Model



Luke 11:1-13
1Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread, 4and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”

It was the practice of any rabbi’s disciples to ask their teacher how to pray. As such, Jesus’ Disciples dutifully ask Him this question, especially since He provides such a compelling role model of daily and constant prayer. Jesus answers their question with the most often quoted passage of Scripture that we today call “The Lord’s Prayer.” For me, the first and most striking thing is that the passage is so short. (Matthew adds a final phrase, “but deliver us from the evil one”.) But, as is always true with Jesus’ Words this prayer is packed with depth and meaning.

First, Jesus encourages us to address God as our Father. Some have said that this word is actually used for “Daddy” but that might be a stretch. “Father” is the perfect word for God because in a perfect world, fathers provide everything that we need, including protection and daily provision for no reason other than that they love us. Sadly, multiple billions of people don’t really know the love of a good father because their earthly father was such a terrible example or role model. But that cannot take away from what the word truly means.

Luke places this instruction in an interesting place because just before this passage we find the story of Mary and Martha where Mary’s understanding of her neediness before God is made clear and encouraged in all of us. Since the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins has restored our relationship with God, we are now free to call upon Him as our Father. Just as Jesus taught Mary and Martha, God had to go first with His salvation work in order for us to respond. Now, because of Jesus, the pathway of prayer is truly open.

After addressing God as Father, we are taught to honor His name, which is always appropriate. If you can’t think of anything to say while you’re praying, resort to praise (or remain silent - also a good option). Acknowledging God as marvelous and holy serves to praise Him but more importantly it reminds us of who He is and of the proper relationship between us. Seeking God’s will is added by Matthew at this point and is also a worthy petition.

“Give us each day our daily bread” is a far broader concept than may appear on the surface.

It contains the enigmatic ἐπιούσιος, leading to four main possibilities for the kind of bread requested: “bread essential for existence”; “bread for today”; “bread for the following day”; or “bread for the more distant future.” Luther saw “daily bread” as encompassing all of God’s gifts—spiritual and eschatological, as well as physical and temporal.
Just, A. A., Jr. (1997). Luke 9:51–24:53 (p. 465). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

And of course, Jesus describes Himself as our Living Bread. The concepts here are huge and entire books have been written on this topic alone.

John 6:51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The forgiveness of sins is the essential sustenance of spiritual life, and the need for forgiveness is constant and ongoing, hence Jesus’ provision of the Supper as the regular Meal that provides forgiveness. “The forgiveness of sins” leads to “the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” Disciples who pray the Lord’s Prayer may have to wait until the resurrection to experience physical healing, but the promise of that release is as sure as the forgiveness of their sins in Christ.

There’s a reason this prayer has been prayed billions of times since Jesus first uttered these words. It is the perfect prayer and encompasses all of our needs. In the next few verses Jesus gives feet to this prayer in practical ways and we will examine that tomorrow.

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