March 5 is Ash Wednesday this year, and you may see some people with ashes in the shape of a cross on their foreheads. This day and its practice kick off a season called “Lent,” during which many people will abstain from meat on Fridays, as well as something routine or habitual during their day, such as coffee, alcohol, dessert, television, social media, etc. Why do some observe Lent, and should we incorporate these practices?
I grew up Catholic and observing Ash Wednesday and Lent. I remember trying loopholes to see if maybe I could give up chores for my “sacrificial” abstaining. But I recognized that this was counter to Lent’s purpose, that in giving up something I regularly desired and enjoyed, my self-denial would prompt me to remember God and turn that craving toward Him. It is preparatory in nature, leading up to Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, and the victory that we have in Jesus over not only death but sin as well.
Why don’t we follow the Lenten tradition in our church? Should we not seek, as Jesus said: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24)? When Jonah preached to Nineveh, the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes (Jonah 3:6). Shouldn’t we also grieve our sin, as represented by the ashes?
Should we not seek, as Jesus said: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24)? When Jonah preached to Nineveh, the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes (Jonah 3:6). Shouldn’t we also grieve our sin, as represented by the ashes?
Repenting of sin and practicing self-denial should, in fact, be regular habits built into our lives. Of course, that’s no reason to reject Lent. There is certainly some benefit to being reminded and prompted to practice biblical habits. Communion itself is a prompt to remember Jesus’ death, yet we are to be continually living in light of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
One struggle with the practice of Lent is the mindset. Lent is meant to encourage penance, which goes beyond repentance. Repentance is well described in 2 Corinthians 7:10: For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. When we are repentant of sin, it involves a change of mind about our sin: we are moved to sorrow, a sadness that recognizes the weight and filth of sin, and we draw near to God. Penance, on the other hand, cultivates that worldly sorrow/grief mentioned in 2 Corinthians 7:10. It wallows in the sorrow, and therefore denies self as a consequence.
The self-denial Jesus encourages is not to punish ourselves for our sins. Instead, here are 3 applications that we can make:
1. Putting Jesus above everything else
We don’t follow Jesus because it’s glamorous. There are great costs involved: some subtle, and some blatant. If following Jesus has been relatively “cheap” to you, know that salvation is, of course, a free gift – not to be earned, and not to be paid off! On the other hand, we are called to be His disciples and make Him our Lord. I am no longer seeking my will, but surrendering my will so that God’s will may be done in and through me.
2. Forsaking sin
In the same line of thought, Jesus bought me with His life so that I may “consider [myself] dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). To follow Jesus means to “put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (Colossians 3:5).
3. Temporary fasting
The Bible does not prescribe when to fast, but it does refer to “when you fast” (Matthew 6:16-18). Fasting most typically involves abstaining from food, but can vary in what types, what lengths of time, or even in other means of enjoyment. The purpose of fasting is linked with the verses which immediately follow: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21). Fasting reminds us that knowing and following Jesus are of far greater value than any earthly desire or even need!
So, is it wrong to observe Lent?
Lent is an extrabiblical tradition, so we can draw from biblical principles, but some may come to different convictions than others, while both seek to honor God. If one can observe Lent with the proper mindset, not seeking grace from God for his practice and not following the asceticism rebuked in Colossians 2:23, then let him do so. Romans 14:6 can guide each of us in our personal decision: The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Whether you observe Lent or not, be careful not to merely go through the motions of a walk with God, but to actively deny yourself and submit to God’s will, finding the joy of drawing near to Jesus and treasuring Him above all else!