Carey's Bible Study Notes
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teaching on prayer
life of christ: luke 11.1-13, matthew 6.9-13
teachings on prayer
introduction
With this passage we continue to deal with the last year of Jesus� 3-year ministry. The rejection of Jesus by many of His disciples at Capernaum and Peter�s confession of Him as the Christ at Caesarea Philippi marked the beginning of this 3rd year. From that point onward, Jesus began to explain to His 12 disciples what kind of Messiah He was going to be and in turn what kind of followers they were going to be. Just like He was the humble Messiah who came to suffer, so they were to be His humble followers who must be willing to lay down their lives for Him.
The theme of humility which dominates this 3rd year of teaching carries over to the present passage which focuses on prayer. Of all the acts of the Christian life, genuine prayer is one of the most humble. The very idea that I am going to pray presupposes that a God who exists who is far greater than I. Second, prayer presupposes that I understand that I am a created being and not that God. Furthermore, prayer presupposes that my existence in an ultimate sense depends upon this God. The reason I pray is that I cannot handle life on my own; rather I must depend upon this God for my welfare. Finally, even if my knees are not knelt in prayer, the knees of my heart should be knelt during this time in prayer.
the lord's prayer (luke 11:1-4; matthew 6:9-13)
The occasion for Jesus instructing His disciples how to pray follows upon the disciples seeing Jesus in prayer. Luke describes the prayer life of Jesus more than any other gospel writer. We read that Jesus was praying at His baptism when the Spirit came upon Him and the Father addressed Him as His beloved Son. This incredible vision and experience from God occurred while He was praying. Second, Jesus� great temptations occurred during the 40 days He fasted and prayed. Victory over sin came during this time of prayer. Next, Jesus spent all night in prayer just before He selected which 12 of His disciples would become His apostles. In other words, before Jesus was willing to make any major decision, He spent extended time in prayer. Fourth, we have the present episode before us. Finally, Jesus spends at least 3 hours in prayer before the Jewish religious leaders come to arrest Him in Gethsemane. The disciples were sufficiently impressed with Jesus� quality of prayer that they asked Him how to pray.
We need to remember that if Jesus God�s Son felt it important to pray, then how much more should we feel it important to pray. Acts depicts the early church following in the footsteps of her Lord. At least 120 people were praying before God sent the Holy Spirit upon the church at Pentecost. Luke lists prayer as being one of the 4 distinctive characteristics of the early church (2:42). Peter and John were going up to the Temple to pray when Peter healed the man who had been lame from his mother�s womb. Cornelius was praying when the angel appeared to him and instructed him to send for Peter so that he might be saved. The prophets and teachers at Syrian Antioch were praying when the Holy Spirit impressed upon them to send out Barnabas and Saul (Paul) on their first great missionary journey. The early church was active and dynamic; it should not surprise us then that prayer constituted one of its major ingredients.
One of the disciples who remains unnamed asks Jesus to teach him how to pray. Notice that Jesus does not give Him a formula, although this prayer can be used in that manner (like CATS, or ACTS, etc.) Rather Jesus commands the disciples to say these words when they pray. By this Jesus is not saying that this prayer should be recited as a formula or by mere rote. Rather a person should say this prayer and mean it with his heart. When he has prayed this prayer accordingly, he has voiced the prayer of Jesus.
I believe this is an important feature of this episode. Surprisingly many Christians get caught up in either ACTS, CATS, or even the Prayer of Jabez. Jesus instructs us that the only prayer we�re to get caught up into is this particular prayer. Now we can use these other prayers to enhance the Lord�s prayer; however, the Lord�s prayer should serve as the model and not as the fill-in to these other prayers.
focus on god (luke 11:2; matthew 6:9-10)
The first half of the prayer primarily focuses upon God the Father while the second half primarily focuses upon us who depend upon Him for our life. In this first half Jesus first addresses God as Father. This is the most radical, revolutionary element in the Lord�s prayer. The Jews conceived of God as the husband of Israel or as her Shepherd, etc.; however, she did not conceive of Him as her Father since that implied an intimacy foreign to the Jewish mindset. In fact, for the Jew God was so transcendent that you could not even mention His name; instead you had to substitute other words for His name, such as, Lord, Adonai, or just the 4-letter unpronounceable word YHWH. Yet Jesus taught His followers to call God Abba, that is, Father, because of their union with Jesus, God�s unique Son.
For many the concept of God as Father is difficult to appreciate because of the failed relationship they had with their own fathers. One thing I�ve learned to do is to project my relationship with my children upon my relationship with God. When Nathan leaps high into the air to snag a ball in baseball, when Molly fields a pop fly, or when they bring home good grades in school, I am so happy not for myself because I get value out of their accomplishments but for them and what it means in their lives. Well, if I who am not the greatest dad in the world am so excited for them, how much more is my heavenly excited about my relationship with Him. How pleased He is when I spend time with Him in Bible study and prayer, or when out of my relationship with Him I help somebody in need.
(We need to be careful with the word Abba. Regardless of what some pseudo-pabulum theologian claims, it most likely does not mean "Daddy." Although little Jewish children called their father "Abba," the truth is that even grown men called their fathers "Abba." To be sure, it is a term of intimacy; however, the word "Daddy" connotes baby-talk more than anything else. "Dad" or "Father" are probably better translations of this word.) Regardless of the exact translation, the use of Abba or Father denoted a radical change in a believer�s relationship with God.
Jesus then explains just who it is we are calling Father. This Father dwells in heaven. He is the God of the universe who is enthroned above the angels. Myriads of angels serve Him; all creation owes its existence to Him; and one day all of creation will be held accountable to Him.
We tend to forget just who it is we�re calling Father. Every now and then I will see a movie which exults in the vastness of the universe. At the beginning of the movie Contact, the camera pans away from earth until it gets farther and farther away to the edge of the universe. When I see that shot, I tend to shudder because it makes me feel small and insignificant in relation to this vast universe. It�s a little scary until I remember that my Father is the God who dwarves the universe. Instead of threatening my faith in God, it helps me realize how awesome our Father is. J.B. Philips once wrote a book entitle Your God is Too Small. Watching movies like Contact helps us realize how big He really is.
Next Jesus prays, "Hallowed be Thy name." This can mean either that God�s name is hallowed or else that we are to hallow that name. Both interpretations are appropriate. God�s superiority to the rest of creation does not depend upon creation recognizing it. He is great, awesome, and wonderful regardless whether creation acknowledges that. It is for our sake that we hallow His name, that is, that we treat Him far better than we treat anything else in our lives, that we treat Him like the treasure found hidden in the field or the pearl of great price.
Fourth Jesus prays that God�s kingdom come and that His will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. Since Jesus came to inaugurate God�s kingdom, Jesus is not speaking about that phase of the establishment of the kingdom. Rather He is praying for its consummation, for the day when He will return and finish the work He began 2000 years ago. It�s the prayer that the Father Himself will come to the earth and reign directly upon it. It�s the prayer that all mankind will obey Him perfectly just like the angels obey Him perfectly in heaven.
Of all the petitions asked for in the Lord�s Prayer, this is probably the most significant because all the other petitions are impacted by this one. For example, God�s name will be hallowed completely when Jesus returns. God�s will and purpose for creation will be completely fulfilled when Jesus returns. There will no longer be a need to ask for daily bread because all our needs will be taken care of. Ask for forgiveness? No need since we will be perfect like Jesus. The same applies to deliverance from the Evil One. Many times our prayers consist of nothing more than putting out brush fires. When this request is granted, there will be no more brush fires.
Such a request seems strange to many Christians because they have the attitude that Jesus is going to come when He is good and ready, and that we have no impact upon the timing of that coming. There are only 2 problems with such an attitude. First, why does Jesus command us to pray for His coming if our prayers have absolutely nothing to do with His coming? Second, such an attitude seems to contradict Peter�s comments that Christians can actually hasten the return of the Lord by means of their righteous living (2 Pet. 3:12). Third, Paul at the end of 1 Corinthians (16:22) and John at the end of Revelation pray for His return. The Aramaic term maranatha (1 Cor. 16:22), which was the prayer of the early church, literally meant, "Come, Lord!" A reason Jesus may not have returned yet is that His people have failed to pray for it.
Although this prayer has a definite futuristic ring to it, it has implications for the present also. Although we will never obey God perfectly at the present time because of Satan and our sin natures, we nevertheless can grow in our obedience to Him; in fact, God expects us to grow in that area.
focus on our needs (Luke 11:3,4; Matthew 6:11-13)
daily bread
Although the first half of the Lord�s Prayer to some degree did deal with our needs, the second half of the prayer definitely focuses on them. First, Jesus asks God to give us our daily bread. The Greek literally means, "Give us today our today bread !" The emphasis is on the word "today." Later in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus elaborates on focusing on the present rather than obsessing about the future . Jesus basically informs us that today has enough worries of its own without having to worry about tomorrow�s problems. Jesus claims that you and I can do nothing about tomorrow by worrying about it. We can only do our best to prepare for the future, but that is it.
The fact is that all our worrying about tomorrow may be so useless simply because we may not live to see tomorrow. James claims that we are just a vapor that is here today and gone tomorrow (James 4:14). Spending all that energy on tomorrow will be totally in vain if we do not live to see it. Next, God does not give you nor me the grace today to endure the trials and problems of tomorrow. He will give us that grace only if and when those trials and problems do come. Third, we may look at tomorrow with dread because we have analyzed the situation at length. The truth though may be that there may be some data out there that we know nothing about and which will radically affect tomorrow. Since we don�t know everything, we need to entrust tomorrow to God. Finally, when we obsess about the future we fail to enjoy what God is doing in our lives in the present.
forgiveness of sins
Second, Jesus asks God to forgive us our sins. Notice that both Luke and Matthew have attached some conditions to God forgiving us. In Luke Jesus asks God to forgive us because we have forgiven others. In Matthew Jesus asks God to forgive us to the degree that we forgive others. Jesus basically informs us that if we don�t forgive others, then we can expect for God to treat us likewise. Of all the elements in the Lord�s Prayer, this is the only one that Jesus expands upon later in Matthew. Why does he expand further upon this element? Because it is so important. We cannot have a relationship with God or with others if forgiveness is not a major element in our relationships.
For Jesus, it is perfectly illogical for you and me who have been forgiven so much by God to hold grudges against others. In Matt. 18:21-35 Jesus compares our sins against Him to a debt totaling millions of dollars. On the other hand, the slights done us by others amount to only a few pence. If Jesus has so wondrously and magnanimously forgiven, we should do no less. The fact that we don�t forgive probably indicates we have not realized the extent to which Jesus has forgiven us and therefore have not experienced His forgiveness.
deliverance from the evil one
In the next element Jesus asks the Father not to lead us into temptation but to deliver us from the Evil One. Such a request presupposes that a dark, malevolent, evil spiritual person is trying to harm God�s people. Jesus here does not ask to be strong in this conflict with Satan; He asks that God deliver Him and us from Satan. Although Jesus and the Father are far greater than Satan, the truth is that we are not. Unless we hold onto Jesus fervently during times of temptations, we will fail miserably.
Each night I pray that God surround my home with His angels. I pray that a host of angels surround my home north, east, south, and west, and that they allow no demonic person, spiritual or human, to get near my family and me. Satan is serious business and must be treated with a healthy dose of respect without ever forgetting that he nevertheless is still simply a creature whose doom is waiting for him at the coming of Jesus Christ.
god desires to respond positively to our prayers (Luke 11:5-13)
Jesus next goes on to show that the Father does not begrudgingly grant us our requests but that He earnestly desires to respond positively to our requests. He illustrates this with a story about a friend who begrudgingly gives his friend what he asks for. The custom in Jesus� day was to travel at night and sleep in the day because of the searing sun. Well, at midnight a man receives a visitor who needs something to eat. The host has nothing in his house to serve him, so he goes to the home of his friend and asks for some bread. At first the friend rejects the request. The whole family has been bedded, most likely all in the same room, and to get up, unbolt the door, and grant the request would awaken the whole family, especially the little children.
At this point NT interpreters are divided as to the meaning of the key word in this story. The word anadeian can mean either perseverance or audacity. If the word means audacity, then the point of the story is that the man granted his friend his request not because he was his friend but because of the audacity of the request. Apparently, he was bowled over by the sheer boldness of the request. Just think about the requests we present to God. Does God slap us down for asking? No; rather many times out of sheer joy He grants those requests.
Recently, I was talking to Katy and Wes Morris, who asked me to pray for him and his partner in a fishing tournament. I laughed with a good-natured laugh because I felt that God wanted to answer positively to that request. Well, they came in second overall in the tournament and won the prize for the largest fish. Between them they split $100. Although God probably has a lot better things to do than to concentrate on fishing tournaments, the truth is that God is our Father who loves to do just that.
Anadeian could also mean perseverance. Why would God want us to persevere in prayer before He granted the request? Today too many Christians are microwave-able Christians. Too many of us want God to meet our needs and to meet them right now. Sometimes God answers those prayers so fast that they fail to impact us. Many of us can remember the delicious meals our moms made us while we were growing up; however, with the invention of the microwave, those memorable meals become less and less numerous. I can�t remember many microwave-able or delivered meals, but I don�t think I will ever forget the breakfast we had on Christmas Eve last year. My brother and nephew cajun pan-fried ribeye steaks, while my brother-in-law fried eggs and I made hash browned potatoes. We had a meal to remember. That�s why God waits before answering our prayers. I prayed every night for 7 years for God to give me the wife He wanted me to have. There is no doubt in my mind that Nancy, Nathan, and Molly are God�s gifts to me and that I should treat them accordingly.