Matthew 6:16–21
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we come before You this evening with a humble acknowledgement of our own sin and weakness. Rid us of hypocrisy and love for the things of this world. Grant that the Holy Spirit works through the Word to lead us to repent of our sins and cling to Jesus, who by his suffering and crucifixion, has paid for our sins and laid up for us treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust can destroy. Keep our hearts ever fixed on You. Amen.
A Christian’s Faith & Life
I. “Do not look gloomy like the hypocrites”
II. “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
I should begin by stating that God doesn’t demand Christians to fast. Jesus did not give us a New Testament law on fasting. Yet, notice how Jesus talks about fasting in our lesson, he says, “when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.” He doesn’t say, “if you fast,” but “when.” Jesus doesn’t command his disciples, his Christians, to fast, yet he expects that Christians will fast. This is maybe surprising to some of us.
American Christians do not like the idea of fasting for a couple of reasons. First, it goes against the American way. Our society has taught us to indulge every desire, to scratch every itch, to fill ourselves with food and drink, pleasure and luxury. People want and expect everything now. The idea of fasting, waiting or abstaining from indulging food and drink, is not a virtue of most Americans. Yet, another, and perhaps little more thoughtful reason some American Christians don’t like fasting, is because some churches have demanded that its members fast, making a law where Scripture has not spoken. For example, the Roman Catholic Church is known for enforcing man-made laws about fasting. Consciences should not be bound to laws that are not in Scripture. However, just because some have abused and misunderstood the purpose of fasting, doesn’t mean that it is wrong or unhelpful.
The purpose of fasting is for spiritual training. When a person enters the military, they start with basic training. If you were to immediately send a new recruit into battle, their likelihood of survival would be quite low. So, they train to prepare themselves for battle. In fact, whether soldiers are new or experienced they are always training so that they are always ready for battle. You and I are also in a battle. A spiritual battle. In Matthew 6, Jesus gives his church militant several practices for spiritual training which are almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Almsgiving is giving to the needy over and above your regular offerings. Almsgiving often went hand in hand with fasting because the money that was not spent of food could be used to love and care for others. In addition, instead of spending time for a meal, those who fasted could devote themselves to prayer and the reading of Scripture.
Fasting is the exercise of self-denial, a conscious and deliberate resisting of our fleshly appetites. This stands in contrast to Adam and Eve taking and eating of the forbidden fruit in the garden and instead follows the example of our Lord Jesus who fasted forty days and forty nights in the wilderness who rejected the devil’s temptation to turn stones into bread. Fasting is intended to train us to hunger, not for the food that perishes, but for every Word that comes from the mouth of God.
In our lesson, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees who had completely inverted the purpose fasting. Instead of expressing sorrow over sin and asking for God’s mercy with prayer and fasting, the Pharisees used fasting to show their holiness among the people. It was used for self-glorification. They would disfigure their faces because they wanted other people to notice them. “Look at how much I am doing for God!” But Jesus is saying, “You’re missing the point!” Part of fasting is to acknowledge your own sin and weakness and need for God’s mercy. You are more worried about what men think of you, but you should be more concerned about how God thinks of you. Jesus said, “wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.”
Jesus is warning against hypocrisy. This gets us to the heart of Ash Wednesday. God doesn’t want our repentance to be a show or for us to put confidence in anything we do. He doesn’t want us to just come to church, say a few words, but really have no concern or change in heart. The Lord wants genuine repentance.
The Greek word for repentance literally means, “think differently afterwards.” To repent is to undergo an inner change in which our affections, hopes, and deepest convictions are radically transformed from one thing into its very opposite. By nature, we love ourselves. In repentance, we learn to hate our sinful flesh. By nature, we hope in ourselves. In repentance, we learn to abandon all confidence in anything we do. By nature, we believe that we will get what we deserve. In repentance, we learn to trust in what we don’t deserve. We learn to trust in Jesus.
Genuine repentance is to truly believe that our sins deserve God’s wrath and punishment. Your love for the things of this world, your disrespect of authority, your anger, lust, jealousy, and pride, are deserving of death. The ashes on Ash Wednesday remind us that we are sinners and that the wages of sin is death. God said to Adam after he sinned: “Dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). We are acknowledging what God says about us.
The Lord doesn’t show us our sin just to make us feel bad or push us down. The Lord reveals our sin through the Law so that we might learn to not trust in ourselves or the things of this world where moth and rust destroy. He shows us our sin so that we might look to Jesus, who has earned the treasures of heaven for us.
When Jesus warns of hypocrisy and greed, you should hear his words as if he were speaking to you directly. None of us are immune or without guilt. Yet, this doesn’t mean we should run away in fear. Consider who is speaking—your Lord Jesus, who has paid for your sins of hypocrisy and greed. When the devil offered Jesus the world if he would bow down and worship him, Jesus cast Satan away and said, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” Jesus loved the Father above all things for you. He perfectly obeyed God’s commands for you. Where you and I have fallen for the devil’s temptations, Jesus resisted. So that you and I would never have to receive the punishment our sins deserve Jesus went forward to the cross in our place. He suffered so that you wouldn’t have to. He died so that death would not be the end. He rose so that you could live.
Jesus has won for us the gift of heaven. A place where sin and sadness will be no more. A place where rust and moth cannot destroy. A treasure that will last for all eternity. And he wants you to have it. He means it. Jesus says, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Jesus is saying, “treasure me and my forgiveness. Believe my word. Don’t trust in yourself or the things of this world. My forgiveness, my life, my treasure, can save your soul. Believe in me.”
This is God’s gracious invitation to you. Unlike sinful men who may at times make offers, but not truly mean it, Jesus is a man of his word. He is God and God cannot lie. Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting are things which can be beneficial for Christian training. Yet what God truly wants for you is to admit what your sins deserve, and then, even more importantly, believe his word to you. Jesus said, “It is finished.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.”
Martin Luther in his Small Catechism explains what makes us worthy recipients of the Lord’s Supper, he says, “While fasting and bodily preparations are fine outward training, whoever has faith in these words, “Given and shed for you for the remission of sins,” is truly worthy and well prepared.” The greatest service we can render to God is to say “amen,” to his word, that is, “yes, yes, it shall be so.” You can repent with hope because Jesus has paid for your sins. He offers you forgiveness and strength in the words of absolution and in the Lord’s Supper. Because of this, from the dust you shall arise. Your treasure is in heaven. Amen.