200105 Why Fast and Pray?

As Jesus moved closer to his crucifixion and the end of his earthly ministry he took Peter, James, and John up onto a mountain for an important meeting. While the disciples stood aside and watched Jesus appeared to be transfigured. He was radiantly white! Immediately Elijah and Moses joined him. Moses represented the law, Elijah represented the prophets, and Jesus represented The Gospel of Grace! Peter, as usual, not knowing what to say, yet being unable to be quiet, offered to set up three tents one for Jesus, one for Elijah and one for Moses!

A cloud appeared and a voice said, “This is my beloved son, listen to him.”

Jesus instructed them to tell no one what they had seen until he was raised from the dead. As they came down the mountain they were suddenly surrounded by a mob. A boy was brought to Jesus who was demon oppressed. His disciples, who had remained at the foot of the mountain, could not cast out this demon! Jesus immediately took care of the problem. As soon as the disciples got him alone, well let’s let Mark tell us about it.

Mark 9:28-29 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer (and fasting).”

The last two words that I read, “and fasting” are not found in most of the newer translations. However, the words certainly represent the usual pattern of Jesus’s ministry and are found in the King James Bible. I quote Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, p390, footnote on Mark 9:29, “Many early and quite reliable Greek manuscripts and several early manuscripts in other languages read “by prayer and fasting.” In either case, it cannot mean prayer that is spoken at the time the demon is being cast out, for Jesus simply cast out the demon with a word and did not engage in an extended time of prayer. It must mean rather that the disciples had not previously been spending enough time in prayer and that their spiritual strength was weak. Therefore the “fasting” that is mentioned in many ancient manuscripts fits the pattern of an activity that increases one’s spiritual strength and power.”

“This kind” implies a special resistant and powerful demon. Certainly, it referred to the need for spiritual preparation on the part of the person casting out the demon! Not just a quick prayer before confronting a demon but instead a consistent lifestyle of praying and fasting which kept the believer spiritually strong. Some examples from the Old Testament are found in 1 Samuel 7:5-6; 2 Chronicles 20:3-4; Ezra 8:21-23; and Nehemiah 1:4.

Samuel was the last judge and anointed the first two Kings of Israel. During the occupation of the land by the Philistines Samuel gathered the people at Mizpah for a prayer meeting. He said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.  (1 Samuel 7:5-6)

The Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines and returned to Israel only after God defeated the Philistine gods in their own cities. That’s another story of God’s victory in battle. For our example of fasting and prayer, we return to the story 20 years after their defeat by the Philistines. Samuel was aware that the people were now ready to follow Yahweh. So he gave the instructions found in 1 Samuel 7:5-6. The promise was that God would deliver them out of the hand of the Philistines. And he did! For another example, we turn to the days of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. The story is written in the second book of Chronicles. Three armies were moving in to conquer Judah and were too large for the king’s armies. Let’s look at that account, “Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” The result was that God himself turned those three armies against each other and they defeated themselves while the people of Israel were marching into battle. As they marched they had a choir leading them. They were singing, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21b) When they began to praise -- God began to defeat their enemies. Victory is always, God’s not man’s!

Our next example is with Ezra the priest. The Persian king Cyrus had sent some of the people of Israel back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. They were led by prophets Haggai and Zechariah. That was the first wave to return the land. The second wave was led by Ezra the priest. The King, now Artaxerxes, would have gladly sent an army patrol to protect these people as they went back to Jerusalem. But look at what Ezra tells us, “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. ²² For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” ²³ So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

This resulted in God guiding them in safety to Jerusalem to restore the priesthood and proper worship of Yahweh. The territory they were crossing was like the Wild West in our own history. Everywhere you turn you would face gangs of bandits. The government was back in Babylon and all of the outlying areas were administered by local militias who were really nothing more than outlaws. After the people of Israel who returned rebuilt the temple, they still were constantly being harassed even in Jerusalem. They needed God to provide protection for them. It was not enough for the king to issue letters he needed to give them strong leadership that could now protect the rebuilt temple. God had just the man and had him in the place of significance that would allow him to change the situation.

Nehemiah had risen to the place of importance. He was cupbearer to the king! This is not just a servant’s position. Nehemiah stood between the king and assassination. In order to be a cupbearer, Nehemiah had to select and sample the wine that was served to the king. That way, if there was any poison in the wine Nehemiah would die and not the king

As the cupbearer to Artaxerxes the king. He had just heard from one of his brothers that the people who had settled in Judah were living in a desperate situation. The wall of Jerusalem was broken down and its gates burned. Nehemiah tells us, “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4)

Nehemiah goes on to confess his own sins and the sins of his people. We won't take the time today to look at all of his confession. His confession reflects the law in Deuteronomy admitting that their troubles resulted from their unfaithfulness to God. He also admits that their present survival is due only as a result of God’s abundant mercy.

Jerusalem’s walls were still broken down and the gates were gone. Opening the nation to outside influences such as an inability to stop people from breaking the Sabbath laws. Nehemiah’s prayer included a request that God give Nehemiah favor when he stood before the king. It would be at least a social blunder to be sad in the presence of the king.

The spiritual walls and doors have been broken down in our culture for generations! I would suggest that there is a need for fasting and praying and turning to the real King to give us protection and bring about the defeat of our spiritual enemies. At least we need on our side a cupbearer to the King of heaven. One that would weep and mourn for days on end with fasting and prayer.

Many times people have said that Jesus and his disciples did not fast why should we now? Well, let’s see! What did Jesus say about it?

Mark 2:18-20 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

In New Testament times the Pharisees fasted on Mondays and Thursdays it was a matter of pride for them. Jesus told a story about a Pharisee and a tax collector. In that story, the Pharisee prayed giving thanks to God that he was not like so many sinners in the world. One of the things he commended himself for was that he fasted twice a week. The tax collector could only pray “God be merciful to me a sinner.” (Luke 18:13)

The Pharisee’s pious activity did him no good. Jesus said that the tax collector went away justified rather than the other. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus’ answer to John’s disciples compared his motley crew to a wedding party! No one, going to a wedding is going there to fast instead they’re going to feast. However, when Jesus is taken away from them he said they will fast. For the same reason, WE should fast.

 All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.