Glory Dy wrote that when he fasted, “Jesus’ flesh was at its weakest.” Forty days is such an exhausting duration that angels ministered to Jesus when he was finished (Matthew 4:11). Why did he have to abstain from food for so long?
A Forty Day Fast
Amanda Barrell described what happens to a body that is deprived of food. “Food is the body’s fuel for its vital processes, all of which starvation affects.” After a short period, the body will extract nourishment from any tissue, including the muscles of which the heart is one.
We are reminded that Jesus was human just as we are human. For those scrutinizing the Bible for consistency, this is an important point. Jesus was fully man and fully God. His body was suffering.
Like any other man, Jesus would have been hungry. His stomach might have bloated and hurt. He would have felt shaky and tired. As God, he could have called on the angels to feed him, but then he would have succumbed to temptation.
Instead, we can say with confidence that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
Satan tempted Jesus when he was at his weakest, but Jesus did not turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:3), did not test God (v.5), and did not accept Satan’s deceptive offer of power over all that he could see (v. 9).
Although Israel thought their Messiah had come to crush their enemy, Rome, it was God’s plan to descend to earth and die for his people. Forty days seems a fitting amount of time when one realizes how extreme his suffering would be.
Jesus would soon give his famous Sermon on the Mount, which included the “blessed be” statements, which described the heart and character of one who is emptied of pride. A servant of the Lord submits himself to God completely.
Among the blessed are those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). Only God can nourish us fully. No finite fulfillment — even a meal — will satisfy forever.
A fast of just a few days would have been symbolic, but a 40-day fast has more of an impact on our understanding of Deuteronomy 8:3, which says, “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”
Jesus emptied himself completely of privilege and position, both of which were his to claim as One with the Father.
Why Did Jesus Fast?
Matthew 6:16-18 reports Jesus’ instructions about fasting. Christians are expected to fast, although this is not a requirement of salvation. It is a spiritual discipline employed in times of great distress or confusion in order to seek God’s will.
Fasting is a sign of humility before the Lord and a way of standing in agreement with Jesus — that one cannot live by bread alone. We fast when our need for discernment, direction, and peace from the Lord is particularly great.
Christ was about to embark on his ministry at the end of which was his suffering and death. He needed to come close to the Father, away from all distractions of the flesh, including the distraction of food. “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Galatians 26:41).
Christ’s flesh was weakened by his fast, but there were other temptations ahead of him far greater than this, including the temptation not to go to the cross. He needed to subject his flesh — his human form — to the Father’s will and be strengthened by the Lord in order to complete his mission.
The Significance of 40 Days
Jesus is always pointing back to the Old Testament just as the Old Testament is always pointing to him. Scripture often repeats themes and images, even numbers.
Forty days was the duration of the flood. After the Exodus from Egypt, Moses went to be with God and he “was on the mountain forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24:18).
Moses came down to find that Israel had fashioned a golden calf so they could worship it. At this time, Moses interceded for his people, fasting once more for another 40 days and nights (Deuteronomy 9). Moses’ second fast was intercession for Israel.
Christ’s disciples were human beings, sinful and often in need of rebuke. Did Jesus need to intercede for them? When Peter was going to argue with Christ for saying he would be killed but would rise from the grave, Jesus commanded “get behind me Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mark 8:33).
In Mark 4, we read about how Jesus calmed a storm for his terrified disciples, then asked “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (v. 40).
A man brought his son to the disciples to be cured of seizures, but the disciples could not heal him. “Jesus answered, ‘O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?’” Why did Jesus not go back to the wilderness to pray and fast for these men?
For one thing, Jesus was the intercession. His very life would be given for their sakes. For another thing, Moses interceded for Israel; Jesus stood in the gap for Jews and Gentiles alike.
A 40-day fast was certainly a means of humbling and weakening himself in prayer before God, but the flogging and crucifixion Jesus endured was sufficient payment for all sins for all men and women for all time. “Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).
Should Christians Fast for 40 Days and Nights?
A 40-day fast could potentially harm a person. There is also little chance of attracting attention, which goes against Christ’s teaching: “when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others” (Matthew 6:16).
One cannot fast for this length of time without appearing gaunt, fatigued, and ill. This could also lead to a prideful sort of fasting. The examples of Moses and Jesus are exceptional, and so were their respective situations.
If one is laboring under some kind of burden, leaving every distraction behind in order to seek God’s face is an excellent idea, but fasting is not a test of faith; it is not a competition around who is the greatest of God’s children or a means of blackmailing God into giving the saints what they want, nor does it produce magical results.
Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). He was perfect, but Jesus still went to the cross.
So, as always, one must examine the heart behind any kind of self-denial, whether that’s fasting from all food for several days or giving up chocolate for Lent.
There were many times when God’s people fasted in prayer, as a means of humbling themselves to enter into closer communion with the Lord.
Caution is advised, however, because no one is a “better” Christian, more favored by the Lord, simply because he or she entered into an especially long and dangerous period of fasting, which God did not command.
What Does This Mean?
Jesus sought the will of his Father. He went to God with his whole self immediately after he was baptized. He became physically weak and was filled by God’s Word, which was also his strength when he faced Satan.
He endured a test when his body was weak, and all along he demonstrated for Christians what it means that God is strong in our weakness. Christ’s need was great. The duration of his fast in the wilderness reflects the enormous importance of his mission: to save souls.
For further reading:
If Jesus Could Not Sin What Was the Point of Satan Tempting Him?
Why Is Prayer Important for Fasting?
How to Discourage Eating Disorders During Lent
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Andry Djumantara
