Matthew 6:17 tells you to keep your fasting private, so that it is not put on display for others to admire. Jesus is not forbidding fasting or personal grooming here. He is correcting the motive behind a religious practice, asking that your devotion be directed to God rather than to the approval of people. He speaks these words during the Sermon on the Mount, addressing the crowds and his disciples.
But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face…
Matthew 6:17 (WEB)
What Matthew 6:17 Means
The verse opens with “But you,” which sets the disciples in contrast to the hypocrites Jesus has just described in the previous verse. Those hypocrites made their faces look miserable so that others would notice their piety. Jesus says his followers should do the opposite: when they fast, they should go about their normal appearance, anointing the head with oil and washing the face as they would on any other day. The point is not that fasting should be hidden at all costs, but that outward show should not be the goal.
The verse does not promise that fasting will bring specific results, nor does it say that a person who fasts in public has sinned. It describes an attitude of heart that Jesus wants his followers to develop. The word “fast” assumes the practice is expected among his people, so he is shaping how they do it rather than whether they do it. The reward mentioned in the next verse belongs to God alone to give, and it is not a guarantee of any particular earthly outcome.
The Context of Matthew 6:17
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a largely Jewish audience, probably in the latter part of the first century, and it presents Jesus as the teacher who brings God’s law to its fullness. The Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5 through 7 is his longest recorded teaching, and chapter 6 focuses on three religious practices common in Judaism: giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. Each is introduced with the same warning against doing them to be seen by others.
The verses before and after Matthew 6:17 help clarify its meaning. Just before, Jesus speaks of forgiveness and the Father’s readiness to forgive those who forgive others. Just after, he tells his listeners not to store up treasures on earth but in heaven. Read in this setting, the instruction about fasting belongs to a larger call to set your heart on what the Father sees and values, rather than on what earns applause or possessions.
Key Phrases in Matthew 6:17
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)
The verse immediately following completes the thought by stating that the Father who sees in secret will reward you. It shows that the purpose of private devotion is not to escape notice entirely but to direct your attention toward the one whose approval truly counts.
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 is not noticing their fasting, and the prophet explains that their hearts and actions are not right. It reinforces the idea that the inner attitude behind fasting matters more than the outward ritual itself.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 6:17
Father, you see what no one else sees, and you know the motives behind every act of devotion I bring to you. Forgive me for the times I have wanted to be noticed more than I have wanted to know you. Teach me to seek you quietly, whether I am praying, giving, or going without a meal, and let my heart rest in your attention rather than in the admiration of others. Help me to serve you honestly, trusting that you will reward what is done for your sake. Amen.
