It’s the first day of the Lenten season. Christians all over the world are giving up their vices for a period of about 6 weeks, as we prepare for Easter, the highest of our holidays. The entire faith is built on the idea of the resurrection, so it makes sense for us to consecrate ourselves for this time period… but I can’t help but wondering if we are doing it wrong.
I grew up in a house where my mom always fasted for Lent. Her fasts often consisted of giving up alcohol or chocolate, and earlier in my adult life, I would give up those things, too. But at this big old age, and in this current timeline, I am not inclined to give up either of those things. I wish I could say that I’ve matured in my Christian walk, but the truth is I am going to need all of my vices, including both chocolate and alcohol, just to get through the week.
That’s not to say that I’m not doing other things in preparation for the holiday. I’m devoted to spending less time on my phone. I’m not going to eat meat on Fridays, and I’m purposely spending more time in prayer, and I’m excited to see what behavioral changes result after my 40 days of mindfulness. And even in that, I’m positive that I’m doing it wrong.
The most commonly cited textual basis for fasting during Lent comes from Matthew 4: 1-11. But I’m stuck in the first two verses.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. (NKJV)
Now I have about 10 questions just based on these two verses, but since I know we are all suffering from shortened attention spans, I’ll ask just the ones from the first verse this week, and maybe get to verse two later this month.
- Are our fasts really spirit led or are we just fasting because that’s what we’ve always done? It’s what our parents did, and it’s what we are teaching our kids to do. Our pastors have gotten savvy and called for corporate fasts during Lent. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good corporate fast. It’s good to have accountability partners (or people to commiserate with, whichever you prefer.) But based on this text, Jesus fasted alone. He hadn’t even met Peter, James, and John yet, which leads me to my second question, which really is a bunch of questions just written in paragraph form.
- What are the benefits of a corporate fast versus a personal fast? Are there different goals and if so, do group goals supersede the individual goals? Speaking of goals…
- Why would the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by devil? What was the end goal there? Couldn’t Jesus just as easily be tempted in the city as he was when he was away from everybody else? In my experience, other people are a gateway to temptation. Somebody is always offering me something I don’t need. And far too often, I play the role of the temptress. Don’t judge me. You probably do, too.
And I haven’t even gotten to the fasting part yet. But here are just a couple of things to consider as you are sanctifying yourself for the next month and a half. Consider reading Isaiah 58:-5-8. It talks about the fast the Lord would prefer over our public displays of piety. It talks about things like seeking justice and feeding the hungry.
Might I also suggest looking taking a look at Matthew 6:16-18. If you have a good Bible, the words are in red, which means the Lord, himself is speaking. In a nutshell, he says spend a lot less time looking like you’re fasting, and a lot more time actually doing the work. My favorite part is when he tells us not to walk out looking dirty or ashy (Matthew 6:17). The Lord said it’s Ash Wednesday. Not Ashy Wednesday.
So get your anointing oil and some lotion. There is work to be done in the world. Let us prepare accordingly.
The Gospel According to Gabrielle 