JESUS FASTING AND TEMPTATION
Part -1
What is fasting?
Fasting is a powerful spiritual discipline. It is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God. It also enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.
It is voluntary and total abstinence from food for a specific amount of time for days, and it aims to devote oneself to prayer and seeking God.
What was the purpose of Jesus’s fasting?
There are several reasons why Jesus was fasting: Jesus’s flesh was at its weakest, yet he conquered temptation, He demonstrated His faith, and, finally, fasting was his spiritual tool to draw strength from his Father in Heaven so that he could prepare for his ministry by drawing closer to God.
Jesus knew he had hard work ahead of him, and he wanted to cling to God so that he could truly fulfill his father’s work. He also needed to understand the vastly weaker mind of humankind, a sinful and sometimes rebellious people who desperately needed their savior Messiah, the Christ.
When Jesus emerged victorious from the wilderness, he was in the right relationship with his heavenly father, ready and willing to do all that God required of him to do— including die on the cross for the sins of this world.
Learning about Jesus’s fast can teach us a lot about him, about the importance of time alone with God, and about what we can learn when we step away from physical comfort and embrace difficulty for a reason.
Why should we practice fasting?
We should fast to get our body into a weakened state so that we can focus on the basics of life and hear God’s voice better without so-called creature comforts that can both soothe and distract us.
THE FOUR MAJOR REASONS WHY JESUS FASTED
- Jesus’s flesh was at its weakest
This means that during this time, Jesus was indeed one of us—human.
He was able to experience the weakest of flesh through the act of fasting.
What does having the weakest of flesh mean?
It means that it is susceptible to temptations and that is why, during this time, Satan was able to tempt him.
We as humans, encounter the weakness of the flesh all the time because we are humans. Jesus is another case. Jesus was fully God and fully man. That is why He was not susceptible to temptation.
However, during this time of fasting, He was able to experience the weakness of the flesh and become one of us. We should be thankful to Him for all his sacrifices as His fasting was only one of his sacrifices as our Savior.
We are reminded of this in Romans 8:9
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
- He conquered temptation
Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into loaves of bread to feed his hunger. Second, Satan tempted Jesus to throw himself down so that the angels would come to help him, proving He was truly the Son of God. Lastly, Satan tempted Jesus that all world’s glory could be given to him if He worshipped Satan.
But Jesus was able to conquer all these temptations because he knew the scriptures very well. And he used the weapon of the living word.
First, He said, that man shall not live by bread alone. Second, He said not to put the Lord God to the test. Lastly, He said to Satan, “Worship the lord God, and serve him only.”
The scenario teaches us that Jesus’s fasting is a testament that He is powerful over temptation. This gives us hope in our own temptations. When we encounter temptation, we should remember Jesus and ask for his help to shun away Satan. “In Jesus’s name, I shall conquer temptation.”
- True nourishment comes from God
The fasting of Jesus is also a demonstration of His faith in His Father. This is exhibited when He constantly refers to God in rebutting the temptation of Satan.
He refers to Deuteronomy 8:3 in one of His rebuttals
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
We can learn a lot from how Jesus handled the situation. Jesus indeed set an example for his followers throughout the ages. We are reminded of this scripture “Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So, Paul warned them.” Acts 27:9
“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the Lord”
Leviticus 23: 27
- Fasting is a spiritual tool
Jesus fasted in order to prepare Himself for the ultimate Spiritual battle with Satan that Satan surely lost. This is because fasting is a spiritual tool that prepares us spiritually and draws us closer to God’s strength.
It is a way to acknowledge that our strengths are not our own but God’s. Thus, this is what Jesus also did while fasting. It is recognizing His Father’s commands and drawing strength from His Father. Isaiah 58: 6-14
Jesus also mentioned to his disciples if they wanted to be strong spiritually, they must pray and fast.
Fasting was indeed part of the entire plan of our Almighty to save us through Jesus Christ, His only begotten son. It was part of His preparation physically and spiritually. This fact makes us more drawn to Jesus and emphasizes how he loves us.
Thank you
