Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry. Luke 4:1-2
“Early church father, St. Irenaeus (c. 130 – 202), in a letter to Pope St. Victor, mentioned a dispute about the number of days for the pre-Easter fast. Irenaeus noted that such “variation in observance did not originate in our own day, but very much earlier, in the time of our forefathers” (Eusebius, History of the Church, V, 24). Irenaeus himself was a third generation disciple after the Apostles, so his dating of lenten fasting back to the time of his “forefathers” establishes it as a practice from the very earliest days of the church. Irenaeus’ letter references the idea of a fast lasting 40 days before Easter, strongly suggesting the concept predated Irenaeus’ own time. Jesus fasting 40 days and 40 nights in the desert to prepare for his public ministry is thought to be the primary inspiration for such a timeframe.”
Christopher Hunt in “A Short Version of the Long History of Lent” in his blog post dated 1 February 2018.
In the days approaching Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season, I have chosen to explore the history of Lent, a season of focused prayer, fasting, and good works.
And as I make the Lenten journey this year, I do it with a keen focus on gratitude, which I believe is a driving force behind this journey of sacrifice that prepares us for lives of generous service.
In today’s post we see Irenaeus (a third generation disciple) say that it went back to his “forefathers.” That takes it to the time of Christ who, “led by the Spirit” (as today’s Scripture notes) fasted 40 days before His ministry began.
What was the dispute in the variation of observances? We don’t know. My theory is that Lent is actually 40 days plus 7 feast day Sundays, the seventh of which is Easter. So, based on the math, it’s a total of 47 days. That variation may have bothered some folks. Who knows?
The key is not to miss the point of Lent. It’s a short season to focus on prayer, fasting, and good works, so that our lives reflect Christian generosity during “ordinary time” (the early church word for the days between Easter and Christmastide).
As I reflect today, I pray this Lent causes you and me to live like the forefathers of Irenaeus, namely, the early church in the New Testament. Let’s live with the radical obedience and generosity rooted in surrender, humility, and sacrifice.
Today I fly from Denver to Washington DC. Trevor Lui, GTP COO, will join me from Hong Kong. The docket is full on Monday and Tuesday at ECFA with the production of a podcast episode, an audiobook, meetings, and more. Appreciate your prayers for us.