Matthew 6:16 teaches that when you fast, you should not make a show of it. Jesus warns against the hypocrites who deliberately look miserable and neglect their appearance so that others will admire their piety, and he says they have already received all the recognition they are going to get. The words come from Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount, spoken to the crowds and his disciples gathered on a hillside in Galilee.
“Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
Matthew 6:16 (WEB)
What Matthew 6:16 Means
Jesus begins with “when you fast,” which assumes fasting is a normal part of the life of faith. He is not telling his listeners to stop fasting. He is speaking about the posture of the heart while they do it. The word “hypocrites” here refers to people who wear a mask, acting one way in public to be seen while their private motives point somewhere else.
The phrase “with sad faces” describes the performance itself. The hypocrites “disfigure their faces,” meaning they neglect washing, grooming, or otherwise let their appearance show that they are suffering, so that people will notice and think well of them. Jesus then says they “have received their reward.” In the context of his teaching, that reward is the approval of others, and that is the whole payment they will get. The verse does not promise that fasting is worthless, nor does it promise that God will ignore a sincere fast that others happen to see. It speaks to the motive that seeks human applause instead of God.
The Context of Matthew 6:16
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a community that included many Jewish believers, and it presents Jesus as the teacher who fulfills and deepens the law. Chapters 5 through 7 form the Sermon on the Mount, a sustained address on true righteousness. Jesus has already warned about practicing righteousness “to be seen by men” in giving to the needy, which is the first of three examples. Fasting, prayer, and giving are the three traditional practices of Jewish piety, and Jesus takes each one and asks whom it is really for.
The verses just before and after frame the teaching well. Verses 14 and 15 speak of forgiveness flowing from the Father, and verses 17 and 18 give the positive counterpart: when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting is hidden, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Verse 19 then turns to treasures stored on earth. Read this way, verse 16 is a warning against seeking a reward from people, and it leads toward the Father who rewards in secret.
Key Phrases in Matthew 6:16
Matthew 6:18
So that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
(WEB)
Verse 18 finishes Jesus’ teaching on fasting by stating the hidden reward plainly. It shows that the contrast in verse 16 is not between fasting and not fasting, but between seeking the Father’s approval and seeking the crowd’s. Reading the two verses together helps you see the positive goal behind the warning.
Isaiah 58:3
‘Why have we fasted,’ say they, ‘and you don’t see? Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don’t notice?’ “Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and oppress all your laborers.
(WEB)
In this passage the people complain that God does not notice their fasting, and the prophet answers that their fasts are marked by self-interest and quarrels. The Old Testament prophets raised the same concern that Jesus later addresses, that outward religious practice can be emptied of genuine devotion.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 6:16
Father, you see what is done in secret, and you know the motives behind every act of devotion I bring to you. Search my heart when I fast, pray, or give, and remove any desire to be admired by others. Let my practice flow from love for you and care for the people around me. When no one notices my faithfulness, help me rest in your attention, and when I am tempted to seek the crowd’s praise, turn my eyes back to you. Amen.
