As Jesus makes a topical transition in His sermon on the mount, He now informs His listeners that they are not to “practice [their] righteousness before men to be noticed by them” (Matthew 6:1). He tells them that if they do, then they “have no reward with [their] Father who is in Heaven.”
In the verses which follow, Jesus gives three examples of righteous deeds which should not be done to be seen by men. They are contributions to the poor, praying and fasting. Jesus is telling the crowd that all three of these, along with other deeds of righteousness, should not be done for public show, but rather should be done “in secret.”