Read Isaiah 58
and Matthew 9: 14-15
A
big part of Lent involves fasting. It is
vitally important that our fasting comes from a pure heart. This is an incredible statement on
fasting: “Fasting is, as much as lies in
us, an imitation of the angels, a contemning of things present, a school of
prayer, a nourishment of the soul, a bridle of the mouth, an abatement of
concupiscence: it mollifies rage, it appeases anger, it calms the tempests of
nature, it excites reason, it clears the mind, it disburdens the flesh, it
chases away night-pollutions, it frees from head-ache. By fasting, a man gets
composed behavior, free utterance of his tongue, right apprehensions of his
mind.” --John Chrysostom
So here in
Isaiah 58 is a fasting that is not pleasing the Lord. Here is worship that is
not pleasing the Lord. And yet what is
wrong with seeking God, and delighting to know his ways, and asking him for
just decisions, and delighting in his nearness, and fasting and humbling
ourselves before him? This sounds very religious and what we need to do. Are you ever
deeply afraid or do you ever tremble that GOD may find you as a poser? Doesn't that make you want to get so authentic and intimate with God, you could never be surprised by the Lord in this way—that your most
zealous religious practices and even desires are exposed as empty and
hypocritical!
The ethical,
practical, and relational accompaniments of fasting—or worship in general—are the
real test of the authenticity of the fasting and the worship. Monday is the
proof of Sunday. God lists the religious forms of their fasting: humbling or
afflicting oneself (no food), bowing the head like a reed, spreading out our
sackcloth and ashes (cf. Psalm 35:13). Then he lists the ethical accompaniments
of this fasting: you go after your own pleasure (in some other way besides
eating), you drive hard all your workers and become irritable or contentious
and stir up strife and even go so far as to get into fights. And God asks,
"Is this the fast that I choose?" The answer is No.
No worship—no
preaching, no singing, no playing of instruments, no praying, no fasting,
however intense or beautiful—that leaves us harsh with our workers on Monday,
or contentious with our spouses at home, or self-indulgent in other areas of
our lives, or angry enough to hit somebody—no worship or fasting that leaves us
like that is true, God-pleasing worship.
May this season
of Lent be a time for us to submit all our religious exercises to HOLY SPIRIT’s
discerning wisdom and cleansing power.
JESUS is Risen .
. . !
Richard Holloman
No comments:
Post a Comment