Jesus confronted the Pharisees when they asked him why his disciples did not fast and prayed like john's disciples.
And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers,
and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink
and Jesus said to them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and they will fast in those days." (Lk. 5:33-34)
Fasting and praying has been one of the elements that has been questioned the most. The Pharisees were more concerned about order and demonstration of self piety before the rest of society. Jesus counter acts their way of thinking and expresses a faith by doing the opposite. He teaches the opposite about prayer by not doing it before others to see. However, His disciples tell Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus does give a prayer, but it is not focus upon himself to draw attention. He said,
Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy 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.
For if you forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father also will forgive you;
but if you do not forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Mt. 6:9-15)
It would seem that Jesus should have taught his diciples how to pray and lay out a set of prayers for others to imitate. However, Jesus does not draw attention to himself because he is pointing to the Father. The moment a group of people or an individual begins to create structures of prayer on their own, it will lead to self interest. For instance, John taught his diciples how to pray, but they had focused upon the Baptist and not on the coming of the Messiah. Jesus does not need to teach His disciples how to pray, because the sending of the Holy Spirit will teach them how to pray. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says that when the Spirit comes he will teach you everything that I have taught you...in another part of his Gospel, Jesus says that the true worshipers will worship in spirit and truth. The fact is that prayer is good and necessary for the person, but it is useless when it is focus upon the self and not upon the truth, who is the Son of God. Prayer is not meant to be a routine or something that is devotional; although, vocal prayers are necessary and great during spiritual dryness. Prayer is much deeper than this; it is dialogue between Jesus, who is the truth and the life, and the person, who seeks a personal encounter. The Pharisees and the followers of John the Baptist were empty and hallow because they sought the praise and honor from others. Whenever the person seeks out to find Jesus, it begins with the openness of the heart that allows Jesus to enter into the most deepest part of the person. Jesus said,
But when you pray,
go into your room and shut the door
and pray to your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do;
for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Do not be like them,
for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Mt. 6:8-9)
Jesus helps his diciples to avoid attention or anything that may lead people to focus on the individual and not on the Father. He teaches that one must try to avoid prayers that only become a routine and does not lead to conversion or an openness of the heart. He teaches that one must have an intimate relationship with him that requires the freedom of the person to seek out the truth by welcoming Him into the most secret place where no one can enter. The Pharisees and the diciples of John focused on the externals, but within their hearts there was all kinds of evils that kept them from confessing their faults before others and not loving ones neighbor; this was causing them to fill their emptyness. If the relationship with ones neighbor is not well, then the relationship with God is disconnected because the person refuses to open his or her heart to the Author of life that leads the person to love.
Moreover, fasting is such a blessing and a powerful tool for prayer, but it is only powerful when fasting is not selfish. Jesus warns against a false kind of fasting:
And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites,
for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men.
Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Mt. 6:16-18)
The Pharisees fasted, so that others can see them in public areas. However, their kind of fasting did not lead them to conversion because they still continue to be uncharitable to others. They were not concerned about the poor or their neighbor who was suffering all kinds of infirmities. Fasting has taken a different shape today; it is done for the sake of health, loosing weight, feeling better in doing something that requires a lot of sacrifice, such as a food or a place that one enjoys. On the contrary, Jesus claims that fasting has a purpose; a purpose in not letting others know about your sacrifices because that can lead to self-glory. The prophet Isaiah gives the purpose for fasting. He says,
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is no to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. (Is. 58:6-8)
Thus, true fasting and prayer does not consist in self glory or self interest. It guides the person to personal encounter with the Triune God that seeks to reveal Himself to the sinner as he or she desires to to grow in an open relationship with the creator. Scripture reveals the true meaning of prayer and fasting, but it is an opportunity to grow in right relationship with Christ and avoid falling into the trappings of the pharissaic tradition that leads the person farther away from truth. Christ himself said that the Pharisees and scribes helped people in knowing more about the Lord, but they became children of the devil just because they gave bad examples of being a follower of God in righteousness and truth. Emptiness is caused by trying to please oneself in order to get the praise from others. Jesus is the only One that fill the void of the human person. One just has to allow him to enter and let him be God.
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