Wednesday 5th June
Read Matthew 6:16-18
“‘When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (NIVUK)
Jesus condemns the hypocrisy of fasting such that others perceive your piety, play-acting that you are earnest in seeking God’s face. Jesus appreciates why those who follow God may fast, but is just as aware of those who only wish to be seen to be following God. Consider Isaiah’s observations on those who fast in his day, 600 years earlier.
“‘Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 “Why have we fasted,” they say,
“and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?”” (Isaiah 58:1-3) (NIVUK)
The temptation to fast in order to be seen is not new, even if it is done to be seen by God! Isaiah calls it out as a false eagerness that fails to fool the Father they have forsaken. Fasting undertaken out of duty and ritual, to manipulate God into meeting your needs, rather than being not noticed at all, is roundly and loudly condemned – proclaimed like a trumpet call!
Jesus did the same to those who would display their piety in order to convince others of their moral worth. How secret is your piety?
