Many Christians, and particularly those in mainline denominations, celebrate Ash Wednesday as the beginning of the season of Lent. They and others may wonder, “Is Ash Wednesday in the Bible?” In other words, as this holy day is celebrated each year, is there an account in the Bible of God ordaining the first Ash Wednesday or a history of Christians in the New Testament creating such an observance?
Does the Bible Mention Ash Wednesday?
Nowhere in the Bible will you find the words “Ash Wednesday," nor will you find an account of anyone celebrating this day. Neither will you find the term “Lent," the 40 days of heart and mind preparation for Easter which Ash Wednesday initiates each year. Yet you will find many of the components of this holy day in various themes, symbols, and practices in the Bible. So, while the Bible doesn’t mention Ash Wednesday specifically, the celebration has great value for Christians as it reminds us of the humility with which we should approach God. This attitude draws us to have deeper respect and awe of the God who saves us from our greatest enemy: death.
What Are the Origins of Ash Wednesday?
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, a group of believers began to grow and spread throughout the known world, becoming the Christian Church. By the fourth century, leaders representing various congregations throughout the world began meeting together in one place to discuss doctrine and practice. These were called “ecumenical councils,” and the first took place in 325 A.D. in Turkey. The “Council of Nicaea” initiated the practice of a 40-day period of fasting and repentance called Lent. The time was designed to symbolically “walk with Jesus” to the cross and then celebrate His glorious resurrection. It wasn’t until another council in 601 A.D. that Ash Wednesday was established to mark the beginning of Lent.
Ash Wednesday is a special day/service in which the focus is on humility. A portion of Genesis 3:19 sets the tone for the day: “...for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Depending on the church, congregation members may be asked to fast that day as well and focus their prayers on God's holiness and how He deserves our undying reverence and awe.
Why Are Ashes a Symbol of Repentance in Scripture?
According to the Museum of the Bible,”The symbolism of marking oneself with ashes traces its history to ancient traditions. The liturgical use of ashes can be seen in the Old Testament, where they denote mourning, mortality, and penance. In Esther 4:1, Mordecai puts on sackcloth and ashes when he hears of the decree of King Ahasuerus of Persia to kill all of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire. In Job 42:6, at the end of his confession, Job repents in sackcloth and ashes. And in the city of Nineveh, after Jonah preaches of conversion and repentance, all the people proclaim a fast and put on sackcloth, and even the king covers himself with sackcloth and sits in ashes, as told in Jonah 3:5–6.”
Could ashes also have been used as a method of purification? In Numbers 19:9 we read, “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin.”
But how are the ashes created? While many may think they are the ashes left from incense, they are actually made from the palm fronds that were used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday processional. These are dried and burned in a fireproof receptacle and sometimes mixed with a bit of oil or blessed water to make a paste so that the ashen cross will stay on the forehead until removed at the end of the day by the wearer.
As ashes are placed on the forehead of believers in the shape of a cross on Ash Wednesday, they are a reminder of mourning, mortality, the need for redemption, Christ’s sacrifice and journey to the cross, and purification from sin. For those Christians who go out of the church wearing the cross, the ashes can become a tool for witnessing to others about all of these truths, sharing the meaning of the symbol and how it helps to put our lives in perspective.
How Did Ash Wednesday Become a Christian Tradition?
Since the council in 601 A.D., Ash Wednesday has been celebrated in churches that observe Lent, the 40-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. These are mostly liturgical churches. This would include Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and some Methodist churches.
A poignant post on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America site looked at Ash Wednesday from the pastor’s point of view:
“We trace the assurance of death [cross of ashes] on faces we love: old faces wrinkled with stories, newborn faces with eyes too big for tiny heads, furrowed faces sagging with worry, bright faces warm with joy, beloved faces of so many colors and contours and expressions—all of them ticketed for the grave. Maybe we baptized them. Maybe we will attend their funeral, or they ours. We look into deep, dear, lively eyes and put souls on notice: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Should Christians Participate in Ash Wednesday?
For those Christians who don’t already participate in Ash Wednesday, we should be clear that it’s not mandatory in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. However, it is an excellent opportunity to reconsider our relationship with God. It causes us to examine whether we are living in the “fear and admonition of the Lord” and whether we are carrying sin that we haven’t confessed to the Lord.
When we hear that we are “but dust,” we are reminded that life here is short but that the life to come is eternal. Therefore, we dare not miss an opportunity to give our lives to the Lord, as we believe in Jesus as our Savior. So while Christians aren’t obligated to observe Ash Wednesday–with its special services, prayer and fasting–It’s a practice that can grow an individual’s faith if one does participate in the day.
What Are Meaningful Ways to Observe Ash Wednesday Biblically?
Since the Bible does not give instructions about Ash Wednesday, the best thing we can do is read Scriptures that point to themes of the day. We can do this in an Ash Wednesday service or on our own as a personal time of devotion. As we do so, we can choose to fast from food or anything that takes our mind away from the Lord (such as electronic devices).
Examples of Scripture to read/study on Ash Wednesday:
- Genesis 3:19 - “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
- Job 42:5-6 - “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
- Ezekiel 9:4 - “And the Lord said to him, ‘Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”
- Isaiah 58:6-7- “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 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?”
- Ecclesiastes 3:20- “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.”
- Genesis 18:27- “Then Abraham spoke up again: ‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes…”
- Joel 2:12- “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Learn more about the meaning and significance behind the Easter holiday and Holy Week celebrations:
What is Lent? and When Does Lent Start?
What is Ash Wednesday? and When is Ash Wednesday?
What is Palm Sunday?
What is Maundy Thursday?
What is Good Friday? and When is Good Friday?
What is Holy Saturday?
What is Easter? and When is Easter Sunday?
Easter Bible Verses
The Resurrection of Jesus
Easter Prayers
Photo credit: Unsplash/Pro Church Media
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
