Matthew 6:18 teaches that when you fast, the goal is to be seen by God rather than by people. Jesus says a private fast, known only to the Father, will be rewarded by him. The verse is part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus speaks to his disciples and the crowds gathered on a Galilean hillside.
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 phrase “so that you are not seen by men to be fasting” describes the motive Jesus is pointing to. Fasting, going without food for a spiritual purpose, can easily become a performance. A person may look pale and tired so that others will admire their discipline. Jesus asks his listeners to fast in a way that others would not notice, so that nothing about their outward appearance draws attention to themselves.
The second half, “your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you,” shifts the focus. The one who matters is the Father who sees what no one else sees. The verse does not promise a specific form of reward, such as a visible answer to prayer or an improved circumstance. It promises that the Father sees the hidden act of devotion and responds to it. The reward belongs to the relationship itself, not to public recognition.
The Context of Matthew 6:18
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a community that included many Jewish believers, and it presents Jesus as the teacher who fulfills and deepens the Law. Fasting was a regular part of Jewish devotional life, practiced by individuals and communities in times of mourning, repentance, and seeking God. Jesus does not abolish the practice. He assumes his listeners will fast and tells them how to do it with the right heart.
Verses 16 and 17 contrast the hypocrites, who make their faces look miserable, with the disciple who anoints his head and washes his face. The surrounding passage also moves directly into a warning about treasure in verses 19 to 21, where Jesus contrasts earthly and heavenly rewards. Read in that setting, the reward of verse 18 is part of a larger teaching that real value is found in what God sees and gives, not in what the world applauds.
Key Phrases in Matthew 6:18
Matthew 6:6
But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
(WEB)
Just before the fasting teaching, Jesus gives similar instructions about private prayer. The same principle applies: practice devotion where only God sees, and trust that he rewards what is done in secret.
Isaiah 58:3
‘Why have we fasted,’ say they, ‘and you don’t see? Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don’t notice?’ “Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and oppress all your laborers.
(WEB)
Isaiah rebukes people who fast while still pursuing their own interests and quarrels. Read alongside Matthew 6:18, this verse shows that outward fasting is empty without a heart turned toward God and toward justice for others.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 6:18
Father, you see what no one else sees. When I give up something for your sake, help me do it with a quiet heart and not a desire to be admired. Remove the hunger for approval that creeps into my faithfulness. Let my devotion be real in the places where only you are watching, and trust you to give whatever reward you choose. I rest in your presence and in your love. Amen.
