Rethinking Fasting

Can we build or engage a deeper inner spiritual life and connection to God through fasting? It’s easy to wonder if skipping meals matters to God. To get to the heart of the matter, we need to turn to the scriptures. Specifically to the unique message the Apostle Paul received for the church. A message Paul called "the revelation of the mystery."

But wait! Didn't Jesus fast? Are we not followers of Jesus?

This leads to a natural question: Didn't Jesus fast? And as His followers, shouldn't we do the same? His forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2) certainly stand out. While it’s tempting to see His fast as a model for us, it’s vital to see it in its proper context. Jesus’s fasting wasn’t about setting a dietary rule for the future church. Instead, it was deeply connected to His unique mission under the Law (Galatians 4:4; Matthew 3:15) for several key reasons:

To Face Down Temptation

The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness specifically "to be tempted of the devil" for forty days and nights (Matthew 4:1-2). This was no random ordeal. It was a direct parallel to Israel's forty years of testing in the wilderness. Where Israel failed, Jesus, the faithful Son, triumphed. He was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). By emerging victorious from this grueling 40-day trial, He proved His identity as the Son of God. When the tempter challenged Him to turn stones into bread, Jesus’s response from Deuteronomy 8:3 showed that He had passed this crucial test.

To Demonstrate True Dependence

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). With these words from Deuteronomy, Jesus revealed the source of His strength. His total reliance was on God's truth, not physical food. This was the very lesson God taught Israel in the wilderness, feeding them with manna to show that life comes from His word, not just from bread. Though physically starved, Jesus was "full of God" (Luke 4:1), His spirit nourished by the living Word.

As an Act of Humility

Fasting was also an incredible act of humility. Think about it: the God of the universe, who could create any food He desired, chose to feel the pangs of human hunger (Philippians 2:8). By willingly experiencing human weakness and need, He showed perfect obedience to the Father and identified completely with our struggle, yet without ever sinning. After His victory, we see a beautiful picture of His humanity as angels came and ministered to His exhausted body (Matthew 4:11).

Contextual Similarity to Other Biblical Figures

It's telling that Jesus's 40-day fast places Him in very specific company. Only two other figures in Israel’s history are recorded as doing the same: Moses, who fasted twice on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28), and Elijah, who journeyed for 40 days on divine strength alone (1 Kings 19:8). It’s no coincidence that these are the two men who appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-3). Their shared experience highlights their unique roles within the framework of the Law. Therefore, Christ's fast was a necessary part of His mission to fulfill the Law and prove Himself as the Messiah. It was a critical step in His work on earth, not a template for how believers should eat under the new covenant of grace where Christ has already done everything for us.

Religious Food Rules Are of the Past

In ancient Israel, fasting was a deeply significant spiritual practice. The Law of Moses actually commanded only one fast. On the annual Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the people were to "afflict your souls" (Leviticus 23:27), a phrase universally understood to mean abstaining from food and drink. This national act symbolized their humility and repentance before a holy God. But fasting wasn't limited to that single day. Israelites also chose to fast voluntarily in many other situations. It was a common response to deep mourning, as when King David fasted and prayed desperately for his sick child (2 Samuel 12:16). Fasting also showed profound repentance like when the entire city of Nineveh fasted when they heard Jonah's warning (Jonah 3:5). Likewise, it was a way to plead for divine help, seen when Queen Esther called for a fast before she risked her life to save her people (Esther 4:16). Ultimately, fasting was the outward sign of an inward heart condition. By setting aside physical needs, a person could demonstrate true earnestness, sincerity, and total dependence on God.

Under the dispensation of grace, our current day, Paul makes it clear that imposing food rules is a major misstep. He identifies such teachings as a dangerous departure from the faith. An effort to drag believers back into the bondage of the Law from which Christ freed us. Paul could speak with such authority because he received his instructions directly from the risen Lord Jesus Christ, a new revelation known as "the mystery."

This revelation completely reframes our relationship with food. The old list of rules is gone, replaced by a beautiful, simple principle: every creature of God is good and is to be received with thanksgiving.

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4-5

With this truth from our apostle, we shift our focus from outward rules about what to avoid to an inward posture of thankfulness. The question is no longer what to refuse, but how to thankfully receive all of God’s good gifts.

True Sustenance is Spiritual, Not Physical

By freeing us from old food laws, Paul redirects our attention to what truly sustains us. Jesus Himself modeled this principle perfectly. Starving after 40 days, He was tempted to create bread from stones. His reply showed what gives real life.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4

In that moment, Jesus established a clear hierarchy. Physical bread can only sustain our temporary bodies. God’s Word, however, is what nourishes our true, eternal life. Being fed by His truth is infinitely more important.

The Real Meal is Our Union in Christ

So if our focus isn't on dietary rules, where should it be? The Apostle Paul points us toward the real meal set before the church: the communion table. Sharing a meal with fellow believers in the body of Christ isn't about a dietary law. It is a powerful symbol of our "communion" (our common union) in the body and blood of Christ. This was a revolutionary concept. Under Israel's program, eating with Gentiles as equals was forbidden. Now, in Christ, we are all one.

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
1 Corinthians 10:16-17

We are no longer separated by what we eat. Instead, we are united by who we are in Christ. Partaking of "that one bread" is the act that declares this profound spiritual reality. Our focus isn't on what we avoid eating, but on our shared identity in Him.

A Final Thought to Ponder

The revelation of the mystery changes everything. It moves us away from the Law’s food rules and toward grace-filled thanksgiving. It lifts our eyes from physical bread to the spiritual Word. It calls us out of dietary separation and into our spiritual union in the one body of Christ. This is the great shift from outward works to inward faith in the finished work of Jesus. Our spiritual condition is already promised and provided in the finished work of Christ on the cross. We don't gain any spiritual benefits from fasting. We don't gain extra access to God through fasting. We already have Christ. Being in the body of Christ means we have all spiritual blessings through Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Fasting may be beneficial for the body, for health reasons, but not for spiritual reasons.

So, instead of asking, "What physical thing must I give up for God?" a better question for us today might be, "What spiritual reality has Christ already given me to enjoy with a thankful heart?"