When Jesus instructed His disciples to “fast,” He did didn’t say, “If you fast.” He said, “When you fast” (Matthew 6:17a, NIV). Obviously, from Jesus’ perspective, fasting was a necessary component of the life of a disciple. The definition of fasting is relatively easy to deduct from the opening lines of Matthew’s description of the Temptation of Christ. He wrote, “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry” (Matthew 4:2, NIV). He voluntarily deprived Himself of food—and the result was he experienced hunger. The Greek word for “hungry” literally means to enter into starvation—the point at which all body fat has been utilized and the body begins to convert muscle tissue into energy for survival. At that point Jesus ended His fast.