Jesus talks about fasting the same way he talks about prayer and generosity in this chapter. Not as something flashy or as something to be explained or defended. Just as something that’s meant to keep God at the center.
“When you fast…” (Matthew 6:16, ESV)
There’s no debate here about whether fasting matters. Jesus assumes it does. What he addresses instead is how easily it turns into something else.
When fasting becomes about us
Jesus warns against fasting in a way that draws attention. Looking miserable. Making suffering obvious. Letting everyone know how hard it is.
That kind of fasting isn’t fake. People really are going without and they really are uncomfortable. But the focus quietly shifts. The fast stops being about God and starts being about visibility.
Complaining does the same thing. So does emphasizing sacrifice. So does wanting acknowledgment for how disciplined or committed we are. Even without words, it’s possible to center ourselves in the fast.
Jesus calls that out plainly. Not to shame it, but to expose it.
Keeping God at the center
“But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face.” (Matthew 6:17, ESV)
In other words, don’t make it obvious. Don’t turn it into a statement. Let it stay ordinary on the outside.
This isn’t about secrecy for secrecy’s sake. It’s about keeping something sacred from becoming performative. A fast that stays between you and God stays oriented toward him.
There’s no audience to manage. No credit to receive. No pressure to prove sincerity. Just obedience offered quietly.
What fasting is meant to do
When fasting stays centered on God, it does a different kind of work. It strips away distraction without replacing it with attention. It creates space without filling it with affirmation.
Hunger has a way of revealing where my focus actually goes. How quickly I want relief and how easily discomfort turns into entitlement. How often I want recognition when obedience costs me something.
None of that means the fast is failing. It means it’s honest.
Jesus doesn’t present fasting as a way to show devotion. He presents it as a way to practice it. Quietly. Intentionally. Without making ourselves the point.
If your prayer life feels distracted or dry, Fervent by Priscilla Shirer is a must-read. It’s not fluffy, it’s a straight-up battle plan for getting strategic and intentional in prayer. Practical, powerful, and rooted in Scripture. Highly recommend. Grab it here.
What this passage keeps clear
This teaching keeps pulling me back to motive. Not how long I fast, how intense it is or whether anyone knows.
Just whether God stays at the center.
A fast that’s quiet, uncomplaining, and unseen resists the urge to turn obedience into identity. It keeps the practice where it belongs, between me and God.
That kind of fasting doesn’t need explanation. It doesn’t need admiration. It simply creates room for God to remain the focus, even when the body is uncomfortable and no one else is watching.
That feels like exactly what Jesus is after.
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