Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 6:17-18

"But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee." — Matthew 6:17-18 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: The Lord, having taught us what we ought not to do, now proceeds to teach us what we ought to do, saying, When you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face.¹

St. Augustine of Hippo: A question is often raised here, for surely no one would literally command that, just as we wash our faces out of daily habit, we should also have our heads anointed when we fast—a practice that everyone agrees is most disgraceful.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Also, if He commanded us not to have a sad countenance so that we would not appear to men to be fasting, then if anointing the head and washing the face are always observed in fasting, they will themselves become signs of fasting.

St. Jerome: But He speaks in accordance with the custom of the province of Palestine, where it is the practice on festival days to anoint the head. What He commands, then, is that when we are fasting, we should have the appearance of joy and gladness.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Therefore, the simple interpretation is that this is added as a hyperbolic explanation of the command, as if He had said: Indeed, you should be so far from any display of your fasting that, if it were possible (though it is not), you should even do things that are signs of luxury and feasting.

St. John Chrysostom: In almsgiving, indeed, He did not simply say, Do not your alms before men, but added, to be seen of them. But in fasting and prayer He added nothing of this sort, because alms cannot be done in such a way as to be completely hidden, whereas fasting and prayer can. The contempt for human praise is no small fruit, for by it we are freed from the heavy slavery of human opinions and become true workers of virtue, loving it for its own sake and not for the sake of others.

For just as we consider it an insult if we are loved not for ourselves but for someone else's sake, so we ought not to follow virtue on account of other people, nor to obey God for the sake of men, but for His own sake.²

Therefore, it follows here, But to your Father who sees in secret.

Glossa Ordinaria: That is, to your heavenly Father, who is unseen, or who dwells in the heart through faith. He fasts for God who afflicts himself for the love of God and gives to others what he denies himself.

Remigius of Auxerre: For it is enough for you that He who sees your conscience should be your rewarder.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Spiritually interpreted, the face can be understood to mean the conscience. Just as a fair face finds grace in the eyes of man, so a pure conscience finds favor in the eyes of God. This face the hypocrites disfigure when they fast for human approval, thereby seeking to cheat both God and man, for the conscience of the sinner is always wounded. If, then, you have cast out all wickedness from your heart, you have washed your conscience and can fast well.

St. Leo the Great: Fasting ought to be fulfilled not only in abstinence from food, but much more in cutting off vices. For when we submit ourselves to that discipline to remove what nourishes carnal desires, there is no better kind of good conscience to seek than to keep ourselves sober from unjust will and abstinent from dishonorable action. This is an act of religion from which the sick are not excluded, since integrity of heart can be found even in a weak body.³

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Spiritually again, "your head" denotes Christ. Give the thirsty a drink and feed the hungry, and in doing so you have anointed your head—that is, Christ, who cries out in the Gospel, In that you have done this to one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me. (Matthew 25:40)

St. Gregory the Great: For God approves of the fasting that, before His eyes, opens the hands in almsgiving. Therefore, what you deny yourself, give to another, so that while your flesh is afflicted, your needy neighbor may be refreshed.⁴

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, by the head we rightly understand reason, because it is preeminent in the soul and rules the other parts of the person. Now, anointing the head has some reference to rejoicing. Let him therefore rejoice within himself because of his fasting, who in fasting turns away from doing the will of the world so that he may be subject to Christ.

Glossa Ordinaria: Behold how not everything in the New Testament is to be taken literally. It would be ridiculous to be smeared with oil when fasting, but it is beneficial for the mind to be anointed with the spirit of His love, in whose sufferings we ought to partake by afflicting ourselves.⁵

Pseudo-Chrysostom: And truly we ought to wash our face, but to anoint, and not to wash, our head. For as long as we are in the body, our conscience is defiled with sin. But Christ who is our head has done no sin.

1. ap. Anselm
2. Hom. xx
3. Serm. in Quadr., vi, 2
4. Hom. in Ev., xvi, 6
5. ord.