ-focused rather than coming-Messiah focused.
Aren't Jesus' words, "When you fast ... " enough to say fasting is "stamped" as a New Testament practice? And fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays is mentioned in very early Christian literature (written when apostles were still living) in a way that indicates it's what the church was doing (the writing was not trying to convince Christians to fast; they already were).
Side note: Why do you say fasting was a part of Judaism? Are there scriptures that discuss this?
You should consider several things:
1) When Jesus made this statement, Christianity didn't exist in realized form. It was with the death of Christ that the requirements of the Old Testament Law were "nailed to the cross" as Paul said in Colossians 2:14. Christ fulfilled the Old Testament law in the sense of fulfilling a contract - He paid the debt incurred under the OT Law. Jesus and His followers obeyed the requirements of the law (observation of the Passover including pilgrimages to Jerusalem, etc.) until Jesus died. The only fast required under Jewish law was on the day of Atonement (the day when they were acknowledging their sins and asking for forgiveness). In Leviticus 16:29, 23:27, and Numbers 29:7 they are told to "afflict their souls" (a pseudonym for fasting - seen in Psalm 69:10 and also in Isaiah 58:5 where God says "Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul?").
2) There were other contexts where it was not commanded by law to fast, but it was commanded by the king (usually as an attempt to seek favor from the Lord). 2Ch 20:3, Ezra 8:21, Esther 4:16, Isaiah 58:3, Jeremiah 14:12, and Jonah 3:5 are examples of this. By the first century, the tradition of the pharisees had them fasting multiple times per week to show people how devout they were. Jesus' statement about how to fast was within the context of saying that no religious action should be taken in an effort to be seen/praised by men.
3) There was also a Jewish custom to fast when in mourning. This is discussed in the story of David and the death of his newborn son (2 Sa 12:23) and Jesus refers to this practice in passing in Matthew 9:15. This also happens in 1 Sa 31:13, 2 Sa 1:12 and elsewhere.
4) We are no longer under the Old Testament law. In fact, Romans 14 says we are not to judge each other based on what we eat or don't eat and Colossians 2 makes a similar statement. It is made clear in Acts 15 that even first century believers were exempted from following the dietary restrictions of the Old Testament.
My point is that there was a specific command for all to "afflict their souls" (fast) on the day of Atonement (once a year) and that people could (and often did) choose to fast on other occasions in the OT. In the NT, we have an instruction on how to fast if you do fast, but not a commandment to fast. We actually have specific commandments to eat what we prefer and not judge others based on that. Given the plain text of the Scriptures, I find no indication that fasting was or is a commandment for Christians. If people choose to fast, there is no Scripture indicating it is wrong, but there is also no Scripture indicating that people are wrong if they choose not to fast.
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