Fasting is one of the most private things a believer can do, which makes it strange how easy it is to turn into a performance. Jesus knew that, and in the Sermon on the Mount He spoke directly to it.

“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

When Fasting Becomes a Show

Look at the first word He uses: when. Jesus does not say if you fast. He assumes His followers will. His concern is not whether we fast but who we are fasting for. The people He describes are making sure everyone around them notices how much they are sacrificing. They get what they were after, which is attention. And Jesus says that is the whole of their reward.

This is worth asking honestly about anything spiritual we do. Whom is it for? It is possible to pray, give, serve, and even fast in a way that is secretly about being seen as someone who prays, gives, serves, and fasts.

Anoint Thine Head

“But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

Jesus's instruction is almost comically ordinary. Put oil on your head, wash your face, look like you normally look. In other words, do not let your hunger show on your face or become a topic of conversation. Take your fast to the one person who needs to know about it.

There is real comfort in that. Some of the hardest seasons of faith happen where no one can see them: the night of prayer nobody knew about, the meal skipped for a burden you carried alone, the tears behind a closed door. This passage says none of it is wasted. The Father sees in secret, and what is done for Him in secret is never invisible to Him.

Rewarded Openly

Jesus ends with a promise: the Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly. He does not say how or when, and we should be careful not to turn it into a formula. But the direction is clear. Those who seek His face rather than people's approval are not overlooked. He is the one who honors what is hidden.

Something to carry today: If you are carrying something before God that nobody knows about, a fast, a prayer, a burden, a battle, it is not unseen. Keep your face washed, keep your heart honest, and let the Father who sees in secret be enough.

Father, search my heart and show me where I have wanted to be seen more than I have wanted to know You. Teach me to pray, give, and fast in secret, with a clean face and an honest heart. Thank You that You see what no one else sees. Let that be enough for me. In Jesus' name, Amen.