Luke 11:2-4 and Matthew 6:9-13
In
considering prayer, the first place one goes as a believer is to the Lord’s Prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer is included in two of the Gospels, Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke
11:2-4. Both Luke and Matthew put the Lord’s Prayer into a context. For
Matthew, the context is in how a believer is supposed to live. First he speaks
of giving to the poor, then how to pray not like the religious hypocrites, and
then in context to forgiving those who sin against us. Luke puts the Lord’s Prayer
in the context of how to pray and how our Father in heaven would undoubtedly
hear us because of His love for us, like an earthly father loves his child. In
both of these passages, we are taught how to pray, but each of them speaks of
it in different contexts.
The
Lukan account of the Lord’s Prayer comes about after Jesus prayed and the
disciples listened. They heard the relationship with which Jesus approached
Yahweh. They heard the certainty in Jesus’ voice when He prayed to Yahweh. They
knew they were with a true Teacher of the Word of God. As disciples of a
teacher, they asked to be mentored/taught in how to pray. He taught them to
say, “Father, hallowed/holy is your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day
our daily bread. Forgive us our debts (no longer keep a debt against us), for
we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And, lead us not into
temptation (keep us from being enticed to sin).” In this prayer, Jesus taught
His disciples about revering God and asking for Him to reign on earth. He also
taught them how to ask for their needs, for food, forgiveness, and guidance
away from temptations. Jesus told them it is not the amount of words that is
meaningful, but the request and order of the words. First, as disciples, we are
to revere God; we are to recognize that He is most important in the universe,
not our needs. Second, Jesus shows that God’s will for earth is more important
that our wills. That does not mean that these two are contrary to each other. It
does mean that we should be concerned about that with which God is concerned,
His people with whom He desires a relationship. Next, we can and should ask for
ourselves. Once we have the perspective of God in place, His priorities of our
relationship with Him and His relationship with the world, we will be in-line
with His desires. We are taught then to pray for our needs. Jesus considers our
physical and spiritual needs. When we are in-line with God, then we will ask
for those things that are important for our body and spirit, food, clothes,
shelter, relationships, forgiveness of sin, and guidance in His way. Jesus
recognizes that we are created with mortal bodies that have needs. He knows
that these bodies have requirements to be able to survive in the world. Without
those provisions, we could not be in the world; we could not be about God’s
purposes, to tell others about Him. God does not ignore our physical needs; He
knows best what they are because He created them. He also knows we have
spiritual needs, once again because He created our spirits. He knows that
nothing in the world can fill that need within us and is teaching us through
Jesus how to have those needs met. We must recognize our inability not to sin.
When we do that, we will have come into the realization that there is a higher
level of life than what we can experience with our five senses. We recognize
there is a being who is great enough not only to create us, our bodies and
spirits, but also to fulfill our needs and desires. It is this need that Jesus
addresses in the Lord’s Prayer when He teaches His disciples to ask for
forgiveness of sin, ask for strength of spirit to forgive others who sin
against us, and to lead us so that our relationship with this higher uncreated
being, Yahweh/Father God, is priority. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches His
disciples to recognize the Father, rectify their relationship with the Father
and with men, request guidance, and relinquish control to the Father’s better
knowledge and judgment.
When
you consider the Matthew account of the Lord’s Prayer, it is noted in context
with how to be a Christian. Matthew teaches how to give to the poor, how to
pray, how to forgive others, how to fast, and why not to be anxious. This is
not to say that Matthew’s account of the Lord’s Prayer is less important. It is
to say that it is a part of being a Christian. We are to pray this prayer
regularly as being a part of God’s kingdom. We recognize God, our sins, our
needs, and His guidance as we walk through the life He has given us. As we
fast, we should consider the Lord’s Prayer, God is more important than our
desires. As we give to the poor, their needs and God’s purpose for giving us
the means to help are more important than that we helped. We should not set
ourselves up so that others know we have helped someone. As we live, we should
forgive people who have done things against us, as God forgives us each day we
sin against Him. In addition, we are not to be anxious because, as the Lord’s
Prayer teaches, all we must do is ask. By knowing to ask for our needs, we
acknowledge that God is the provider for everything we need; thus, we will not
be anxious. God is greater than anything we encounter and will provide all we
need.
The
Lukan account teaches Jesus’ disciples how to pray. The Matthew account teaches
us how to live, knowing God, pray, fast, forgive, and be assured that all our
needs will be fulfilled. The Lukan account of the prayer teaches not only of
God’s supremacy, but also of His sufficiency and grace. God will provide for
our spiritual and physical needs. Luke, later in his Gospel, gives a prime
example of this. Consider Luke 18:1-8; in this passage, we see a widow who is
unashamedly persistent in asking the judge for judgment in favor of her. The
woman never ceased asking but kept bringing her petition before the judge. Before
the judge’s patience was worn down and because he knew it was the right thing
to do, even though she could not give him anything in return, he gave in to her
request for favor in the eyes of the civil law. The judge said, “For a while he
was unwilling, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God
nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal
protection; otherwise, by continually coming, she will wear me out.’” Jesus
showed that even a non-God-fearing man knows what is right; how much more will
your Father in Heaven, the God you recognize as supreme, will give what a
person needs. The widow’s persistence paid off. God says not to give up in the
face of need; ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you. Seek and keep
on seeking, and you will find. Knock and keep on knocking and the door will be
opened to you. For all those who ask, seek, and knock will be heard, seen, and
led to God’s provision for their physical and spiritual lives. He asks once
more, how much more will your Father in heaven give you good things if your
earthly father gives you good things. If earthly fathers know how to give good
things, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask? God knows that the Holy Spirit is what humans need most; He gives
eternal life (Luke 11:9-13 NASB). Your physical needs are always met. Your
spiritual needs are met, too; however, you must agree to accept this grace of
God.
The
Lukan form of the Lord’s Prayer is for all of us. It teaches us to acknowledge
there is a God and He is supreme. It teaches us to know there is a gift of
grace given to us if we will ask for and accept it. It teaches us that God not
only provides for our physical needs but also for our spiritual needs. It
teaches that not only are we sinners who need to ask for forgiveness from God,
but we also need to forgive others for their sins against us. Finally, it
teaches that we need God’s guidance every day to be able to walk the life He
has given us in the way that is most edifying for our character and for God’s
glory. It is the best road; all other ways are disjointed, disappointing, and
dispiriting. We must decide whether to acknowledge God’s existence, His
supremacy, His love, and His grace. Which road will you choose?
