I want to talk to you all about Lent. How many of us really know what Lent is and why we observe or celebrate it? First off, let me be very blunt. There is no Scriptural reference or command to observe it. There are commands to pray and to fast all throughout Scripture, but a minimal time is never given. There is an expectation under Scripture that we have an active and daily prayer life and we have some routine fasting going on. Fasts are not limited to only food fasts, there can be other fasts, and I do plan on going into those in another post.
Now, let me be clear that there is nothing wrong with the observance of Lent, just like there is nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas with a decorated tree (real or fake) and exchanging presents. The secular, commercialized Christmas celebration has nothing to do with the celebration of the birth of Christ, but there is nothing wrong with celebrating it. Another example would be to say there is nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of our great nation, the Fourth of July. Setting off fireworks, big explosions, cooking outdoors and enjoying the company of friends and family, there is nothing wrong with that.
In those 2 examples though, there is no Scriptural precedence. We could not say, we are honoring our God in doing these things, by merely doing them. Now if we gather together in celebration of the birth of Christ on Christmas we are recognizing His work of incarnation. Or we are recognizing that all governments and nations have been ordained by God before the foundations of the world. When we celebrate these occasions in His honor, in His glory, it is about heart attitude. It starts on the inside, and works its way to the outside, something you could call worship. If your heart is not right, your worship will not be right either.
But let’s focus on Lent since it is that time of year. As I stated above, observation in and of itself is fine, but on the flipside it does nothing to the glory of the Lord. You may be wondering why I would say that.
Stay with me as we look at where the idea of Lent came from. But first, there are some serious questions that we need to ask ourselves and each other – because we are here to sharpen one another remember.
Questions:
- Why am I observing Lent?
- Will God reward or punish me for my observance?
- Will God or will I get the glory for my observance?
- Does the Bible really speak of Lent or of the individual components?
- What earthly activity am I giving up to spend more time with God?
- Am I really giving it up for God?
- Am I giving it up temporarily or permanently?
- Why restrict it just to 40 days once every year?
These are some serious questions that I pray will cause us to look deeper into ourselves, and with all seriousness, ask each other. We must be continually checking our own motives. It is truly amazing how different those motives seem when they are in our minds (secret) and then when they are spoken out loud. That is because the sin of pride can so easily manipulate its way into everything that we do and everything that we touch. That is why it is so important to be an active and participating member of a local physical body of Christ (a local church.) Your attendance AND participation is vital, for your own spiritual well being.
Looking into Scripture, we can glean 3 different instances where Moses, Elijah, and of course Jesus Christ fasted for a period of 40 days.
Exodus 34:28 “So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.”
1 Kings 19:8 “So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.”
Matthew 4:2 “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.”
Something that needs to be pointed out here is that in all three instances the time was 40 solid days removed from everything and even everyone. They were solely devoted to the LORD (that is the Father.) They weren’t merely not eating and not drinking, but they were not fellowshipping with humans, they were not reading books, they were not tending to any other duties. They gave up every pleasure, every responsibility, every physical need. I would venture to say that they did not even sleep. The LORD sustained them without food and water for that long, why could He not sustain them without sleep as well?
Something else to look at is that Lent is observed over a time span of 46 days, Sundays not included. Why is that? Why would we say that we are giving up TV for 40 of the 46 days but on Sundays we can watch it because those aren’t part of the Lent observation days? Then Lent wouldn’t necessarily be following the example of the Scripture passages listed above. Now I will admit that you could say, “I wouldn’t watch it on Sunday, I would continue to observe the same standards on Sunday as I do the other 6 days of the week.” But then I come back to the point, why stop there? Why not continue, and what are you doing with that extra time? Is God only worth 40 of 46 days a year for that extra little bit? This brings up another large issue – if Lent is Scripturally based then how can we just change how we practice it or observe it? If Scripture says 40 days, should we not stay with Scripture?
Please understand I am not trying to prevent anyone from observing Lent, but let’s look at a little more at the context of those three verses listed above. Something I have heard a number of times in my church when it comes to studying and reading Scripture is “context, context, context.” Without it the true meaning and intent of a passage is lost. Trying to understand the meaning and apply it to oneself only one verse at a time will only lead to disaster.
We will first look at Exodus 34:28, in a broader context, Moses is on Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb receiving the instructions and the Law. This is actually the second time Moses was on the mount for a 40 day stint, this is also when Moses was hidden in the cleft of a rock and caught a glimpse of the glory of the LORD as He passed by. But again in broad context Moses went without food and drink and possibly sleep because he was in the absolute presence of the LORD Almighty.
In 1 Kings 19:8, we find Elijah running for his very life. Fleeing from Jezebel who wanted him dead just like all the other prophets during his time. Elijah was fleeing, came to Beersheba, to a juniper tree and wished to die, but fell asleep. An angel came and woke him and told him to eat. So he awoke and ate and then slept again. Then the angel came again and told him to awake and eat, because the journey would be too difficult for him. So he awoke and ate and drank and he journeyed 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb also known as Mount Sinai or the LORD’s mountain. He did not eat and did not drink, but also did not do the other normal activities of his life. He was consumed with doing the LORD’s business. Once there Elijah, received instruction from the LORD.
The last verse we’ll look at is Matthew 4:2 and is probably that most familiar. We find Jesus being led into the wilderness by the Spirit sometime after being baptized. After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights when He is weak in the flesh, the Devil approaches to tempt Him. What did He do during that time? Knowing Christ from different Scripture passages, an easy answer would be that He prayed. Remember He was there from eternity past. He was there at the foundation of the world. God the Father and God the Son spoke to each other (if we can really say it that way, the Godhead really doesn’t have to speak, they are in unison, but we could get lost in that discussion.)
Jesus Christ prayed the night He was betrayed. He prayed so fervently and so long and so hard that he sweat drops of blood. He knew the old writings, what we now call the Old Testament like He knows the back of your hand. He was probably quoting them out loud and even used Scripture to defeat Satan’s temptations. What this is really teaching us here is that we should memorize Scripture and when we are tempted, we can defeat that temptation by recalling the very Scriptures that we hide in our hearts.
Lent is fine to celebrate. But just like only attending a church service on Christmas, Easter, weddings and funerals, it does not make a Christian life. You will not earn the favor of God, as His favor cannot be earned or purchased. You can do something extra in this time of year, but don’t forget the rest of the year. Read your Bible daily, have a prayer time, make sure you have a journal, engage with one another, outside of 5 minutes before the singing starts on a Sunday morning. Get together over coffee, lunch, dinner, something…anything. Here’s an idea for Lent, make it a point to have lunch with other Christians that you normally don’t converse with every day of Lent.
The biggest thing is to not stop doing these things once the season of Lent is over. Continue it on, perhaps not as extreme. If you love and honor God then continue it for Him. Encourage each other to keep it up to fight the good fight as the flesh will war against the spirit. The observation of Lent will not get you brownie points or a bigger reward in heaven, it is the obedience of His commands that will. Here are 2 commands that are often included as elements of the Lent observation and Jesus gives no mention of only doing them during Lent season.
Mathew 6:16, “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
Matthew 6:5, “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
To say that Lent is not Scriptural is true; to say you shouldn’t observe it…I wouldn’t go that far. Remember “context, context, context” and ask yourself those vital questions from above. Are you doing it because everyone else is doing it? Are you doing it for attention for yourself? Are you doing it for mere tradition or sentimental value? Are you doing it for a feeling of closeness to God? Or are you doing it to spend more time worshipping God?
Lent is a tradition of men and let us celebrate it as such. Do not let it be regarded any higher than the Word of God that we claim to cherish. If we cherish it, so then I exhort you to search the Scriptures to seek the truth that He speaks and to challenge each other and hold one another to that standard. That standard is the One who purchased us with His most precious blood.
I pray you will find this as an encouragement. And if you do observe Lent, you will see it for what it really is, a ceremony of man, but also as a new opportunity to focus on worshipping the God of the universe.
God Bless
Iron Striking Iron 