Alva Review-Courier -

For the last couple of months, I have been pretty faithfully sticking to my low-carb diet. So far, the occasional chip or French fry (just one to quell the craving) has been the only obvious excursion from the plan. Since I’m not a man given to sweating the tiny details, I’m sure that I’ve fallen victim to the dreaded “hidden carbs” they talk about in the magazines, but all in all I’m happy with my performance and will soon have to buy a new belt (yay me). Unfortunately, as a result of this journey of self-denial, I have gained zero new insights and my spiritual strength level remains guardedly about the same.

Yesterday, in “Jesus and the New Testament” we began our discussion of the Sermon on the Mount. I was reminded that this epic, life-altering presentation came soon after the famous 40-day fast in the dessert. Not only did the Messiah emerge from his Spirit-imposed exile with a victory over Satan’s temptations, He returned to the masses with a strength you just can’t get from “normal” life. And while Jesus doesn’t spend a lot of time bragging about His inner power and self-control, there are at least two interesting passages that demonstrate the difference between the Lamb of God and the rest of us sheep.

First, as with many Jews of that era, fasting seems to have been a normal religious pursuit. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses the phrase, “when you fast, don’t be like the Pharisees.” It seems that his disciples counted fasting as a “when” and not an “if.” However, they do not seem to have been practicing such self-denial during their time with the Savior (see Mark 2, et al). This lack of spiritual preparation caught up with the disciples more than once, but most glaringly in the case of the epileptic demon (see Mark 9:14 and following). When His disciples could not cure the young man of his ailment, Jesus was disheartened by the lack of faith, but proceeded to cast out the evil spirit. When asked by his disciples why they could not complete the task, Jesus replied, “This kind only goes out by prayer and fasting.”

Disclaimer: always check with a doctor before beginning any sort of drastic dietary change – however, prayer requires no such appointment. See you Sunday