“It is not all; nor yet is it nothing. It is not the end, but it is a precious means thereto, a means which God himself has ordained; and in which therefore, when it is duly used, he will surely give us his blessing.”
-John Wesley
Wesley is speaking here of fasting in his sermon “Sermon on the Mount, VII,” from a collection of sermons that he gave on Jesus’s famous exposition found in Matthew 5-8. And now that we’re just about to Ash Wednesday, and therefore Lent, it’s time to think about fasting.
There are all kinds of ways to fast. In the early church, believers often fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays, up to 3:00 in the afternoon. Wednesday was the day of Christ’s betrayal and Friday the day of his crucifixion, which ended at 3:00. Wesley often adopted this ancient pattern as his own; no food after midnight until 3:00.
But note what Wesley says about fasting in the quotation above. Fasting itself is not the point. As with the means of grace, they are means, or channels, of God’s grace, his power made available to us. But we don’t focus on the means, we focus on the grace offered. Or to put it differently, our actions are not the point, it’s God’s work in and through them that matters.
Lent provides an opportunity to take on fasting, or other means of grace, as we journey with Christ through his suffering, death, and resurrection. Even its forty days—which never includes the Sundays of Lent—is taken from the pattern of his life when he fasted for forty days in the wilderness following his baptism.
As someone who sees the great benefits of Lent, but admittedly isn’t always good at it, let me commend it to you. Lent can be a wonderful time of renewal, of gaining focus, and of transformation. Lent re-orders our priorities.
But like every aspect of the Christian life, Lent requires thoughtful engagement. And now is the time before Ash Wednesday catches us off guard. So plan out your Lent now before you receive the ashes on Wednesday. Take hold of the opportunity and be intentional about it. Pray about it. God will guide you. He may open your eyes to an area of your life that needs particular attention.
And as you journey through Lent leading to Holy Week and Easter, don’t give up. If you fall, start again. God’s grace will be available to you throughout. And at the end of it, the Easter celebration of the resurrection will be all the richer for it.
Ryan N. Danker is director of the John Wesley Institute, Washington, DC. This is reposted from a weekly JWI newsletter that can be subscribed to here.
Comment by Wilson R. on February 13, 2026 at 3:32 pm
For “true fasting,” it would be useful to read Wesley commentaries on Isaiah 58 from his “Explanatory Notes on the Old Testament.”
The fast that God chooses is
“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?”
Comment by Salvatore Anthony Luiso on February 13, 2026 at 3:58 pm
Thank you for this article. I heartily agree with it.
The author says “Pray about it”. I would add: “Ask God about it”. For example: “Should I observe Lent this year? If so, how? Should I fast with Lent this year? If so, how?”.
Regarding “Jesus’s famous exposition found in Matthew 5-8”: The Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 5–7.
Also, regarding John Wesley’s commentary on Isaiah 58, which Wilson R has mentioned in a comment here: One can easily find them in a few places on the Internet by using Google to search for the following: “John Wesley” “Isaiah 58”. It is my understanding that in that passage God does not criticize and reject fasting *per se*, but hypocritical fasting–just as in Isaiah 1:10–15 He does not criticize and reject the worship of Him *per se* but hypocritical worship of Him.
Comment by Wilson R. on February 13, 2026 at 4:57 pm
Salvatore:
I believe your take on Isaiah 58 is correct. From what I have read, the context appears to be the Jewish Day of Atonement, which was a day of fasting. The true demonstration of atonement and worship involves the acts that Isaiah describes, without which the act of fasting is hollow (as Wesley preached). Not meant to reject fasting per se; Jesus takes fasting as a given.
There is also a connotation here of community renewal and restoration, which Wesley picks up on. This portion of Isaiah was written AFTER the people returned from exile in Babylon. They came back to a ruined landscape in which the Temple and much of Jerusalem had been destroyed. They asked why God did not hear their prayers for restoration, and Isaiah answers them. This is the context for his verses about becoming “repairers of the breach” and “restorers of streets where people can live.” This passage was not intended to be about personal salvation but about the health and vibrancy of communities and nations.
Comment by David on February 14, 2026 at 9:01 am
The term “forty” represented a moderately large number and “seventy,” a very large number. “Forty days” should be understood as “a long time” and not a precise time period. It is equivalent to modern usage of “wait a minute” which does not mean exactly sixty seconds.
Comment by Angelo on February 16, 2026 at 11:27 pm
Methodists should fast regularly throughout the year, not just during the Lent season.
Comment by Wilson R on February 17, 2026 at 2:59 pm
Angelo:
How often do you recommend fasting, and for how long? If this is part of your spiritual practice, would appreciate any insights or lessons.
Comment by Marc on February 23, 2026 at 5:55 pm
Danker describes fasting in the “early” church. It is also the current practice of some adherents in the Eastern Orthodox church. However, most Orthodox today eat no meat or meat products, Mon. to Sat. throughout Lent, often not eating until 3 pm and then only one and one-half meals per day.