Matthew records:
“And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.” (Matthew 4:2)
Luke also tells us:
“Being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” (Luke 4:2)
Mark writes more briefly:
“And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.” (Mark 1:13)
Jesus’ fasting prepared Him for the work the Father had sent Him to do. Forty days recalls the great periods of testing and preparation in Israel’s history: Moses fasting forty days on Mount Sinai when receiving the Law (Exodus 34:28), and Israel’s forty years in the wilderness. Where Israel failed, Jesus remained faithful. His fasting showed His complete dependence on the Father, setting aside the natural need for food to be sustained fully by God’s Word.
John does not record the fasting, but his Gospel reveals the purpose behind Jesus’ mission:
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)
By fasting, Jesus demons/”>demonstrated that His life and ministry were rooted not in human strength but in obedience to God. He entered His public ministry having conquered the flesh and stood victorious over the devil’s schemes, showing that His mission would be carried out in perfect faithfulness to the Father.
