Jesus Fasting Matthew 4:2

Matthew shared how John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan river and telling them about the one who was coming. He then wrote, “Then came Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of you, and do you come to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil”, and in chapter four and verse two of his book, Matthew shares about how Jesus “fasted forty days and forty nights” where we read:

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry.

The verse reads, “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, ...” Matthew began with the words, “and when” which means “and at the time and moment” “he had fasted” or “Jesus abstained as a religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but a single day, or from customary and choice nourishment if it continued several days” “forty days” which means “forty intervals between sunrise and sunset as distinguished from and contrasted with the night” “and forty nights” which refers to “forty times when work ceases and the weary give themselves up to slumber”. Matthew shared how Jesus refrained from nourishment for “forty days and nights”.

The verse goes on to say, “... he was afterward hungry.” Matthew continued with the words, “he was afterward” which means “Jesus was later and after his fasting” “hungry” or “craved ardently, suffered want, was needy and sought with eager desire”. Matthew shared how after Jesus “fasted” He was “hungry” for nourishment.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we recognize both the spiritual and physical aspects of Jesus' life. He was spiritual when He “fasted”, and His “hunger” revealed His humanity. During “fasting”, the body begins to reach for survival after “forty days and nights” of lack of food, and if a person does not eat at that point, the body begins to die. It was at this point that “Satan” came to “tempt” Jesus, and he did so that Jesus would identify with every person because He desired to “save” them. God wants a relationship through His Son Jesus with everyone, and He allowed Jesus to have both “spiritual” and “physical” identification with mankind so He could demonstrate how He is a compassionate “Savior and Lord”.

Next time Matthew shares how Jesus, “was tempted to turn stones into bread” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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