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.
This verse is part of Jesus's famous Sermon on the Mount, where he addresses three common religious practices of his day: giving to the poor, prayer, and fasting. Fasting — going without food for a period of time as a spiritual discipline — was a widely practiced act of devotion in first-century Judaism. Some religious leaders, whom Jesus calls "hypocrites" (a word originally used for Greek actors wearing stage masks), would make themselves look visibly gaunt and sorrowful during fasts, essentially advertising their spiritual effort to anyone who saw them. Jesus is drawing a sharp line between authentic devotion and performance. His point about the "reward" is pointed: human admiration is a real but hollow currency — if that is what you are after, you will get it, but that is all you will get.
God, I'm more aware of my reputation than I want to admit, even in my faith. Strip away the performance. I want the kind of devotion that's real when no one's watching — the early-morning kind, the private kind, the kind that costs something. Let my hunger for you grow bigger than my hunger to be seen. Amen.
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from performing a version of yourself — especially a spiritual version — for other people. The carefully chosen words at the right moment. The knowing look during the sermon. The social media post with a Bible verse and good lighting. Jesus had a sharp eye for this, and the fact that he is warning against it means it was just as tempting in first-century Galilee as it is today. The hypocrites he describes were not evil people. They were religious people who gradually let the audience become more important than the audience of One. Here is the quiet challenge this verse presses on: it is not really about fasting. It is about why you do the things you do when it comes to your faith. What spiritual practices do you keep public, and why? What does your faith look like at 6 AM when no one is watching — does it have any life there at all? The "reward in full" that the hypocrites receive is a hollow one: a moment of admiration that evaporates by dinner. The invitation Jesus extends is to practices that are real, private, and costly — the kind that actually change you from the inside, because they belong to you and God alone.
Why do you think Jesus responds so sharply to religious performance — what specifically bothers him about it, beyond the obvious dishonesty?
What spiritual practices in your own life have you found yourself doing, at least partly, to be seen or approved of — by a community, a partner, or social media?
Is there a meaningful difference between practicing faith publicly (attending church, speaking openly about God) and performing faith for approval? Where is that line, and how do you know when you've crossed it?
When you see someone else performing their spirituality, how does it affect your own faith — does it discourage you, make you compare yourself, or something else?
What is one spiritual practice you could commit to doing entirely in secret this week — with no possibility of anyone knowing — and what do you hope to discover by doing it?
Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
Isaiah 58:3
Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Matthew 6:2
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
Nehemiah 1:4
Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Isaiah 58:5
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
Matthew 9:14
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Daniel 9:3
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Matthew 9:15
"And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they put on a sad and dismal face [like actors, discoloring their faces with ashes or dirt] so that their fasting may be seen by men. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they [already] have their reward in full.
AMP
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
ESV
'Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites [do], for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
NASB
Fasting “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
NIV
“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
NKJV
“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.
NLT
"When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint.
MSG