Fasting

Isaiah 58

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,    only a day for people to humble themselves?Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?Is that what you call a fast,    a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 “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?7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them,    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,    and your healing will quickly appear;then your righteousness will go before you,    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

"Would you fast if I wanted you to?" I was asked about Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and repentance for the Jewish faith. It was yesterday.

My nearest and dearest spoke with a number of his friends who did and some who did not fast.

In the passage above the Lord describes the kind of "fast" for Him is not an outward show, but a complete change of attitude and behaviour.

Jesus continued the theme in His earthly ministry condemning ostentatious religious show without compassion and love.

In Matthew 25:31-40 He describes what will happen at the final judgement - it's almost word for word from Isaiah 58!

How we treat people matters the most and will determine our destiny.

In as much as you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me (verse 40).

Our Lord Jesus sees the motives of the heart and takes note of how we behave toward others - indeed, He takes it personally!

God's way of fasting is to live in practical unconditional love each and every day towards each person we meet, especially the ones who are looked down on and discarded by others - "the least".

That's a daily Yom Kippur!