Matthew 6:17 tells disciples that when they fast, they should not make their suffering visible to others. Jesus instructs them to care for their appearance as they normally would, so that the act stays between them and God. The words come from Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount, spoken to a crowd of listeners and his own disciples gathered on a hillside in Galilee.
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 apart from the hypocrites just described in the verse before. Those people put on a gloomy face and disfigured their appearance so that others would notice how devout they were. Jesus contrasts that with a different instruction: when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, the way you would on any ordinary day.
The phrase “anoint your head” refers to the custom of applying oil, a common act of personal care and hospitality in that culture. Washing the face was similarly ordinary. Jesus is not forbidding fasting or asking for a show of cheerfulness. He is asking that the discipline stay hidden, so that your attention rests on God rather than on how others see you.
The verse does not promise that fasting will bring any particular result, nor does it set out a rule about how long or how often to fast. It addresses the posture of the heart. The surrounding verse adds that the Father who sees in secret will reward you, which is a statement about God’s faithfulness rather than a guarantee of a specific outcome.
The Context of Matthew 6:17
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 collection of teachings on righteousness, prayer, and trust. Traditionally the author is identified as Matthew, the tax collector who became one of the twelve disciples, though scholars debate this point.
Verses 14 and 15 come just before, teaching that forgiving others is tied to receiving God’s forgiveness. Verses 18 through 20 follow, moving to the subject of storing up treasure in heaven rather than on earth. Read in that sequence, the instruction about fasting belongs to a larger picture of an inward devotion that does not depend on public approval or material display.
Key Phrases in Matthew 6:17
Isaiah 58:6
“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
(WEB)
This passage asks whether fasting is about outward gestures or about loosing the chains of injustice and sharing bread with the hungry. It widens the picture of fasting beyond personal piety and connects it to justice and mercy toward others.
Psalm 139:1-2
1 The LORD, you have searched me, and you know me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
(WEB)
This psalm celebrates God’s complete knowledge of the person, including sitting and rising, and the thoughts held in the heart. It reinforces the truth behind Matthew 6:17 that God sees what remains unseen by others.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 6:17
Father, you see what no one else sees, and you know the hunger and longing behind every quiet act of devotion. Help me to practice my fasts without seeking applause, so that my attention stays on you. When I am tempted to display my discipline, turn my heart back toward your presence. Let my ordinary care for myself and others become an honest offering to you, and let me trust that you will reward what is done in secret. Amen.
