Matthew 6:18 teaches that when you practice a private discipline like fasting, God sees it and rewards it even if no one else notices. Jesus is not forbidding public faith, but warning against doing religious acts mainly to be admired. This verse appears in the Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus preached to his disciples and to the crowds gathered around them in Galilee.
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.
Matthew 6:18 (WEB)
What Matthew 6:18 Means
The verse begins with the purpose of fasting: “so that you are not seen by men to be fasting.” Jesus assumes that his followers will fast, which was a common practice of prayer and repentance in his culture. What he corrects is the motive. If the goal is applause from others, the act has already been paid for in full.
The phrase “by your Father who is in secret” points to a different audience. God is the one who notices what happens out of view, in the quiet of a room or on a walk with no one else around. Jesus then says that this Father “will reward you.” The reward is not named in detail, and the verse does not promise that every private act will bring visible success or immediate relief. It promises that God takes notice and that faithfulness done for him is never wasted.
The Context of Matthew 6:18
The Gospel of Matthew was written for a community of Jewish Christians, probably in the later first century, and it presents Jesus as the teacher who fulfills the law. Chapters 5 through 7 contain the Sermon on the Mount, a collection of teachings about righteousness, prayer, and the heart. Tradition attributes the book to Matthew, a tax collector who became one of the twelve apostles.
The verses just before this one, in verses 16 and 17, describe people who disfigure their faces to look like they are fasting. Verses 19 through 21 move directly to treasure: store up treasure in heaven rather than on earth, because your heart follows your treasure. Read in that setting, Matthew 6:18 is part of a larger lesson about where we seek our approval and our security.
Key Phrases in Matthew 6:18
Psalm 139:1-4
1 The LORD, you have searched me, and you know me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, but, behold, the LORD, you know it altogether.
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This psalm celebrates God’s complete knowledge of the one who prays. It deepens the truth of Matthew 6:18 by showing that the Father who sees in secret knows every thought and every word before it is spoken.
Colossians 3:23-24
23 And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
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Paul encourages believers to work wholeheartedly as serving the Lord rather than people. This connects closely with Jesus’ call to act for the Father’s approval rather than for human praise.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 6:18
Father, you see what no one else sees. You know the prayers I whisper and the small acts of faith I offer when the room is empty. Free me from the need to be admired, and help me want your presence more than anyone’s applause. Let my devotion be honest, quiet, and real. Thank you that nothing given to you in secret is lost. Amen.
