Fasting

““When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

Jesus is warning against fasting just to impress other people — like someone who looks miserable on purpose so everyone notices they're making a sacrifice. He says that if you fast, do it quietly and naturally, as if it's a normal day. The real point of fasting is a personal, private commitment, not a public performance.

““Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”

This verse challenges the idea that fasting is only about skipping meals — God says the fasting He truly values is about taking action to help people who are suffering or treated unfairly. In other words, real fasting should go hand-in-hand with caring for others and fighting injustice. It redefines fasting as something outward and practical, not just an inner spiritual ritual.

“After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

This verse describes Jesus going without food for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness, showing that fasting can be an extreme and demanding spiritual discipline. At the end of it, he was simply hungry — a very human detail that makes the experience feel real and relatable. It shows that fasting can be a way of focusing one's mind and spirit by voluntarily setting aside physical needs.

““Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.””

God is calling people to turn back to Him sincerely, using fasting along with weeping and mourning as signs of genuine regret and a desire to change. It's similar to how someone might stop eating when they're deeply troubled or remorseful about something important in their life. Fasting here is an outward expression of deep inner emotion and a heartfelt desire to reconnect.

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.””

A group of early believers were praying and fasting together when they felt spiritually guided to send two of their members, Barnabas and Saul, on an important mission. They fasted and prayed once more before officially sending them off, showing that fasting was used as a way to seek guidance and prepare for significant decisions. This shows fasting as a communal practice tied to focus, discernment, and commitment.

“So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.”

Ezra and a group of people fasted together and prayed to ask God for help and protection during a dangerous journey, and they believed God answered them. This shows fasting being used as a serious, focused act of asking for help when facing a difficult situation. It illustrates fasting as something paired with sincere prayer, where people set aside eating to concentrate fully on their urgent need.