FASTING DAY 05 - "The Pharisees: How Fasting Became a Competition"
Title FASTING DAY 5: The Pharisees – How Fasting Became a Competition
Description By the time of Jesus, the religious landscape had shifted dramatically. The Pharisees, a group originally dedicated to holiness, had turned fasting into a competitive sport. While God only commanded one fast day a year, the Pharisees were fasting 104 extra days annually—every Monday and Thursday without fail. In Day 5, we investigate the history of the Pharisees and why they chose those specific days (hint: they were Jerusalem's market days, ensuring the maximum number of people would see them).
We look at how a voluntary discipline slowly morphed into a social expectation, and eventually into a badge of spiritual superiority. Using the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18, we see how fasting became a tool for pride rather than humility. The Pharisee stood in the temple reciting his fasting resume to God ("I fast twice a week!"), while the tax collector simply asked for mercy. This episode forces us to ask an uncomfortable question: Are we fasting to draw close to God, or are we fasting to feel superior to other Christians who aren't?
Keywords Pharisees fasting, fasting twice a week, Luke 18, religious legalism, spiritual pride, Monday and Thursday fast, history of the Pharisees, Jesus and Pharisees, fasting for show.
Hashtags #Pharisees #Legalism #BibleHistory #ReligiousPride #Fasting #Christianity #Luke18 #SpiritualCompetition
