Verses:
16"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” - Matthew 6:16-18
Jesus, instructing his disciples and a crowd on the side of a mountain, assumes the presence of fasting in their lives as he says, “And when you fast” (v.16). His first instruction prohibits his followers from putting on an outward show to gain recognition. He condemns piety that attempts to earn righteousness. He condemns the self-reliant spirituality. The reward for this spirituality is immediate and fleeting; gained and lost in the recognition of others (v.16).
Jesus never criticizes the “wrong way” without offering a better one. In regards to fasting Jesus specifically lays out his demands for his followers: “anoint your head and wash your face” (v.17). One aspect of the word used for this sort of “anointing and washing” conveys the idea of normal every day grooming. There is an ordinary, everyday element to our spirituality and we must be content with the rhythm of it. However there is also a ceremonial dimension to this word for “anointing” as it resembles the idea contained in Psalm 23:5 “you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.” This speaks to the lavishness of God’s blessing and the celebration that God’s presence brings to our lives. There should be an element of joy in our piety, if someone notes something about our private piety it should be our contagious joy and not the misery of our sacrifices. “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you”; this is indicative of a life that is responding to an already established relationship with God rather than seeking to create a relationship from one’s own resources. A God-centered private piety reveals a reliance on the God who justifies rather than on one’s own effort for righteousness.
- by Caleb Widmer
