To Be Like Jesus: Discipleship and Biblical Spirituality in the 21st Century

PART IV

In this five-part series, we will be exploring the meaning and method of discipleship and biblical spirituality in ancient times and ask ourselves how we might live better lives as modern disciples of Jesus.

Prayer and Fasting: Mind, Spirit, and Body

One of the things that has surprised, amused, and sometimes saddened me as I study the Hebrew roots of Christianity is how Christianity seems to have gone out of its way to disassociate itself from anything resembling its Jewish roots—the same roots from which Jesus drew upon traditions, discourses, and worldviews to convey His message of hope. Sometimes, the differences are just plain funny, and other times they are subconsciously indicative of substantial divergences in our interpretation of Scripture and the world around us.

For instance, whereas the Bible does not command the covering of the head during prayer and worship, the practice developed slowly in Judaism as the rabbis considered the high priest's wearing of a turban when he came before the Lord as an excellent example of reverence for God's people. Consequently, today's observant Jewish men wear a kippah or yarmulke to remind them of the sacredness of time spent in prayer and that the Lord is always over and before them.

For instance, whereas the Bible does not command the covering of the head during prayer and worship, the practice developed slowly in Judaism as the rabbis interpreted the high priest's wearing of a turban when he came before the Lord as an excellent example of reverence for God's people."

Surprisingly, with regards to head covering, Christians came to precisely the opposite conclusion. When we enter prayer and worship, we remove our head coverings out of reverence to the sanctuary and in obedience to Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians 11:3–16 for women to cover their heads and men to uncover their heads. Sometimes, though, I wonder if we really understand the contextual gist of Paul's meaning in this passage. Could it be that he was speaking more to social practices that demeaned women (uncovering or shaving the head to bring shame) and less to corporate worship practices?

This, my friends, is why it is so essential to understand the ancient contexts in which our Scriptures were written so we can fully understand the author's intent. Nevertheless, there is nothing inherently wrong with traditions, old and new, if they help us derive greater meaning from our spiritual practices and draw us closer to God.

Similarly, it has become the Christian tradition to pray before meals so that God might bless and/or, in some Christians’ minds, purify the food. This is all well and good, as the food is a blessing from God, and we should thank Him for it. It is very instructive that whereas Christians pray before the meal so that God will add His blessing to the food and remove from it any unholy taint, Jews bless God and not the food, and they do so after the meal.

It is very instructive that whereas Christians pray before the meal that God will add His blessing to the food and remove from it any unholy taint, Jews bless God and not the food, and they do so after the meal!"

Herein lies a very subtle and fascinating nuance that I think can be instructive for Christians. Jews bless God and not the food because they believe everything He has made for food is already pure and good, very good (notice the Genesis allusion here), and He is blessed to provide it to us. Therefore, there is no need to ask for it to be purified because it was created to be eaten and thus blessed by God.

However, lest we think rabbinic worldview is dry and unpragmatic, some rabbis will tell you that the reason Jews pray after the meal is, when you’re hungry, it's too tempting to rush through the prayer of thanksgiving so that you can get down to eating. Given my appetite, I think that might be good advice (parents of young children take note: there might be something here for you, too). Nevertheless, the Bible gives examples of prayer both before and after eating. Isn’t it wonderful how God provides us with the latitude to worship Him in a multitude of ways?

Now, of course, we Adventists could debate the nuanced issues of environmental toxins or the healthfulness of vegetarianism, but here is a significant point concerning worldview: For the Jew, the things of this world that God declared good should be taken with joy and gratitude and even celebrated. Sometimes, I fear we Christians can become so fixated on the heavenly that we forget the blessings of the here and now—of the things God created for us to enjoy and the genuine and present hardships of our friends and neighbours.

Some Christians are in danger of becoming so ascetic in their shunning of the good things God has made that they may even call them evil (including their neighbours). And worse yet, they are so heavenly-minded that they promise to pray for the needy when immediate action would be far more helpful (was it this kind of praying Jesus had in mind in Matthew 25:37 when He said, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you”?).

In part, I think this tendency to imbalanced heavenly-mindedness stems from the early formation of Western Christianity, which drank deeply at the well of Greek philosophy. Doing so syncretized Gnostic and Hellenistic worldviews, which taught that all things heavenly are good and all things earthly are evil. Friends, in so many ways, this is an affront to Genesis itself. Do we not hope for an earth made new? Were we not created in the garden to live and act in the physical realm? Should not our prayers embody not only words but also deeds?

Certainly, this syncretism with Hellenistic philosophy had little to do with the Hebraic perspective from which Jesus taught. Additionally, James declared, "If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:16–17, NIV).

You may ask, “What does this have to do with prayer and fasting?” Foremost, we must keep in mind that prayer and fasting are not ascetic practices by which our denying of ourselves and even enduring pain will make our prayers more acceptable to God (see Matthew 6:16–18). In reality, they are a reminder of the close link between the spiritual and physical realities of the human condition, which can seem so disconnected from one another; they are a reminder that in true religion, the mental, spiritual, and physical cannot be separated without doing an injustice to God, yourself, and your neighbour.

If you truly believe something in the Hebrew mind and language, you have no choice but to act on it. True religion is an acted religion and not just pious words. As we read in the Lord's Prayer, true Hebrew prayer is structured around these dynamics: acknowledging God's greatness, confessing our sins, appealing to His promises (especially the establishment of His kingdom), making petitions (for ourselves and others), and most importantly, being genuinely thankful for what He has given us through the world and others.

Join me next time for Part 5, the final part of our exploration of biblical discipleship, entitled

Fellowship and Service: Shaliachs for the Mashiach.

By Olaf Clausen Sabbath School, Children’s, and Personal Ministries Director

Pr. Olaf Clausen, MA is the Alberta Conference Director of Sabbath School, Children’s, and Personal Ministries. He is a specialist in Judeo-Christianity for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada and North American Division Jewish Ministries.