“Fasting With A Purpose”
Text: Isaiah 58:3-9a
2-8-2026
In the name of Jesus. Amen. In just 10 days, we’ll celebrate Ash Wednesday. This special holy day signals the beginning of Lent which is a season of repentance in the Christian Church. The day before Ash Wednesday, thousands of people will swarm to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. That’s French for “Fat Tuesday.” Why is it called that? Well, some churches encourage you to give something up for Lent. It can be meat, or desserts, or alcohol, or cigarettes, or whatever. And the idea is that before you start this self-imposed sacrifice you may as well over-indulge a bit. If you’ve ever seen pictures of Mardi Gras, then you know people certainly do over-indulge on Fat Tuesday with food, alcohol, and wild parties.
How sad that a religious action such as this, had to be turned into an excuse for all kinds of perverse behavior. Giving something up for Lent can be an honorable thing to do—if it’s done for the right reasons. If you do it to focus on the suffering that Jesus endured for us, that’s a good reason. If it’s done to express love and gratitude to God, that’s a good reason. But if it’s done as a ritualistic requirement to earn brownie points with God, then that’s the wrong reason. And if it’s done so that other people will think you are a “religious” person, that’s also the wrong reason.
From what we heard in the Old Testament reading, it looks like the Israelites had the same problem as we have today. In that lesson, Isaiah talks about the religious practice of fasting. Fasting, of course, means going without food or drink for a period of time. The people of Israel had been commanded by God to fast once a year as they observed the Day of Atonement. Later, they added another fasting day to commemorate a very tragic event in their history, namely the capture of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. That was the place where they met with God and worshiped Him. But because of their sinful rebellion against God, He allowed this holy place to be destroyed. So, these fasting days were supposed to express sorrow for their terrible sins that needed to be atoned for and which had caused this great, national disaster. Every time their stomachs growled, they were reminded to repent of their sins, so that they wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. When they felt the pain of hunger, it was supposed to turn the focus of their devotion back to the one true God.
You see, those days of fasting had a very important and good purpose. Sadly, this honorable religious practice lost its meaning over time. Fasting had simply become an outward show. It was an “obligation” which the Israelites felt they had to keep in order to make God happy. But deep in their hearts, true repentance had long since disappeared. It’s rather clear from our text that God was not pleased. He didn’t want His people to just go through the motions of acting humble. He wanted them to behumble in their hearts and minds. Not just for one or two days a year, but every single day! God said that their ritual fasting was totally unacceptable to Him. They were wasting their time. Going through the motions may have looked good on the outside, but on the inside God saw they were not sincere. They were abusing their fellow Israelite citizens by cheating each other and neglecting the poor and needy. But for one day, they would suspend their sinful actions and fast... just because they had to. The day before and the day after, though, life went on as usual.
What really made this whole situation even more sickening was that the Israelites had the audacity to be upset with God because He wouldn’t acknowledge their fasting. In our opening verse, they whined at God and said, “Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” And God responded, “Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.” In essence, God was saying that He was sick of their hypocrisy and empty ritual. He wanted their fasting to have a purpose. That purpose was to turn them from their wicked ways to a total devotion to Him.
By the time Jesus walked on this earth, this attitude amongst the Israelites was in full bloom. The Pharisees based their whole concept of religion around empty rituals. They went through the motions of looking pious, but their hearts remained full of evil. They tithed, they fasted, they observed the Sabbath, and they celebrated all the prescribed holy days. But they didn’t do it out of love and devotion to God. Rather, they did it for show, thinking God would count it as brownie points in their favor. Plus, they did it to get the praises of the people around them. When the Pharisee-minded Jews fasted, they walked around looking like death warmed over. They wanted people to notice how pale they were from not eating. They wanted to be admired for their religiosity. But some of Jesus’ most condemning words were when He attacked this empty ritualism. Numerous times He called the Pharisees hypocrites because they merely obeyed the letter of the Law and not its intent.
Does any of this sound familiar? Well, it ought to. Because this same attitude is still very much alive in the Christian Church today. What you are doing right now is abused a thousand times over on any given Sunday. Folks all over the world attend worship at their churches. But for some, it’s just an empty ritual. There’s an attitude which says, “If I just go through the motions, that’s good enough. Surely God will accept my huge sacrifice of setting aside a whole hour for worship during my busy week!” Well, I’ve got news for you. God is not impressed with worship that’s done for show or to earn merit. Like with the Israelites, He is sickened by this kind of empty ritualism.
Now before you start breaking your arm trying to pat yourself on the back for not having this kind of attitude, I’d suggest that you seriously examine your heart and mind. Because you’ll find there have been way too many times when you sat through a sermon without paying attention to more than 5 words. You were busy planning what to have for dinner, or how many acres you could plant or harvest if it didn’t rain, or wondering how you did on that test at school last week, or thinking about that cute boy or girl you saw the other day. How can I be so sure that your minds regularly go on vacation during the sermon? Because I’ve done it myself before. Is this any different than all the rest of the empty ritualism that I mentioned earlier? No.
The same thing can happen during any other part of the worship service. The hymns that we sing are filled with deep spiritual meaning. But unless you take the time to think about the words that are coming out of your mouth, we may as well be singing Yankee Doodle! The same can be said about the liturgy and even the Lord’s Prayer. If we’re not engaging our minds before we put our mouth in gear, then it’s all just a bunch of senseless babble. And what about the Lord’s Supper? Christ promises to come to us personally in the bread and the wine. What an awesome honor! But do we give it more than just a passing thought as we prepare to receive Communion?
All of this can become like fasting with no purpose. It’s empty ritualism, which God hates. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Our worship can be a time of spiritual nourishment and pleasing to God at the same time. The Holy Spirit is constantly calling us to a spiritual fast. He calls us to “give something up,” but it’s not just certain foods or habits that He’s wants us to set aside. No, as you step into worship, the Holy Spirit is calling you to set aside your empty ritualism and to approach God with sincerity and humility. He is calling you to abstain from the worldly thoughts that fill your mind and to put it on a spiritual fast. Instead of worldly things, He offers to fill your minds with the good news of God’s saving grace. The Holy Spirit calls you to repent of all your sins; even your sin of empty ritualism. And He stands ready to grant you forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is calling you to think seriously about the words that you are speaking and singing because then they will be coming from a heart filled with love and gratitude to our gracious God. The Holy Spirit is also calling you to ponder on the great mystery that we celebrate when we share in Holy Communion. God wants that holy meal to be more than just a symbol of Church unity. Rather, may we see it as God’s most intimate expression of love, as Christ Himself feeds our souls with His own body and blood.
The Holy Spirit is calling you to engage in this spiritual fast, not just on Sundays, but every day. Through the power of the Holy Spirit working in you, fast from the sinful things of this world, and instead, feast on His blessings which come to you through His Word and Sacrament. Approach Him with a sincere heart, which is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord, and He promises that you will then be blessed. May God grant it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!