Medical Factors in the Temptation of Jesus.

[Jack Terrence]

Someone suggested in a Facebook post that Jesus could have hallucinated his temptations because he had been without food for forty days. He cited medical evidence that hallucinations may begin around two weeks without eating.

I believe that there is no biblical grounds for the idea that Jesus hallucinated. But what about medically speaking?

 

[Bobinator]

Someone suggested in a Facebook post that Jesus could have hallucinated his temptations because he had been without food for forty days. He cited medical evidence that hallucinations may begin around two weeks without eating.

I believe that there is no biblical grounds for the idea that Jesus hallucinated. But what about medically speaking?

I theorize that the originator of that facebook post is suffering from rebellion-induced hallucinations resulting in total ignorance.

 

[Jack Terrence]

I theorize that the originator of that facebook post is suffering from rebellion-induced hallucinations resulting in total ignorance.

I was hoping that someone would address the possible medical condition Jesus could have suffered as a result of being starved for forty days.

 

[Jack Terrence]

delete duplicate

 

[Hieronymus]

The thought has crossed my mind too, the relevance of the effects of starvation on the experience of the meeting between Jesus and the serpent.
But the meeting was a test, where the accuser didn't find any flaw in Jesus, the Man without sin.
Temptation fail, even when starving.

 

[MWood]

You may need to ask that person to read the Bible and see all the miracles that God did. The first chapter if Genesis is nothing but a chapter of miracles. The Holy Spirit was with Jesus for His forty day fast. All things are possible with the Holy Spirit in command.

 

[Hillsage]

Someone suggested in a Facebook post that Jesus could have hallucinated his temptations because he had been without food for forty days. He cited medical evidence that hallucinations may begin around two weeks without eating.

I believe that there is no biblical grounds for the idea that Jesus hallucinated. But what about medically speaking?

Medically speaking, do you think that an unsaved medical researcher is going to attribute a bona fide supernatural manifestation as something scientifically verified? Or is he more apt, as an unbeliever to 'diagnose' it as a hallucination? What determines the difference? He couldn't prove one way or the other could he?

I've only known two believers who did a 40 day fast. One was a medical pediatrician and his testimony was; "You know how you hear about there being a devil behind every bush? Well they're wrong....there's three." I don't think he meant the three to be literally true, but the point was his eyes were opened briefly to see into that realm. The other guy was a fellow student in chiropractic college that I was sitting next to in a lyceum. I felt sorry for him at first because I thought he was too broke to buy clothes that fit him. But as I talked to him, I discovered he was a believer coming up to the end of his 40 day fast. He didn't tell of anything visually supernatural though, even after we'd become friends from that chance meeting.

 

[timewerx]

I often skip meals but I never hallucinated from hunger.

I would however, hallucinate, often auditor from little sleep everytime without fail.

I would hear lots of voices, they were random, no particular message. Sometimes, unfamiliar but otherwise, pleasant music from the 80's. The auditory hallucinations all sound like they were coming from a radio transmission.

 

[Hillsage]

I often skip meals but I never hallucinated from hunger.

I would however, hallucinate, often auditor from little sleep everytime without fail.

I would hear lots of voices, they were random, no particular message. Sometimes, unfamiliar but otherwise, pleasant music from the 80's. The auditory hallucinations all sound like they were coming from a radio transmission.

Missing a meal or even several meals, isn't hunger. It's fleshly appetite. Many times people are caught up in what they're doing and miss a meal, they don't even think about eating until they look at their watch and say; "Oh my gosh, it's 1 PM I have to eat."...No, they don't! Most Americans have never experienced true hunger.

MAT 4:2 And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.

Your 'appetite' typically disappears after 3 days of water only fasting. True hunger is what happens much later..

 

[timewerx]

Missing a meal or even several meals, isn't hunger. It's fleshly appetite. Many times people are caught up in what they're doing and miss a meal, they don't even think about eating until they look at their watch and say; "Oh my gosh, it's 1 PM I have to eat."...No, they don't! Most Americans have never experienced true hunger.

MAT 4:2 And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.

Your 'appetite' typically disappears after 3 days of water only fasting. True hunger is what happens much later..

aahhh..... Never tried that.

I could avoid solid foods and survive entirely on tea for example.... But it has to have some sugar in it....

Problem when I don't take sugar after a few hours, I'll get severe migraines the type of migraines that cause partial blindness or even partial deafness or both.

So I have no idea if it's possible for me to do a real fasting.....Maybe, I'll just have that one big migraine on the first day of fasting and "smooth sailing" afterwards??

 

[Hillsage]

aahhh..... Never tried that.

I could avoid solid foods and survive entirely on tea for example.... But it has to have some sugar in it....

Problem when I don't take sugar after a few hours, I'll get severe migraines the type of migraines that cause partial blindness or even partial deafness or both.

So I have no idea if it's possible for me to do a real fasting.....Maybe, I'll just have that one big migraine on the first day of fasting and "smooth sailing" afterwards??

I know many who've had headaches from the withdrawal of caffeine since they were big coffee or cola drinkers. I've even had that happen just a couple of times in my life. Especially if I haven't fasted in a long time....like now. But if yours is sugar for sure, then you might ought to be checked, or at least read up on hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia/diabetes.

I've known a couple of people, who've felt 'called of God', to do extended fasting for 3 days and both were cured of their hypoglycemia. But any reading you do on hypoglycemia and fasting pretty much all says don't do it. I'm always of the persuasion that if it is truly Spirit led, it's right for you no matter what 'man' says.

 

[timewerx]

I know many who've had headaches from the withdrawal of caffeine since they were big coffee or cola drinkers. I've even had that happen just a couple of times in my life. Especially if I haven't fasted in a long time....like now. But if yours is sugar for sure, then you might ought to be checked, or at least read up on hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia/diabetes.

I've known a couple of people, who've felt 'called of God', to do extended fasting for 3 days and both were cured of their hypoglycemia. But any reading you do on hypoglycemia and fasting pretty much all says don't do it. I'm always of the persuasion that if it is truly Spirit led, it's right for you no matter what 'man' says.

First time I stopped drinking coffee, I had terrible headaches. Eventually, it subsided and after two weeks without drinking coffee, the headaches are completely gone.

I rarely drink coffee nowadays.

Actually, it's not entirely sugar that's to blame. I have high metabolism and we don't get the opportunity to eat lunch at work. And if we eat, it's terrible, that's why I often skip meals.

If I eat normally, 3 normal meals a day, normal beverage, then I won't be suffering from migraine headaches.

My blood tests, came out fine.

I might take your advice if I get the opportunity, thanks for those examples!

 

[Hillsage]

First time I stopped drinking coffee, I had terrible headaches. Eventually, it subsided and after two weeks without drinking coffee, the headaches are completely gone.

I rarely drink coffee nowadays.

Actually, it's not entirely sugar that's to blame. I have high metabolism and we don't get the opportunity to eat lunch at work. And if we eat, it's terrible, that's why I often skip meals.

If I eat normally, 3 normal meals a day, normal beverage, then I won't be suffering from migraine headaches.

My blood tests, came out fine.

I might take your advice if I get the opportunity, thanks for those examples!

If your blood test was a one time draw, that only alerts to diabetes or hyperglycemia. A 4 hour test is for hypoglycemia.

FYI, my followup advice is 'I am not the Holy Spirit' for what you do regarding what I said.

 

[timewerx]

If your blood test was a one time draw, that only alerts to diabetes or hyperglycemia. A 4 hour test is for hypoglycemia.

FYI, my followup advice is 'I am not the Holy Spirit' for what you do regarding what I said.

Yes, it's responsible advice!

I did some reading and it's hard to tell it from aura migraine and hypoglycemia. The triggers are the same. Only mine is most probably migraine because I definitely see an "aura" - zig zaggy lines and partial obscuring of vision.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

I am a medical doctor. Yes, 40 day fasts can cause hallucinations especially in the desert.
As we diminish the sodium intake as well as lose sodium via sweating, this will cause hyponatremia, a well known cause of neurologic symptoms and delirium.
Hypoglycaemia can cause delirium as the body switches to back-up stores and begins gluconeogenesis to make more. This leads to Ketosis as fats are broken down resulting in Acidosis which can cause delirium.
Dehydration can cause acute renal failure, which causes a build-up of urea resulting in Ureamic Encephalopathy and delirium.
Etc.

Bottom line, its a bad idea physiologically to fast for 40 days. Your whole body will go haywire.
That being said, Jesus in His temptations according to the scriptural account doesn't really follow the type of hallucinations we would expect and His responses are quite lucid. If He was that delirious out in the desert alone, He would have died as no one would be around to help Him. Also you are unlikely to remember much from such events if due to delirium.
So the temptations in Scripture as hallucinations can be safely discarded from a medical standpoint, at least in my opinion.

 

[Andrew Gilkerson]

Piggy backing off the Medical Doctor's response, in Luke 4:2 it says Jesus was hungry. My understanding is that when you fast, hunger pangs cease after the first few days, week. Can you explain how Jesus would have "hunger"? Or, is the word hunger interpreted to have a different meaning? Thx

 

[sdowney717]

My thinking is Christ was tempted by Satan, but never in true peril of death.
Christ did things no man can do nor ever will do. Christ could not have starved to death.

He was also able to walk on water and simply walk through crowds trying to attack and kill Him.
It was true when Satan told Him to try and injure or kill Himself deliberately or accidentally by jumping off the mountain that angels would immediately rescue Him, they would refuse to allow Him to be physically harmed at that time, prior to His time for the cross. So no He was not mentally impaired by not eating.

And ask yourself, what was the point of becoming physically weakened by not eating and then being tempted by Satan? Did this not prove He was entirely still His own self as before, meaning unaffected in mental capacity, no hallucinations?


John 4:30-34New King James Version (NKJV)
30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”

33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

 

[Hillsage]

Piggy backing off the Medical Doctor's response, in Luke 4:2 it says Jesus was hungry. My understanding is that when you fast, hunger pangs cease after the first few days, week. Can you explain how Jesus would have "hunger"? Or, is the word hunger interpreted to have a different meaning? Thx

Those aren't 'hunger pangs' that is simply programmed appetite. We aren't the least bit hungry, but look at our watch and say "Oh my gosh it's 12:30 I HAVE to eat." No you don't. And it is those appetite cravings which go away after 3 days as a general rule. I've fasted and experienced that multiple times, in the past. True 'hunger' is what sets in after the body has burned up the sugar reserves which are stored in the muscle, blood and finally liver. It is at that point that you go into gluconeogenesis, mentioned by the MD earlier. You also go into gluconeogenesis every time you exercise hard enough to be anerobic (breathing hard enough it's hard to talk without a breath after just a few words). You start breathing hard and the body isn't liberating glucose fast enough from the last glucose reserve (the liver) to meet your energy needs, so it also starts to break down fat along with the liver's glucose reserve. But in starvation when you've burned up all your available glucose from the liver and fat, the body then aggressively breaks down your protein tissues to continue to make energy. It is at that point that your body is digesting muscles and organs which lead to death. Most people, even thinner ones, have enough fat to go 40 days. That's why scripture says Jesus fasted 40 days and THEN he was hungry.

 

[Andrew Gilkerson]

Those aren't 'hunger pangs' that is simply programmed appetite. We aren't the least bit hungry, but look at our watch and say "Oh my gosh it's 12:30 I HAVE to eat." No you don't. And it is those appetite cravings which go away after 3 days as a general rule. I've fasted and experienced that multiple times, in the past. True 'hunger' is what sets in after the body has burned up the sugar reserves which are stored in the muscle, blood and finally liver. It is at that point that you go into gluconeogenesis, mentioned by the MD earlier. You also go into gluconeogenesis every time you exercise hard enough to be anerobic (breathing hard enough it's hard to talk without a breath after just a few words). You start breathing hard and the body isn't liberating glucose fast enough from the last glucose reserve (the liver) to meet your energy needs, so it also starts to break down fat along with the liver's glucose reserve. But in starvation when you've burned up all your available glucose from the liver and fat, the body then aggressively breaks down your protein tissues to continue to make energy. It is at that point that your body is digesting muscles and organs which lead to death. Most people, even thinner ones, have enough fat to go 40 days. That's why scripture says Jesus fasted 40 days and THEN he was hungry.

Wow, thanks for your response Hillsage. What I had read made it seem like your hunger went away when you fasted long-term, and you went into a weak sort of survival mode state. But, from your response (and first hand experience) it appears that the hunger intensifies as your body literally feeds off itself; which, appears to be the case at the end of the 40 day temptation of Jesus. Thanks again for clarifying.