Fasting is a common Christian practice, but there's a difference between fasting to seek God and fasting to make other people think you're spiritual. Jesus addressed this problem directly in Matthew 6:16–18. He told His followers not to make their fasting obvious to others for the sake of receiving praise.
But why did Jesus place so much emphasis on secrecy? Does it mean you should never tell anyone you're fasting? And what did He mean when He said the Father would reward those who fast in secret?
These questions matter because fasting can become a source of pride when our attention shifts from God to what people think about us.
What Jesus Meant by Fasting in Secret
Jesus' teaching about fasting appears in the Sermon on the Mount, where He addresses several practices of religious life.
Before discussing fasting, Jesus teaches about giving to the needy and praying. In Matthew 6:1, He warns His followers against practicing righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. He then applies this principle to giving in Matthew 6:2–4, prayer in Matthew 6:5–6, and fasting in Matthew 6:16–18.
The pattern is clear. Jesus is concerned about the reason people perform religious acts.
Some people in His day wanted others to recognize their devotion. Their religious behavior became a way to gain respect and admiration. Instead of seeking God, they sought an audience.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:16 (ESV):
"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others."
Notice that Jesus says, "when you fast." He speaks of fasting as an established practice among His followers, not as something they should perform to impress others.
He then gives practical instructions in Matthew 6:17–18 (ESV):
"But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 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."
Washing your face and maintaining your ordinary appearance were ways of avoiding a deliberate display of fasting. Jesus wanted His followers to stop using outward signs of sacrifice to gain public recognition.
The issue isn't whether somebody might happen to notice that you're fasting. It's whether you're trying to make people notice.
A Christian can fast sincerely and still have someone discover it. What Jesus condemns is the desire to use fasting as a way to build a spiritual reputation.
4 Reasons Christians Should Fast in Secret
1. Secret Fasting Helps Guard Against Spiritual Pride
Spiritual pride develops when we begin to think that our religious practices make us better than other people.
Fasting can become a source of that pride. Someone might begin to think, "I fast more often than other Christians," or "People would respect me more if they knew how much I sacrifice for God."
The problem isn't the act of fasting. It's the desire to use that act to make ourselves look important.
Jesus addressed a similar attitude in Luke 18:9–14. He told a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector who went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee listed his religious achievements, including fasting twice a week. The tax collector, by contrast, asked God for mercy.
Jesus concluded that the tax collector went home justified rather than the Pharisee.
The Pharisee's fasting did not make him righteous before God. His pride prevented him from seeing his own need for mercy.
Keeping a fast private can help us examine our hearts honestly. We can ask ourselves whether we're seeking God or hoping our sacrifice will make us look more devoted than someone else.
2. Secret Fasting Keeps the Focus on God
Fasting is a spiritual practice directed toward God. When we make it a public announcement, there's a risk that our attention will shift toward the people watching us.
Jesus makes the same point in Matthew 6:6 when He teaches His followers to pray in secret. He directs them toward a relationship with the Father rather than prayer performed for public recognition.
The principle also applies to fasting. You don't need other people to know how often you fast, how difficult it feels, or how much you have given up.
You can spend that time praying, reading Scripture, confessing sin, or seeking God's guidance.
This doesn't mean that every Christian must keep every spiritual practice completely private. It means that our devotion should not depend on receiving recognition from other people.
Consider your reason for fasting. If nobody knew about it, would you still want to do it? Would you still set aside time to pray and seek God?
Those questions can help reveal whether your focus is on God or on the attention that your fasting might bring.
3. Secret Fasting Protects Against Seeking Human Praise
Human praise can feel rewarding. When someone calls us faithful, disciplined, or spiritually mature, it's easy to enjoy that recognition.
But Jesus warns against making human approval the reason for our religious actions.
In Matthew 6:16, He describes people who make their fasting obvious so that others will recognize their sacrifice. In verse 16, He says they have received their reward.
Their reward is the recognition they wanted. They have received the praise of people, but they have missed the deeper purpose of fasting.
Paul addresses a related issue in Galatians 1:10 (ESV):
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
Paul was discussing his calling and the message he preached, but the principle applies to our motives in Christian life. We cannot make pleasing people our highest goal while claiming that God's approval matters most.
This doesn't mean that receiving encouragement from other Christians is wrong. Encouragement can be helpful. The problem arises when we perform spiritual acts mainly to receive it.
Secret fasting gives us an opportunity to serve God without turning our devotion into a way of gaining attention.
4. Secret Fasting Encourages Sincere Prayer and Repentance
Fasting is often connected with prayer in Scripture. By voluntarily abstaining from food for a time, a person can set aside a particular period for prayer, repentance, or seeking God's guidance.
Acts 13:2–3 describes believers in Antioch worshiping the Lord and fasting when the Holy Spirit directed them to set apart Barnabas and Saul for a particular work. After further fasting and prayer, they laid their hands on them and sent them out.
Their fasting took place within a community of believers. It was connected with worship, prayer, and ministry rather than an attempt to attract admiration.
Fasting can also accompany repentance. In Joel 2:12, the Lord calls His people to return to Him with all their hearts, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. The passage emphasizes a genuine return to God rather than an outward display alone.
However, fasting does not purchase forgiveness or force God to answer a prayer. We cannot earn His favor by giving up food.
The purpose is to seek God sincerely, not to use a religious practice to control Him. Keeping the focus on prayer and repentance helps prevent fasting from becoming a performance.
What Does God Mean When He Promises to Reward Secret Fasting?
Matthew 6:18 ends with Jesus' words:
"And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (ESV)
This statement is central to understanding why Jesus tells His followers to fast in secret.
God sees what other people cannot see. He knows whether a person is fasting out of sincere devotion or hoping to gain admiration. A person may receive public praise for a religious act while hiding selfish motives, but God knows the truth.
Jesus contrasts the recognition people give with the Father's reward. The person who fasts to gain human approval has already received the recognition they wanted. The person who seeks God privately places their devotion before the Father instead.
But what exactly is the reward?
Matthew 6:18 does not promise that every fast will lead to a particular financial blessing, miracle, healing, or answer to prayer. It would be a mistake to treat fasting as a transaction in which we give up something and God must give us what we request.
Jesus does not specify every form that the Father's reward will take in this verse. His teaching establishes that God sees sincere devotion and that His approval matters more than public recognition.
This fits with the wider biblical teaching that God looks beyond outward appearances. In 1 Samuel 16:7, the Lord tells Samuel that people look at outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.
When you fast, you don't need to prove your devotion to other people. God already knows your motives.
Does Fasting in Secret Mean Nobody Can Know?
No. Jesus' teaching does not mean that every Christian must fast in complete isolation or that telling another person about a fast is automatically sinful.
The context of Matthew 6:16–18 is the desire to receive praise from people. Jesus warns against turning fasting into a public performance. He is addressing the motive behind the act, not creating an absolute rule that nobody can ever know you're fasting.
The Bible itself describes shared fasting.
In Acts 13:2–3, the believers in Antioch fasted together as they worshiped and prayed. Their shared practice was connected with seeking God's direction and preparing Barnabas and Saul for ministry.
In Esther 4:15–16, Esther asked the Jews in Susa to fast on her behalf before she approached the king. This was a communal fast connected with a serious and urgent need.
These passages show that fasting can be private or shared, depending on the situation.
You might tell a spouse or family member because they prepare your meals. You might explain your fast to a pastor or trusted Christian who is praying with you. You might participate in a church-wide fast.
None of these situations automatically makes fasting hypocritical.
The more useful question is why you're telling others. Are you sharing the information for a genuine reason, or are you hoping they'll admire your spiritual discipline?
Jesus calls us to examine that difference honestly.
How to Fast in Secret Without Making It About Yourself
If you want to follow Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6:16–18, begin by thinking about why you're fasting.
You don't need to make a public announcement or explain your spiritual plans to everyone around you. You can set aside time for prayer and seek God without making your sacrifice a topic of conversation.
Here are a few practical ways to approach a private fast.
Choose a clear purpose. You might fast while seeking God's guidance, praying about a difficult decision, confessing sin, or setting aside focused time for worship. Your purpose should direct you toward God rather than toward recognition.
Give the time to prayer and Scripture. Fasting isn't simply going without food. Use the time you would normally spend eating, where practical, to pray, read the Bible, or reflect on God's Word.
Continue your ordinary responsibilities. Jesus' instruction to wash your face and maintain your appearance encourages an ordinary outward approach. You don't need to act miserable or make your discomfort obvious so people will know you're fasting.
Examine your motives honestly. Ask yourself whether you would continue the fast if nobody praised you for it. If you notice a desire for recognition, bring that concern to God rather than pretending your motives are perfect.
Don't treat fasting as a way to earn God's favor. Christians fast to seek God, not to make Him indebted to them. Prayer and fasting do not replace repentance, obedience, or trust in God's grace.
There is also a practical consideration: fasting should be approached responsibly. Extended or food-related fasting may be unsafe for some people, including those with certain medical conditions, those taking medicines that require food, and people who are pregnant or have a history of eating disorders. A person with health concerns should seek appropriate medical advice and consider alternatives, such as setting aside another activity for prayer.
The goal is sincere devotion, not proving how much discomfort you can endure.
Can Christians Fast Without Telling Anyone?
Yes. Christians can fast privately without telling other people. In fact, private fasting is the practice Jesus specifically describes in Matthew 6:16–18 when He warns against seeking human praise.
However, there is no need to hide a fast simply because someone asks a reasonable question or because you're participating in a shared fast.
The distinction is between keeping your devotion directed toward God and using it to build your reputation.
If you tell someone because you need practical support, want to explain a change in your routine, or are joining others in prayer, that is different from deliberately advertising your sacrifice to receive admiration.
You don't need to announce your fasting to prove your faith. You also don't need to feel guilty whenever another person learns about it.
Jesus' teaching calls for humility and sincerity, not secrecy for its own sake.
Conclusion
Jesus' teaching about fasting in Matthew 6:16–18 calls Christians to examine their motives. Fasting should not become a way to earn admiration, build a religious reputation, or make other people think we're more devoted than they are.
The Father sees what happens in secret. We don't need to make our spiritual practices visible to prove our faith, and we don't need to hide every fast under every circumstance.
When you fast, give your attention to prayer, Scripture, repentance, and seeking God sincerely. Let your devotion be directed toward Him rather than toward the opinions of others.
That's the central point of fasting in secret: seek the Father, not an audience.
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