Hello everyone.
We are going to continue our journey through the Gospel of Luke, today, by starting the exegesis of chapter 11. In Luke 11:1-13, Jesus talks about prayer. In this post, we will look only at the first four verses.
Jesus prays a lot. This is the sixth time that Luke records Jesus praying. This time, when Jesus finishes his time of prayer, one of the disciples asks him to teach them all how to pray. Here is my translation of his response,
" “When you pray, say:
'Father, all reverence to your holy name.
Let your kingdom come.
3 Give us the bread that we need today.
4 Forgive us of our sins, as we forgive all of those who are indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation.'"
So we begin with intimacy, 'Father', but we quickly move on to recognize God’s holiness and greatness. We are indeed fortunate that such a holy and powerful God is also benevolent and kind. Even His name is holy. It is spoken with reverence and awe.
After declaring that God’s name be made holy, he then asks for God’s kingdom to come. According to Darrell Bock, this is a request that God visibly manifest Himself. Jesus is indeed bringing the kingdom of God, and His kingdom will “show to all the greatness of God’s love, justice and righteousness." (Bock, 1053.) Bock also points out that, in prayer, Jesus begins by setting a tone of worship and awe, establishing God’s character and authority. After we have done this, then we can make our requests. In his prayer, Jesus makes three.
First request: Give us the bread that we need today.
According to Alan Thompson, the use of the word ‘bread’ here represents ‘food’ in general. This is then likely a request that God meet our daily provision of necessities. (Thompson, 182-183.) This reminds me of the whole “turn bread into stone” conversation when Satan was tempting Jesus, back in Luke 4. Jesus had been led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and he refused to use his miraculous powers to feed himself. Instead,he trusted God for his provision. Now, Jesus tells us that we are to lay that request before God, each day. It also reminds me of Matt. 6:25-33, where Jesus tells us not to chase after food and clothing, but to seek his kingdom and his righteousness and allow God, who knows what we need, to take care of those things for us.
Second request: Forgive us of our sins.
This second request, our forgiveness, comes when a condition. We are to ask God to forgive us, as we are forgiving toward other people. Jesus uses the word ἁμαρτίας (amartias)- sin, when talking about us and our relationship with God. When he is talking about our relationship with others, he uses the word ὀφείλοντι (opheilonti) which is a participle meaning “those who are indebted to us.” Jesus also puts word παντὶ (panti) in there. This means “all” or “everyone.” We are to forgive all who are indebted to us. What does this mean? Darrell Bock says, “The request shows that forgiveness is not presumed but comes with awareness: a forgiven person is a forgiving person. In fact, the right to ask assumes a willingness to respond similarly.” (Bock, 1055) This attitude takes humility. In order to be that forgiving, we need to have the correct view of our own failings.
Third request: Do not lead us into temptation.
This is a request in which the ultimate goal is that we do not sin against God. Sin is powerful and we are, on our own, generally pretty weak. We need God’s help to live righteously. Perhaps, with God guiding our path, we will avoid some of the temptations that could lead us astray.
In three short requests, Jesus has given us great instruction on prayer, as we seek God’s provision, protection, guidance and forgiveness. Jesus has more to say about prayer in Luke 11. Part 2 will be coming soon.
Tom
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