Fasting in the Wilderness

Fasting in the Wilderness

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred." 

- Matthew 4:1-2 KJV

Our studies into the Israel and the Appalachian Trail have been inciting me into doing more and more Biblical studies into the idea of pilgrimage and wilderness hiking. Immediately when thinking about the Bible, I thought of the reference cited above. This section of the scripture mentions the encounter Christ has with Satan in the desert as he is fasting and praying. The Devil tempts Jesus several times with things that Jesus already has the power to do but does not do for the sake of the Gospel. 

One of the things that Dr. Redick has discussed is the idea of long-distance hikes as being a form of fasting. In one of films watched, he is cited as arguing for this view, because of all of the things that the hikers give up to go on these encounters. In many ways, long-distance hiking is a form of fasting. Hikers give up baths, clothes, food, and connection to society to dig deeper into their personal souls. As Christ discovers in the wilderness that he has the complete power to go on through the fast, hikers experience a similar thing when they realize that they can overcome the pain and struggles of hiking alone. It is interesting to make connections like this between modern experiences and Biblical teachings. Another point that I considered was the idea that the wilderness, like the Devil, tempts us to leave it and quit. Honestly, sit back for a while, think about this connection, and you will begin to discover that long-distance hiking is often like Christ's wilderness fast.