On Line Bible Study - For the Week November 15-21, 2010

Lesson 466

Luke 11: ¹ One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” ² He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. ³ Give us each day our daily bread. ⁴ Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

As we head into the eleventh chapter of Luke's Gospel, we find Jesus dealing with prayer. It is not unusual for a spiritual leader to teach their disciples to pray. Darrell Bock points out that we have three insights into prayer in the first 13 verses of the chapter. In this study, we look at the first of these.

The disciples look for a way to pray together. The prayer is communal, not only in its intent, but in its language. "Give us ..." "Forgive us..." "Lead us..." After acknowledging the holiness of God ("Hallowed be your name ..."), the emphasis is on the importance of the community. Is there an inherent unity in the Christian witness when it is truly faithful to the mission and ministry of Christ? With such an intense emphasis on the personal relationship with Jesus that so many of us are accustomed to, does this prayer invite us to look beyond this to the importance of loving each other?

We find this prayer in Matthew 6. Let's compare the text: Here is the prayer as found in

Matthew 6: 11“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

The sections in blue are missing from the text in Luke. But there is agreement in terms of the themes of the prayer. (There is debate among scholars as to which version is the older - did Luke shorten Matthew? Or did Matthew lengthen Luke? Was there a separate source, and if so, why would one author add to it or shorten it?)

The use of the term "father" suggests both an intimacy with God as well as a respect for divine authority. Note that Matthew qualifies "father" with the word "Our". Might we say that Matthew's rendering suggests a more formal liturgical use of the prayer, whereas Luke, who simply addresses God as "Father", sounds more intimate? Are there times when our relationship with God is on the intimate side, and other times when we feel more of a sense of awe and majesty?

"Thy kingdom come ..." Our desire must be for what God has in mind.
"...daily bread..." God will provide - and "bread" suggests a justice that insures all people have what is needed for their lives. (For one of my sermons on this topic, see 'The Possibilities of Daily'.)
"...forgive us our sins ..." - Note the assumption that forgiveness has been rendered by us, thus the conviction that forgiveness is due us. While the wording is a bit different in Matthew, the intent is the same.
"...Lead us not into temptation." Are we asking to be spared the temptation to sin, or to be spared from being tested? Perhaps that is saying the same thing ... but it opens up the door to God's power to spare us.

Perhaps a "New Year's Resolution" could be to say the Lord's Prayer once a day, and to pray it slowly, thoughtfully - first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, or last thing at night before our eyes close in sleep...

These 4 verses speak to us of God's glory and our dependence upon God. Next time we will look at a parable and an exhortation to pray.