The Lord’s Prayer and Fasting
Sermon Recap
This week we continued our conversation from Matthew 6:1-18 about what some have called the “hidden life” of discipleship. If you missed it, you can find a summary of part 1 here.
In Jesus’ time, three central religious practices were almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Jesus warns his disciples about the de-formative way “hypocrites” (meaning stage actors) did these things in order to be seen by others and earn a reputation for being especially righteous. Likely he was pointing out the practices of the Jewish Pharisees.
In contrast, Jesus teaches his followers to do these things in a hidden way, promising that “the Father who sees in secret” will reward them. In each area, Jesus gives a warning, a way, and a “why”. Last week we discussed Jesus’ teaching on almsgiving. This week, we listened to what Jesus taught his disciples about prayer and fasting.
On prayer. Jesus warned his disciples about two wrong ways of praying. Don’t pray like the hypocrites, who desire the admiration of other people for how they pray. Also, don’t pray like the Gentiles, who think if they repeat their words enough that God will hear them. Instead, Jesus says, find a hidden place where you can be alone with the Father. And pray simply, like this:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:9-13, ESV)
You can pray these words just as they are, or you can use them as a guide. The early church took Jesus’ words so seriously that they instructed disciples to pray the Lord’s Prayer three times a day. This prayer has been a part of the church’s practice – in private and in publicly gathered worship – ever since.
Jesus put a particular spotlight on the request for forgiveness, saying that if we don’t forgive others their trespasses, the Father won’t forgive us ours. A forgiven person will be a forgiving person.
On Fasting. Jesus also taught his disciples how to approach fasting in this hidden way. The warning is the same (don’t be like the hypocrites who make a public show of it in order to be admired); the way is the same (do this in secret before the Father alone) and the “why” is the same (the Father who sees in secret will reward you).
What is different about fasting is that unlike giving and praying – which are commanded of God’s people in many ways and times – fasting is only commanded once in the Bible. The Jews were commanded to fast for one day a year, on the day of Atonement. (See Leviticus 23:26-32).
Though fasting was practiced by Jesus, his own disciples didn’t fast until Jesus had returned to the father. Fasting is seen often in the early church, but nowhere is it taught or commanded in Paul’s many writings to the church. And yet, fasting is a common practice throughout all of church history, in many ways and for many different reasons.
Why is a non-commanded practice so widely and frequently and commonly done by disciples of Jesus? Perhaps because it is a natural recognition that we live as whole people before God, and so can engage God with every part of who we are – body, mind, soul, etc.
Fasting is a way of using your body to pray. It is a saying no to an appetite in order to better say yes to a deeper desire, like a desire to be with God, gain wisdom, or to set aside time or resources for the work of justice. Augustine said that by learning to say no to good things, we strengthen the will to say no to bad things, to resist temptation.
We are drawn to giving and prayer and fasting in this hidden way by remembering that the Father who sees in secret has promised to reward us. James the brother of Jesus later wrote, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). If we take on a practice of giving, prayer, and/or fasting in this season, we can expect God to be true to that promise.
Entering Conversation
We recognize that every small group has its own conversational dynamics. Feel free to use either set of questions below – or use your own! – in order to structure your talking together. As you do, remember that our goal, always, is not to end up with merely better knowledge of the teaching, but to help each other respond to what was taught.
1. Reflect back on what you heard in this sermon, or on the thoughts that have come afterwards. What stood out to you, either because it was new/interesting, or because you felt like the Spirit directed your attention to it?
2. What might it look like to respond in some way to what you heard? Particularly, do you sense an invitation from the Spirit – or the desire of your own heart – to take on some new practice during this season? (NB – this is where community can be helpful. Sometimes we don’t know what to do with what we heard, but others can help us identify ways of responding. Be free to help each other, graciously and gently, listening for what the Spirit may be prompting.)
3. Close this time by praying the Lord’s prayer together, inviting God to continue the conversation with you through the week.
- OR –
1. Some of the hypocrites’ behavior that Jesus describes sounds ridiculous for our time, but the underlying motive is common. Can you describe a time when you felt the temptation to “perform” in order to protect your image/reputation? Or maybe a time when you felt afraid to NOT perform for fear of being judged?
2. Jesus contrasts public spiritual performance with practices done in a hidden way, for the “Father who sees in secret.” How does that re-orientation provoke your emotions? Does it feel freeing and inviting, or something else?
3. What do you think about taking on or renewing a practice in this season? Do you feel either directed by the Spirit in a specific way OR a desire to create better space in your life for _____?
4. Close this time by praying the Lord’s prayer together, inviting God to continue the conversation with you through the week.