Matthew 6:18

Friday, 10 January 2025

 

so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:18

 

“That not you may appear to men fasting, but to your Father, the ‘in the secret,’ and your Father, the ‘seeing in the secret,’ He will reward you in the manifest” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus noted that when one fasts, he should anoint his head and wash his face. This is so “that not you may appear to men fasting.”

 

The point of fasting is for afflicting oneself or denying oneself for one of various reasons, but other than for health issues, it is usually centered on a spiritual matter. Thus, to have others know that you are fasting defeats the purpose of fasting. It becomes a self-centered “look at my piety” type of thing.

 

Therefore, to make oneself appear normal or even joyous then hides the fact that one is fasting, while at the same time, it keeps the people around that person upbeat. There is no reward to be gained from them or their knowing. However, God knows the intent of the heart. And so, when one is fasting it may not be known to others, “but to your Father, the ‘in the secret,’” it will be known.

 

Such things, because they are based on something that is important to the person in the presence of God, will not be unknown to Him. He is the One who reads the hearts and minds of man, as the Bible notes several times. Therefore, because He sees what is done in secret, Jesus next says, “and your Father, the ‘seeing in the secret,’ He will reward you in the manifest.”

 

As the fasting referred to here is for a spiritual matter, the one fasting can be assured that the petition that was set forth is noticed by God. It will be responded to accordingly. Saying it will be rewarded in the manifest, meaning openly, doesn’t have to mean in front of others or in a way that is recognized as such at this time.

 

Rather, if fasting is for humbling oneself because of sin, the person can be sure that the sin has been dealt with by God, and the pardon will be granted. Thus, at the judgment, there will not be sin imputed for the wrongdoing.

 

Something along these lines would fully satisfy the thought of having the purpose of fasting being rewarded openly. This appears to be exactly what was on the mind of David in Psalm 32 –

 

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
7 You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah” Psalm 32:1-7

 

A person under the law, by the very nature of the law, is imputed sin. And yet, David is stating that there is the non-imputation of sin in his case. That must have come about through a contrite heart. One can assume that David may have even fasted along with his contrition. This is the type of thing Jesus is saying now.

 

There was nothing open and external for others to see, and yet the non-imputation of sin is something that is open and evident to David. Further, it will be seen as such at the final judgment.

 

Life application: It is common for people to want to be seen and noticed. It is why many strive to be actors, politicians, etc. But people want to be noticed even beyond that. And so, we will identify ourselves by the famous people we have met. It can become a comparison party at times. “I once met the president of Uruguay.” “How cool for you. I met the Prime Minister of the UK! I got a photo with him!” “That’s great for both of you. I got to have dinner with the President of the United States!”

 

It is as if our level of importance is elevated by the important people we have met. And yet, without Jesus, we have no true and lasting importance at all. Nobody being cast into the Lake of Fire is going to brag about having met the Pope. If we want our true level of importance brought forth, we can say, “Yes, that’s great for all of you, but I met the King of the Universe – Jesus.”

 

What we did “in the secret” by believing in Jesus in our hearts is the thing that will be truly rewarded “in the manifest.” As this is so, and we know it is true, the other things we do in secret will also be rewarded openly. Let us not seek after vainglory, but rather, let us have hearts that are always geared toward pleasing the Lord.

 

How wonderful it is, O God, to have the knowledge that we are saved through the shed blood of Christ Jesus our Lord. We didn’t see Jesus die, but we believed the word that we heard. Help us to live by that same faith now as we continue our walk toward glory. Amen.