~Written by Stephen McClelland:
Why did Jesus fast?
Matthew 4:1-3 KJVS
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. [2] And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. [3] And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Why did Jesus fast 40 days and nights?
To show Himself to be greater than Moses and to usher in the new covenant of His blood.
Moses fasted 40 days and nights in service to God when he was given the ten commandments as a covenant to Israel.
Exodus 34:27-29,33 KJVS
And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. [28] And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. [29] And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. [33] And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.
Moses fasted, gave the covenant on stone, and put on the veil. Jesus fasted, gave the covenant through His blood, and the veil was torn.
Why was the first temptation about food?
As Moses fasted he was in the presence of God. Jesus on the other hand fasted and was in the presence of Satan. He was not supernaturally sustained like Moses, and it was to show Himself greater than Moses and to fulfill all righteousness so that He could be the sacrifice for our sins. He had to prove Himself by serving the Father through fasting, even unto death. In the weakest physical state He still overcame all temptation.
The first temptation was to use the power of God to serve His own needs, contrary to fasting and serving the Father before serving Himself. Moses fasted until the work was done. Jesus fasted until the temptation (the work) was done.
In the same way my last post showed fasting is not about you, your flesh, or your needs, I want to change how you think about the question of “how long do I fast?”
If you look at it as serving, then you don’t have to use arbitrary amounts of time. Fast and praise God until you feel a change in the Spirit. This is sometimes called “praying through ” or receiving your breakthrough.
If you’re fasting and serving others, you’re done when the need is met. It doesn’t have to be for a set amount of days or even a full day. It doesn’t have to be every time you serve: In the case of Moses and Jesus, they didn’t fast during every period of service otherwise they wouldn’t have eaten for the rest of their lives.
View it through the lens of relationship and remember that it’s symbolic. Fast until the work is done.
Stephen McClelland is a licensed minister and a church consultant . A graduate of Charis Bible College. He hosted a radio show in California called Encounter, where he retold amazing personal stories of people experiencing Jesus. He has served God as a preacher and pastor, with a strong emphasis on relationship with God and hearing His voice.