Magyar Egyház, 1961 (40. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
1961-02-01 / 2. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 11 Mm Mm iF&SEaBs© When we enter the penitential season of lent, the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter, let us meditate on the practice of fasting which gradually developed in the Christian Church. Fasting is not a purely Christian religious experience, for it was used by the American Indians, by shamans in making contact with the spirits, by the Greeks who made oracles, the Moslims who fixed fast days, and it was extensively practiced in India. Fasting was practically universal as an outward expression of mourning. It was widely used in rituals and ceremonials as an essential religious discipline. OLD TESTAMENT First of all, let us examine fasting in the Old Testament. According to the Holy Scriptures, fasting must have been characteristic of the Jewish people. The most important fast to be observed is recorded in Lev. 16:28-31 and 23:27-32 in connection with the Day of Atonement: the significance of this law of Moses can be seen when you read in the New Testament, Acts 27:9, that this day is called simply “FAST”. Later on fasts of special occasions developed. When the people turned away from God and worshipped Baal and Ashtaroth, Samuel ordered a day of fasting, and after penitence the people returned to the Lord. During the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, God spoke to Jeremiah and the words of the Lord were written and read to the people; and it came to pass “that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all people in Jerusalem.” Jer. 36:9. Let everyone return to God and forsake his evil way, for great is the anger of the Lord against the people who live in sin. In like manner, individuals observed fasting. King David, when his child was smitten with sickness (II Sam 12:16-23), and Ahab on hearing his doom (I King 21:27). Consider the text in Exodus 34:28 “And he (Moses) was there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, he did neither eat bread nor drink water” and in I. King 19:8 when it is said about Elijah “and he arose and did eat and drink, Bishop Beky Elected Vice-Chairman of American Branch of World Alliance Atlantic City, N. J.—The Rev. Dr. H. Shaw Scates, Memphis, Tennessee, stated clerk of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, was elected chairman of the North American Area Council of the World Presbyterian Alliance. Dr. Scates, who has been chief executive officer of the Cumberland Church since 1954, succeeds the Rev. Dr. James E. Wagner of Philadelphia, president of the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Bishop Zoltán Beky, Trenton, N. J., presiding bishop of the Hungarian Reformed Church of America was elected vice-chairman of the Area Council. The Council is made up of 11 Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in Canada, Jamaica and the United States, with a communicant membership of 6,348,700. and went in strength of that meat, forty day and forty nights unto Horeb, the mount of God”; you can readily see why later on the 40 days period of Lent was accepted in the Christian Church. By the end of Old Testament times four fasts were recognized as additional or regular fasts in the time of shame and calamity. (Zech. 8:19) Naturally fasts on special occasions, when all the people joined, were in addition to the ones previously established. NEW TESTAMENT At the time of our Lord Jesus Christ frequent additional fasts to the national fasting days had become customary with all who desired to lead a religious life. It is recorded about Anna, a prophetess who served God in the temple “with fastings and prayers night and day.” (Luke 2:37). Again we read in the parabie that a Pharisee says “I fast twice a week” (Luke 18:12). The allusion is to the regular weekly fast days: Monday and Thursday. Later on the Christians were bidden not to fast with the pharisees and hypocrites on the second and fifth day of the week, but on Friday. There is no reason to doubt, that Jesus observed public fast days, moreover, He accepted voluntary fast for 40 days when He was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (Matt. 4:1-11). Yet, if you consider the attitude of Jesus towards fasting, it is evident, that He laid no stress on this form of devotion. As a matter of fact, the enemies of Christ sounded their criticism concerning Jesus, that He is “a gluttonous man and winebibber” (Matt. 11:19, Luke 7:34). JESUS CHRIST There are two passages only, from our Lord when He speaks about fasting, but they are significant. First in the Sermon on the Mount we read: “when ye fast, be not as hypocrites of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear to men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matt. 6:16-18). The aim of our Savior here is perfect simplicity and purity of heart: a fasting unto God when sinners must cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and purify their their souls from every evil sin. The disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and questioned Him: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?” And He answered: “Can the children of the bride chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them and then shall they fast.” (Matt. 9:14-16). From this portion of the Bible we can understand Him. His method and aim was not to impose upon the disciples more frequent and
