Jesus fasted forty days and nights

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Just before beginning his public ministry, Jesus went out into the desert. There, he fasted for 40 days and nights.

 

 

BIBLE VERSES

 

Matthew 4:1. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 4:2. When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.

 

DISCUSSION

 

Before beginning his public ministry, Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights.

Some Christians say it would have been impossible for Christ to have gone 40 days and nights without food or drink.

However, they should not scoff at the notion of Jesus fasting for 40 days. There are many people in our day who have fasted for 40 days or even longer. With medical supervision, it is entirely possible.

 

Christ’s fasting for 40 days evokes the 40 days that Moses fasted on Mt. Sinai:

Exodus 34:28. He [Moses] was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

 

Christ’s fasting for 40 days also evokes the 40 days that Elijah walked without eating:

1 Kings 19:8. He [Elijah] arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, God’s Mountain.

 

CAUTION

Fasting is only for those who are medically capable. Check with your health care provider. Experts say you need to be under the supervision of a doctor during the time of a fast.

 

SEE ALSO

Bible Verses about Fasting. To fast is to abstain from eating. And possibly drinking. Or to follow a restricted diet. It is a wonderful companion during special times in our lives.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.