Fasting in Matthew 6:16-18: Secret, Not Showy
Short answer: Fasting in Matthew 6:16-18 is a voluntary skipping of food for a time in order to seek God with a whole heart. Jesus does not command fasting; he assumes his disciples will practice it and tells them not to advertise it. The passage opens with the words, as Matthew 6:16-18 says, "Moreover when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites, with sad faces." The point is not that fasting earns anything from God. The point is that fasting is directed to the Father, who sees what is hidden and rewards openly. It is a discipline, not a performance. It is also not the same as punishing the body or manipulating God; it is a hunger turned into prayer rather than a hunger turned into a show.
What Matthew 6:16-18 actually says
Matthew 6:16-18 sits inside the Sermon on the Mount, in a section where Jesus addresses three religious practices in a row: giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. Each one follows the same pattern. He describes how hypocrites do it, says they have their reward, and then tells his disciples to do it differently. The wording builds on that prior context. The sentence begins, as Matthew 6:16-18 says, "Moreover when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites, with sad faces," so the reader is meant to hear an echo of the earlier commands about giving and praying. Fasting is placed in the same category as those disciplines: ordinary, expected, and easily corrupted by a hunger for human approval.
The text is plain about the corruption. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. The Greek behind the phrase suggests smearing or making the face unrecognisable, perhaps with ash, dust, or a deliberately drawn-down expression. The problem is not the sadness itself; grief and hunger are real. The problem is that the sadness is staged. Fasting is being used as a costume. The person wants an audience, and the audience is other people. Jesus names that desire exactly: they may be seen by men to be fasting. The aim of the practice has shifted from God to onlookers.
Then comes the verdict. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. That word received is a business term; it means the payment has been collected in full. When the applause of people is the goal, the applause of people is the whole payment. Nothing further is owed. The frightening part of the sentence is its finality. There is no second ledger, no hidden bonus. A fast performed for an audience has already been paid out by that audience. This is why Jesus does not merely advise better fasting; he warns against a fasting that quietly cancels itself. The reward is not delayed or diminished; it is simply gone, spent on the wrong currency.
The contrast comes in verse 17. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face. In that culture, anointing the head and washing the face were ordinary grooming practices connected with joy and normal social life, not with mourning. Jesus is telling his disciples to look like nothing special is happening. This is not a command to deceive; it is a command to refuse self-display. The discipline is real, but the face is calm. The point is not that God is impressed by tidiness. The point is that the fast is aimed at the Father rather than at the crowd, and the outward appearance is allowed to serve that aim rather than undermine it.
The Father who sees in secret
The reason for the secrecy is stated in verse 18. Jesus says to fast in this way so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret. The phrase does not mean God is hiding; it means the Father is present in the hidden place where no human audience is gathered. The fast is not invisible to God. It is invisible to people and completely visible to him. That is the whole point. A secret fast is not a fast that no one notices; it is a fast that only the right person notices. The disciple is trading a small, fickle audience for an audience of one who sees everything and never misses anything.
This reveals something important about how God relates to his people. He is not dependent on spectacle. He is not drawn to performance. He sees what is hidden, and he values what is hidden. The same principle appears earlier in the sermon regarding giving and prayer, and it appears in other passages where God looks at the heart rather than the outward appearance. The fasting disciple is learning to live before a God who requires no stage. The hunger pangs are real, the weakness is real, but none of it needs an audience. The Father is already watching, already aware, already present in the room where the door is shut.
Then comes the promise: and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. This is the same promise attached to secret giving and secret prayer in the surrounding verses. The reward is not specified, and it is a mistake to fill in the blank with a formula. The Scriptures do not promise health, wealth, or a specific answer to a specific request in exchange for skipped meals. What is promised is that the Father sees and the Father rewards. The reward is his to define. It may be a clearer sense of his presence, a deeper repentance, a greater compassion for others, or a quiet strength that no one can trace. The disciple fasts before a Father who is good and who is not forgetful.
It is worth noticing that the reward is described as open or public, in contrast with the secret fast. The audience that matters will not remain hidden forever. What is done for the Father will be acknowledged by the Father. This is the exact reversal of the hypocrite's situation. The hypocrite gets his recognition now, in full, from people who will soon forget. The secret faster gets nothing now from people and everything later from God. The two paths are not merely different in style; they lead to different outcomes. One reward is collected early and exhausted; the other is kept by a Father who does not lose track of what his children do in the dark.
Fasting is assumed, not commanded
One of the most important observations about Matthew 6:16-18 is the word when. Jesus does not say if you fast, as though it were an optional extra for especially serious believers. He says when you fast, treating it as a normal part of life before God. This matches the wider biblical picture. Fasting appears throughout the Old Testament, in times of repentance, mourning, seeking guidance, and corporate crisis. The Law of Moses commanded only one fast, connected with the Day of Atonement, but the practice extended far beyond that single day. By the time of Jesus, fasting was woven into the religious life of Israel. Jesus assumes his followers will continue the practice, corrected and reoriented, not abandoned.
That said, the New Testament never turns fasting into a law. There is no command that says every believer must fast on a particular day or in a particular way. The early church fasted, and Jesus expected his disciples to fast, but the practice is presented as a discipline rather than a requirement for salvation or standing. This is exactly the kind of thing where faithful Christians differ. Some traditions observe set fasts and seasons. Others practise fasting as the Spirit leads, perhaps skipping a meal to devote that time to prayer. Both approaches can be faithful. Paul's language elsewhere about food and days warns against judging one another over such matters, and the principle applies here as well.
What Jesus does establish is direction. The fast is for God. It is not a hunger strike against heaven, not a bargain, and not a technique for getting what we want. Joel 2:12-13 says, "Yet even now," says Yahweh, "turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning." Notice the order: the turning comes first, and the fasting is part of the turning. The fast is not the turning itself, as if the act of going without food automatically changed the heart. It is the outward expression of an inward movement toward God. That is why fasting without repentance is empty, and it is why the same prophet immediately warns against tearing garments while leaving the heart untouched.
This helps explain why Jesus can be so relaxed about the outward appearance of the fast. If fasting is a movement of the heart toward God, then the face is not the point. The stomach is not the point either, in the sense of earning merit. The heart is the point. The skipped meal creates a space, and that space is meant to be filled with prayer, confession, and attention to God. When the space is filled with self-congratulation or public display, the whole thing collapses. But when the space is filled with honest seeking, the fast becomes what it was always meant to be: a body-and-soul turning toward the Father in a way that words alone sometimes cannot express.
Isaiah 58 and the fast God chooses
Any careful discussion of fasting in Matthew 6:16-18 eventually reaches Isaiah 58. The people complain, "Why have we fasted," they say, as Isaiah 58:3-9 says, "and you don't see? Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don't notice?" They were fasting and expecting God to respond. God's answer is not that fasting is wrong. His answer is that their fasting had become a cover for oppression and self-indulgence: Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and oppress all your laborers. The problem is not the skipped meal. The problem is a heart that fasts on the outside while exploiting people on the inside. The ritual and the life do not match, and God refuses to be impressed by the ritual.
The chapter goes on to describe the fast God actually desires: loosing the bonds of wickedness, undoing heavy burdens, letting the oppressed go free, sharing bread with the hungry, and bringing the homeless poor into the house. These are not alternatives to fasting; they are the fruit fasting is supposed to produce. A fast that leaves a person just as hard-hearted toward the needy as before has missed its purpose. This connects directly with Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6. In both passages, the outward act is worthless when the heart is aimed at the wrong thing. In Isaiah the wrong thing is injustice and self-pleasing; in Matthew it is human applause. Either way, the fast becomes a shell.
Isaiah 58 also contains a promise that resembles the reward language of Matthew 6. When the fast is the right kind, then light breaks forth, healing springs up, righteousness goes before the person, and the glory of Yahweh is a rear guard. God promises his presence and his guidance, not as payment for a performance but as the natural fruit of a life turned toward him. The point is not that acts of mercy purchase God's favour. The point is that a genuine turning toward God shows up in how a person treats others. Fasting is not an isolated religious act; it is part of a whole life, and a whole life includes neighbours, workers, strangers, and the poor.
Taken together, Isaiah 58 and Matthew 6 give a balanced picture. Fasting is real, and it is expected. It is also easily corrupted, either by using it to look spiritual or by separating it from a life of love. The correction is not to stop fasting but to fast honestly, with a heart that is actually turning to God and hands that are actually open to people. This is the kind of fast that the Father sees in secret, and it is the kind he promises to bless. The theology of fasting is not complicated, but it is demanding, because it reaches into the motives and the daily conduct of the person who practices it.
Jesus, the bridegroom, and the days of fasting
Matthew 9:14-15 records a question that sheds light on the timing of fasting. Then John's disciples came to him, saying, as Matthew 9:14-15 says, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?" The question assumes that fasting is a normal expression of devotion, and it treats the behaviour of Jesus' disciples as an anomaly. Jesus answers with a picture: the friends of the bridegroom do not mourn while the bridegroom is with them. His presence is a wedding season, a time of joy. Fasting, which is associated with mourning and longing, does not fit the season when the bridegroom is present in the way he was then.
But the answer does not end there. Jesus goes on to say that days will come when the bridegroom is taken away, and then they will fast. This means fasting is not abolished for his followers; it is relocated in time. There is a time to feast and a time to fast, and the determining factor is the presence or absence of the bridegroom. The disciples would fast later, in the period of waiting and longing. This is why fasting has often been understood as an expression of longing for Christ's return, a bodily way of saying that this world is not yet what it will be and that we are waiting for him.
This also explains why fasting is not a permanent state. A disciple who never eats would be useless for service and would contradict the goodness of creation and the joy of the kingdom. Fasting is a discipline with a beginning and an end. It is a season, not a lifestyle of perpetual self-punishment. The New Testament pattern is occasional, purposeful fasting alongside normal eating and gratitude. The person who fasts is not rejecting food as evil; they are setting it aside for a time to seek God. When the fast ends, they eat and give thanks, and the meal itself becomes an act of worship, because the same body that hungered is now fed by the same Father who sees in secret.
Paul's practice shows this balance in the life of the early church. He mentions fasting in connection with his ministry, and in Acts 13:2-3 the church fasted while worshiping and seeking direction: As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, as Acts 13:2-3 says, "Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them." Fasting here is not mourning for sin alone; it is part of a worshipping community waiting on God for guidance. The Holy Spirit spoke, and the church responded by sending out missionaries. This is one of the clearest pictures in Scripture of fasting functioning as a setting for hearing from God, not as a price paid to obtain a favour.
How to practise fasting without turning it into a show
The practical question is simple: how does a person fast in a way that honours Matthew 6:16-18? Start with the heart. Ask why you are fasting. If the honest answer is that you want people to notice, the correction is not to stop eating forever but to redirect the desire. Seek the Father, and let the fast be between you and him. This may mean telling no one, including friends who would be sympathetic. It may mean going about your normal routines without mentioning the hunger. The discipline of secrecy is part of the fast itself, because it trains the heart away from human approval and toward the God who sees.
Then plan the time you would have spent eating. A skipped meal that is filled with scrolling, work, or distraction is not really a fast in the biblical sense; it is just a missed meal. The space is meant for prayer, Scripture, confession, and listening. Many people find it helpful to begin with a single meal or a portion of a day rather than a long stretch. Wisdom and physical limitations matter here. Those with medical conditions, pregnant women, and others for whom food restriction is dangerous should seek appropriate counsel. Fasting is a voluntary discipline; it is not a test of spiritual toughness, and no one should harm their body to appear devout. God is not honoured by reckless self-neglect.
Also keep the fast connected to repentance and mercy. Joel 2:12-13 says, "Yet even now," says Yahweh, "turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning." The fasting belongs with the turning. Let the hunger remind you of your need for God. Let the time you would have spent eating become time spent examining your life, confessing sin, and praying for others. And let the fast spill over into love, so that you do not end it the same person but with the same coldness toward a neighbour that you had before. Isaiah's warning stands: a fast that ignores the hungry and the oppressed has missed the heart of God's desire.
Finally, remember the reward. Fasting is not a transaction, and God is not a vending machine. The command is not that you fast in order to get something, but that you fast before the Father, who sees in secret and rewards as he chooses. The reward may not be visible, measurable, or quick. It may be a quiet change in you rather than a change in your circumstances. But the Father does not forget. The disciple who fasts without a human audience is casting themselves on the God who sees everything, and that is a safe place to be. Whether you fast often or rarely, the principle of Matthew 6:16-18 holds: do it for the Father, not for the crowd.
Biblical fidelity check
Matthew 6:16-18 establishes several things plainly. It assumes that disciples of Jesus fast, using the word when rather than if. It forbids fasting as a performance for human attention, and it warns that those who fast for an audience receive their reward in full from that audience. It directs the practice toward the Father, describes him as the one who sees in secret, and promises that he will reward. It also implies that outward appearance is not the measure of spiritual devotion, since the disciple is told to look normal while fasting. These points are clear and should shape any Christian teaching on the subject.
The passage does not establish other things that are sometimes read into it. It does not specify how long a fast should last, whether food or only certain foods are omitted, whether it is a private or congregational practice, or how often it should occur. It does not promise a particular result, such as a specific answer to prayer or a physical benefit. It also does not command fasting as a condition of salvation or as a requirement for every believer's weekly routine. A common misreading treats the promise of reward as a guarantee of material or circumstantial blessing, as if fasting were a lever to move God. That is wrong because it contradicts the whole thrust of the passage, which is about a hidden relationship with the Father rather than a technique for extracting benefits. Another misreading treats the warning against display as a prohibition on all corporate fasting; but Acts 13:2-3 shows a church fasting together. The warning is against self-display, not against shared devotion.
Other passages that speak to Matthew 6:16-18
Fasting runs through Scripture from the law to the prophets to the early church, and it is worth reading widely on the subject. A good starting point is a survey of the many texts that mention it, such as Bible Verses About Fasting: A Scripture-First Guide for Christians. For the way the early church practised the discipline, see What Does Acts 1:6–11 Mean? Context, Theology, and Application. On the mission and power that accompanied prayer and fasting, see What Does Acts 1:8 Mean? Context, Theology, and Application. And on the longing that fasting expresses while we wait for Christ, see Acts 1:9-11 Prophecy: Jesus’s Promised Return from Heaven. Read them together to keep the practice anchored in the whole counsel of God.
Frequently asked questions
Does Matthew 6:16-18 command Christians to fast?
The passage assumes fasting rather than commanding it. Jesus says, when you fast, treating it as an expected part of devotion, and he corrects the way it is done rather than abolishing it. The New Testament never lays down a fixed rule about how often or how long a believer must fast, and faithful Christians differ on this. What the passage requires is that fasting be directed to the Father and not performed for people. Many believers find it a valuable discipline; others practise it occasionally or not at all, and Scripture does not make it a test of salvation or of spiritual maturity.
What kind of reward does the Father give for secret fasting?
Jesus promises that the Father who sees in secret will reward you openly, but he does not specify what the reward is. It would be wrong to turn the promise into a formula for health, wealth, or a guaranteed answer to prayer. The reward is the Father's to give, and it may be a deeper sense of his presence, growth in repentance, compassion, or strength for service. The point of the passage is the relationship, not the payout. The disciple fasts before a good Father and trusts him to give what is truly good in his own timing.
Can a church fast together if fasting is supposed to be secret?
Yes. The warning in Matthew 6:16-18 is against self-display, not against shared devotion. In Acts 13:2-3 the church was serving the Lord and fasting together when the Holy Spirit gave direction about Barnabas and Saul. Corporate fasting can be a genuine act of seeking God when the motive is humility rather than show. The danger is the same as in private fasting: wanting to be seen as especially spiritual. A congregation can guard against this by keeping the focus on prayer, repentance, and the Lord himself, and by not turning fasting into a competition.
