Verse 6: His disciples asked him and said to him, “Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?”
Jesus said, “Do not lie, and do not do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered that will remain undisclosed.”
What were his disciples really asking? What is the meaning behind the questions?
Fasting was, and still is in some religions, a sacrifice a person willingly participates in to show their devotion to God. Food is life. Without it, we die, so the act of fasting shows God that you are willing to die. It’s an act done to prove to Him that you are devoted.
Some people believe that they can get closer to God through fasting because as their body begins to consume itself, looking for nutrient fuel, the brain enters a different state of awareness. This is another act of suffering, except the person has convinced themselves that it’s a way to get closer to God.
The disciples wanted to know how to pray, which is another way of asking how they could gain God's attention and what words they could say that would please God. They perceived God as a human father rather than a force or energy, projecting their childhood wound of neglect onto Him. In asking how to get the father’s attention, they’re really mourning for the attention they didn’t get from their own fathers.
Then, they ask if they should sacrifice something they have worked for - something they earned - and give that away to an organization that will decide how to disperse it to those ‘less fortunate.’ That’s what charity is - right? The idea of giving to charity - which is usually something material - food, clothes, money - is noble, I suppose, but in reality, it is almost always an act of guilt. Who decides who is less fortunate than you? In what way? Why? Will giving them things actually help them? How? Why do you feel guilt for having things as a result of working for them?
Finally, they want to know what they should eat so that they don’t disappoint God or go against some religious rules about food.
Jesus tells them that it doesn’t matter what they say or do and that their true beliefs are what is communicated to God.
He said, don’t lie, and don’t do something you hate because the truth of what you believe in your hearts cannot be hidden from God. I’ve written about this concept before in What Am I Sending Out Into The Universe.
This verse reminds me of a verse in A Course in Miracles that says:
Fear is always a sign of strain, arising whenever what you want conflicts with what you do. This situation arises in two ways: First, you can choose to do conflicting things, either simultaneously or successively. This produces conflicted behavior, which is intolerable to you because the part of the mind that wants to do something else is outraged. Second, you can behave as you think you should, but without entirely wanting to do so. This produces consistent behavior, but entails great strain. In both cases, the mind and the behavior are out of accord, resulting in a situation in which you are doing what you do not wholly want to do. This arouses a sense of coercion that usually produces rage, and projection is likely to follow.
At the core, the only reason we would choose to do something we don’t really want to do is to please someone, and the only reason we want to please others is because we’re looking for acceptance. The only reason we seek acceptance is because someone taught us that we weren’t worthy of their attention or love or whatever it was we wanted from them. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t worthy; it means that we weren’t good enough for them.
You can’t give away what you don’t possess. If you don’t believe that you are worthy, how could you teach someone else—a little child, for example—to believe in themselves?
How many times have you sought approval from someone who was so psychologically damaged themselves that even if they wanted to, they couldn’t give you the unconditional love you’re looking for?
How can you believe in yourself if you don’t know who you are?
In verse 3, Jesus told us that if we learn who we are, we will never be without. When we know who we are, our gifts, our talents, our skills and abilities, our strengths and weaknesses, and everything there is to know about ourselves, we won’t need the approval of others.
When we truly and genuinely accept ourselves, then we can communicate with God from a place of love rather than desperation. Imagine what a relationship like that could bring.
Thanks. Right on time!