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Matthew 6:16Sermon on the Mount
"Moreover when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 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.
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Interpretation

Jesus teaches a fasting that is practiced in ordinary routines in Matthew 6:16—consider "when" and "fast". Keep fasting in the use of resources—make truth livable.

Context

This passage belongs to Matthew, a gospel narrative witness, developing fasting. Read in Matthew 6, its force becomes clearer. Listen for “when” alongside “fast”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Early sources associate Matthew with Matthew the disciple (a former tax collector). Introductions to Matthew often note: Anonymous in earliest copies; attributed to Matthew in later tradition; reflects Mark and a sayings source.. Date: AD 80–90. Matthew seems aimed at Jewish‑Christian community.. Genre and setting: gospel narrative, in the Sermon on the Mount. Catechetical structure appears in the discourse blocks.

More details
Traditional:Matthew the tax collector
Modern scholarship:Anonymous; attributed to Matthew; uses Mark + Q source.
Date:AD 80–90
Audience:Jewish‑Christian community.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in thousands of manuscripts. Early papyri (P46, P66, P75) from the 2nd-3rd centuries, along with major uncials like Sinaiticus and Vaticanus (4th century), provide strong textual witness. Minor variants exist but do not change the overall sense.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46