Muscle Building - A Reflection on Luke 5:33-39



Then they said to him, “John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.” Jesus said to them, “You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.’ ”

 

If you wanted to develop a good physique, what would you do? Exercise, right? Whether you did it under supervision in a gym, or on your own, the exercise would serve to build your physical muscles. However, when it comes to building spiritual muscles, we imagine that this will happen automatically without any effort on our part. It won’t. But if we are serious about getting spiritually strong, fasting is one of the ways in which we build spiritual muscles. If we can say no to food, which is good for us, then it stands to reason it will become easier for us to say no to sin, which is bad for us. Yes? 

 

On a related note, it also helps us to learn to resist the desires of the flesh. Paul writes:  “Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:24.26.27). Fasting is a way of getting our bodies to listen to us, rather than us listen to our bodies!

 

Fasting also helps in spiritual warfare. There was an occasion when the apostles tried to deliver a boy who was possessed by a demon but failed. Jesus, of course, delivered the boy with a single command. When the apostles asked Jesus why they couldn’t, despite their experience in the matter, Jesus told them: “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21).

 

Fasting is also good when seeking spiritual direction (see Acts 13:2) or gaining a sensitivity to God’s voice. Anna from the New Testament is somebody who regularly fasted and prayed and was able to hear God speak to her clearly when the baby Jesus was brought into the temple. Fasting also gives  victory over temptation—remember the temptation of Jesus? (see Matthew 4:1-11). It also gives us protection (see Esther 4:16; Ezra 8:21-23; 2 Chronicles 20:1-25). There are also physical benefits. It gives the body a rest while also giving it a much needed detox.

 

If you do plan on fasting, check motivation. Why do you really want to fast? To lose weight? Not a good idea! To be admired? Again, not a god idea! I recommend you be led by the Holy Spirit in how and when to fast, but please do run his recommendations by your spiritual director. Every Christian serious about his faith journey should have one, by the way. If you are suffering from medical issues, fasting from food may not be wise. But remember, there are other things we can fast from, especially things that largely tend to be a waste of time. Like Social Media!

 

And if you do decide to fast and pray, please slip in a little prayer for me!


Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/H7m5FinNvQ8

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