Moving from Christmas to Easter, we begin to hear about people observing Lent. Usually, individuals with an ash cross marked on their forehead discuss what they’re “giving up” for Lent. They might mention abstaining from alcohol or desserts. Catholics and more liturgical Protestant groups observe the Lenten season, which begins with Ash Wednesday, explaining the black smudge cross sign on the forehead.
When I was younger, coming from a more evangelical tradition, I didn’t understand much about the tradition. I had heard about Ash Wednesday and Lent when a teen, but later on, I engaged with Catholic believers, a few from my wife’s family, and asked questions to find out more about this beautiful season leading up to Easter.
If you’re curious about Lent, here are seven things you need to know.
1. The Early Church Observed Lent
The early church observed a form of Lent long before Rome officially embraced Christianity. After the first century, and many baptized converts left the faith, the church began to teach and disciple people before baptism, including prayer, repentance, and fasting. The church annually baptized new converts at Easter. Soon, the entire church began participating as a time to reflect and repent before the main Christian holiday, Easter.
By the 2nd century, writings from early church leaders like Irenaeus of Lyons mention a pre-Easter fast, although different regions varied the practice. The later Council of Nicaea in 325 AD formalized a forty-day Lenten fast, affirming what most churches already did. Those early Christians didn’t need imperial permission or encouragement for fasting and spiritual growth. Instead, they already founded their observance in Scripture and the examples of Christ and the apostles.
Therefore, Lent isn’t a tradition added later like many Catholic or liturgical traditions. Easter was the most important time of the year for the church in the first two centuries, as both the Jewish Passover and the Holy Week when Christ died and rose again. The early church spoke and taught about Christmas, but Easter dominated the calendar. Lent began as a way to focus on the central meaning of Christ’s sacrifice for salvation.
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2. The Meaning Behind Lent’s 40 Days
Lent lasts forty days because it refers to the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry when he began to declare and teach, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Beyond Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, the number 40 occurs many times in the Bible to symbolize testing or preparation. Jesus didn’t eat for forty days while in the desert. While there, Satan himself tempted Christ, but Jesus remained faithful and obedient to his father (Matthew 4:1-11).
Lent follows this example as Christians dedicate themselves to prayer, fasting, and repentance to prepare for Easter. It is a somber time, calling believers to reflect, confess, repent, and dedicate themselves to spiritual disciplines out of commitment to God, a somber time before the celebrating of the joy of Christ’s resurrection.
The early church recognized the pattern of 40 through the Scripture. God sent rain for forty days and nights during the flood (Genesis 7:12). Moses fasted for forty days on Mount Sinai while God gave the Law (Exodus 34:28). The Israelites wandered for 40 years in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8:2). Elijah traveled for forty days to Mount Horeb, where he had his famous encounter with God (1 Kings 19:8). The early Christians structured Lent around this pattern.
3. Lent Is a Season of Repentance, Reflection, and Renewal
Repentance is at the heart of the Gospel. And repentance isn’t a one-time event but a lifestyle of turning to God and submitting to him. Leading up to Easter, Lent calls Christians to repentance and meditation on Jesus’ death and resurrection, exploring further what Christ’s work does for us.
Jesus’s core message was, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Lent gives believers an organized and collective time to set aside, prioritizing the heart to obey the call to daily repentance. As Christians humble themselves before God, submitting to his will, they recognize their need for his mercy. Next, they confess their sins and seek his grace to help them live differently in His Spirit.
The Bible calls Christians to meditation, thinking intentionally about God’s character or work and letting the Holy Spirit give more insight and revelation. During Lent, Christians reflect upon Jesus and the stories of Holy Week. Jesus willingly chose to endure betrayal and the agony of the cross for the salvation of those who would believe. Meditating on these things reminds believers of the overwhelming price God paid for redemption. Further, Lent calls Christians to deny themselves and follow God in obedience and love (Luke 9:23).
But Lent doesn’t end in sorrow. Christians look forward to celebrating Jesus's rising from the dead, showing us the promise of eternal, immortal life in him.
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4. Fasting During Lent Leads to Spiritual Renewal and Humility
The Bible shows the discipline of fasting throughout the Old and New Testament as a spiritual discipline to show sorrow, repentance, or the believer’s complete reliance upon God over all things. Fasting tangibly reveals what Christ said to Satan in the wilderness: “Man doesn’t live by bread alone but by the Word of God.” During Lent, as believers voluntarily give up food or other comforts, they imitate Jesus’ wilderness fast.
Beyond those 40 days, Jesus also fasted before beginning his ministry (Matthew 4:2). In the Old Testament, Moses fasted 40 days while receiving the commandments of God. The prophet Daniel didn’t eat any food while seeking wisdom and understanding from God (Daniel 9:3). In Acts, the early church fasted while crying out to God for guidance on an issue (Acts 13:2-3). Saints in the Bible and Jesus himself reveal how fasting draws us closer to God and helps us hear his voice better.
The Bible calls believers to humble themselves to get more grace from God. God resists the proud and gives more help to the humble. Fasting becomes a choice to humble the heart. It reveals how selfish and self-serving people can become. Yet through fasting, people learn God alone provides food and strength and all they need. During Lent, fasting becomes a way to “take up your cross” and join with Christ’s sacrifice as individuals prepare for Easter.
5. Prayer Deepens Our Connection with God During Lent
Since fasting always seeks God’s heart in some way, it always partners with prayer. After his resurrection, Jesus stands in heaven as the great and only High Priest, interceding before the Father on behalf of believers. In prayer, those in Christ also stand before the throne and have access to God to intercede for themselves and others. During Lent, Christians dedicate more time to prayer—confessing their sins, thanking God for his sacrifice, and recommitting their hearts to the Father.
Jesus prayed throughout his ministry, often going away to a quiet place to pray (Luke 5:16). On the night Judas betrayed him to the religious leaders, Jesus prayed intensely in the Garden of Gethsemane, struggling but ultimately surrendering to the Father’s will (Luke 22:42). Jesus’ prayer life was so effective and pervasive, his disciples pleaded with him to teach them to pray.
Praying during Lent follows Jesus’ example and the example of many in the Scripture. This prayer isn’t to impress anyone, however. With Jesus in mind, Christians should follow his teachings. “When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen” (Matthew 6:6). While believers pray in community and alone, seeking to be seen and noticed in prayer goes against worshipping an unseen God. With more time due to fasting, people grow more in prayer and faith.
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6. Generosity Reflects God’s Love during Lent
Deeds of generosity mark the third main spiritual discipline over Lent. Acts of charity give the world a taste of God’s abundant love for all people, showing how God seeks peace in every area of life, the emotional, physical, and spiritual shalom of Christ expressed in tangible ways. Jesus taught how the love of God must include love for others, especially the poor and the suffering. Through Lent, Christians set aside time for prayer and acts of charity to serve those in need, living out the Good News of Jesus.
Jesus consistently lived and taught caring for others. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and invited the outcast into his family. In one of his parables, he declared how serving those in need literally serves him. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35-40) This generosity isn’t only about money or material wealth. It includes acts of kindness, forgiveness, and encouragement, all seen from Isaiah 58:6-7, where God calls his people to free the oppressed, share food with the hungry, and provide shelter for those suffering homelessness. True fasting, according to Scripture, can be seen through caring for others.
Lent gives an opportunity for believers to practice this principle by giving to the poor, visiting the lonely, and supporting those in crisis. Christians can do this individually or with others in a faith community, preaching the Gospel through action.
7. Lent Leads to the Joy of Holy Week and the Resurrection
Lent culminates with Holy Week. Throughout the forty days leading to Easter, churches observing Lent will have services and community events leading up to Holy Week. These help people reflect on Jesus’s sacrifice and salvation for all who choose to believe. Fellowships might also provide devotionals or books to help their members participate at home or with families. The final stretch of Lent draws Christians into the Gospel story.
For many liturgical churches, Holy Week is the main event in the Christian calendar. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when Jerusalem welcomed Jesus with palm branches (Matthew 21:9), although their praise turned to rejection by the end of the week. Next is Maundy Thursday, when Jesus shared the Last Supper with the disciples (John 13:34). On Good Friday, Christians remember the crucifixion (John 19:30).
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Crowds welcomed Him with palm branches, shouting, “Hosanna!” (Matthew 21:9). Yet, their praise quickly turned to rejection. The week continues with Maundy Thursday, when Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples, instituting the Lord’s Supper and giving the command to love one another (John 13:34). Holy Saturday has believers enter the silence of the tomb with waiting and expectation. Then, finally, Easter Sunday brings congregations the joy of the resurrection and victory over death.
Lent is a beautiful time, but it has a goal, a point—the finished work of Christ on the cross and his resurrection.
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Originally published Wednesday, 12 February 2025.