The Lord’s Prayer?

atthew 6:9-13 has been called the “Lord’s Prayer,” but it is really “Our Prayer.” Jesus was teaching the crowd sitting on the hillside how they should pray “Pray, then this way . . .” This is not the Lord’s prayer. Jesus would have never asked His Father to forgive His sins because He never sinned (Hebrews 4;15). This is “Our Prayer.” Yet, there are similarities between the prayers of our Lord in the gospels and this one. He taught us to pray “like” He prayed. Would you like to know how He prayed? Come and listen to Jesus teach the crowd,

Pray, then, in this way: “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” (NASB) Matthew 6:9-13

Background. This prayer of Jesus is in sharp contrast to the prayers of the Pharisees. Here is an example of a Pharisee’s prayer as recorded in the gospel of Luke,

The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ (NASB) Luke 18:11-12

This prayer is similar to other prayers found in Jewish literature. The Pharisee’s spiritual life is missing a key ingredient - a relationship with God. He missed the fact that God was holy, and the Pharisee did not see himself as a sinner. Are we like the Pharisee? Once again Jesus has surprised the crowd when He taught them to pray. The example Jesus gives us has five simple parts: honor, submission, a request for daily needs, a request for holiness and humility.

Now think about what He said, “ . . . the one in the heavens.” This God is not an idol sitting on the earth, nor on a table in the house. This is the God that King Nebuchadnezzar was introduced to by Daniel the prophet,

However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. (NASB) Daniel 2:28

Friendly & Holy. Did you notice that Jesus did not say, “Our God.” He said, “Our Father.” As a boy, I do not ever remember calling my dad, “Father.” That seemed cold and unfamiliar, but I respected my dad.

For Jesus’ Jewish listeners the name of God, Jehovah, was believed to be too sacred - too holy - to speak. So when Jesus said, “Our Father,” it must have felt uncomfortable. To suggest that we should be friendly with God and call Him “Father,” (like a family member) must have seemed like an insult. The Jews believed God was holy and that the very letters of His name were holy. To the Jews, the name of a person described the personality of the person. So Jesus said, “make His name holy” and the Jews understood that. Jesus is also calling us to believe the “Father” is holy. We are to honor Him “with holiness” because His name reflects His holiness. He is our holy Father who lives in the heavens. Is He holy to you? Have you ever listened to your own prayer?