16 Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ~ Matthew 6:16-18
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 6 where the Lord Jesus contrasted His teaching with that of the religious leaders of Israel. Although God gave the people of Israel His culture through the Law of Moses while they were in the wilderness, due to their sinfulness they distorted it over time. In the previous verse, the Lord Jesus highlighted the importance of forgiving others. Next, He turned His hearers attention to another issue, fasting.
In v.16 of today’s passage we read, "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."
Several months before these events the Lord Jesus was led into the wilderness where He fasted for forty days. The word "fast" signifies abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. In particular, according to the Law of Moses, the people were to fast by denying themselves food on the Day of Atonement. The goal of the fast was to make the people more sensitive to God and their need for Him. Later, there were several national days set aside as fasts based on events that took place in Israel’s history. In time, the fasts became a part of their religious ritual system. The problem arose when the people went through the religious motions without having their hearts involved in the process.
The Lord Jesus continued with, "do not be like the hypocrites." Here, He combined two words, "sullen" and "face." The Lord Jesus equated sullen-faced with hypocrisy because when one fasts no one else was to know about it, at least no other human. The religious do religious things like fasting as a show thinking they garner favor with God and man. This may work with man but it never works with God because He knows us better than we know ourselves. Disingenuousness is never a good disposition to give safe haven in our souls for God knows when our hearts are sincere or not. Sincerity goes hand in hand with the truth, upon such is trust formed.
The religious mark themselves as such when they get what they want which is attention from men. With this as their motive there was no point in actually fasting at all. Not only do such people lose out on any rewards for their fasting before God, they also are not intelligent enough to know that they are also losing out on a day of nice meals for no reason other than presenting a show before others. Thus, their actions demonstrated that they didn’t believe that the Lord actually was capable of knowing the intent of their hearts. The Scripture tells us "without faith, it is impossible to please God." Because of their lack of faith, their only reward came from showy appearances before others. What a sad and inauthentic existence.
In v.17-18 of today’s passage we read, "17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
That day while the Lord Jesus spoke on the side of the mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee, it must be emphasized that He spoke to Jews, to people who lived under the Law of Moses. These folks had come to base their rightness before God on their ability to measure up to the law. Through the Sermon on the Mount the Lord Jesus taught the Law of Moses. As He did, He showed how the religious leaders had veered from it. The Jewish religious leaders had re-interpreted the Law of Moses, thinking they could actually keep it. But here the Lord Jesus taught that the law was and is impossible to keeper our average human. In fact, the Apostle Paul revealed in Galatians 3 that the Law of Moses held us captive and it aided in ushering us into the saving arms of the Lord Jesus. That is if we turn to Him. Those who believe they are fulfilling the Law need no Savior. Whoever attempts to achieve righteousness by keeping the Law, they will be sadly disappointed because it is simply impossible to do for fallen man. And if we try, the result of failing will be beyond payment.
The word "anoint" used in v.17 of today's passage provides a picture that the Lord Jesus' audience understood immediately. The practice of anointing with oil illustrated comfort, the imparting of strength and healing. All of this was synonymous with blessedness from God and joy. That is to say that in God’s culture fasting should outwardly display a sense of blessedness and joy because God grants the sincere soul His joy and His blessing. The point of fasting was and is for denying oneself food in order to be more attentive to God. And, to have others know that we are fasting defeats the purpose of fasting. When we make it known to others that we are fasting, it becomes a self-centered "look at me" type of thing. When done God's way, the natural joy given by Him would then hide the fact that one is fasting, even though life may be brutal at the moment. This is important because God knows the intent of our heart. And so, when we fast, we should keep it between us and Him.
The goal of fasting therefore is intimacy with God. This intimacy enables us to be more sensitive to Him and His ways. This intimacy enables us to recognize the false from the real. In the context of real pain we can know the real joy of God. This is the life the authentic follower of God is being led into and once we have experienced it we keep going back for more. This is the eternal life the Lord Jesus came to deliver to us. And, this life isn't something we will know when we die. No, this life begins once we believe in the Son as our Savior. As a result of learning to tap into this life through our growing intimacy with God, we will begin to understand life as it is and how it should be live. Eternal life is a person and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ. Through our daily interactions with Him through His Word and prayer, we will enjoy a personal relationship with Him and out of that relationship life will increasingly make sense.
