ONE DAY JESUS WAS PRAYING in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3Give us each day our daily bread.
4Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
5Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
7“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Original Meaning
AGAIN, LUKE’S POSITIONING of material is distinct from its counterpart. The Lord’s Prayer appears in Matthew’s large summary sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, while Luke’s version appears in the midst of teaching concluding a sequence of key texts about properly relating to God. This text also precedes the dispute about the origin of Jesus’ authority. In other words, Jesus instructs the disciples about the nature of their walk in the context of being challenged about the nature of his ministry. A walk with God is the best way to be prepared to face such pressure.
This passage has three parts: the Lord’s Prayer (vv. 1–4), a brief parable urging bold persistence in prayer (vv. 5–8); and a two-part exhortation to pray (vv. 9–13).1 This discussion of prayer also completes a three-step discussion on discipleship extending back to 10:25; here the topic becomes relationship to God. The discourse is opened by a request from the disciples about prayer. The request to be taught prayer like John the Baptist’s community indicates the disciples are becoming an identifiable community.2 Thus this unit also testifies to the growth of the disciples’ self-identity.
The request for instruction about prayer leads Jesus to teach them a version of what has become known as the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer’s name is only half the story. It is called the Lord’s Prayer since it comes from the Lord, but it is really the disciples’ prayer, expressing their common needs and sense of togetherness. Here is a community dependent on God and united in prayer before him for even the most basic needs of life. Disciples in touch with God take nothing for granted from him.
So the prayer opens with an address of the “Father.” Though this term is not the intimate “Daddy” that some have argued the Aramaic word Abba signifies, it does indicate the approach to God as a caring father figure.3 Disciples are called to childlike trust, not to a shallow childish intimacy. Real intimacy with God is built not on feelings, nor on what the Father can do for me, but on an appreciation of the true nature of the believer’s relationship to God. They turn to him for protection and care. Though God is a unique and great figure, he is not unapproachable. Jesus’ stress on God’s proximity and the access believers have with him for his provision and care make his view of God deeply personal in emphasis (Eph. 2:17–18).
Finally, Jesus wants his disciples to pray as a group, using a “you all” to make the point (“you pray” in v. 2 is plural). This is a prayer the entire community shares and prays as a body. The practice of “praying as the Lord taught us to pray” as an introduction to repeating the Lord’s Prayer together has good precedent here.
Access that develops close relationship need not destroy respect. So the first address to the Father is the statement that his name be “hallowed,” that is, kept holy (Ps. 111:9; Isa. 5:16; 29:23; Ezek. 20:41; 28:22, 25; 38:23; 1 Peter 3:15). God is unique and set apart in character. As we pray to him, we recognize that we are not communicating among peers. Rather, we come humbly before a being who is unequaled in the universe. Whatever awe we give to anyone in a prominent position on earth is nothing compared with the respect owed to God. Thus the opening remark sets a proper tone for our spirit as we begin.
Next is the request for his kingdom to come. We pray that God’s just rule be totally manifest on the earth. In the first century, saints longed for God to show the fullness of his power and to vindicate the saints (cf. Zechariah’s prayer in 1:67–75). We live in a fallen and distorted creation. The saints often suffer at its hands, but they know that one day God will reveal himself in power and rule in glory. This request longs for that hope. Life is lived more effectively when one appreciates where history is headed. In the context of eternity, our temporal requests make more sense.
We also recognize that our most basic needs come from God. So the third remark contains a request for God to provide food for each succeeding day. The meaning of the word “daily” is disputed. Does it refer to this day’s food, or is it a reference to providing the food for the next day?4 Since the term is a unique Greek term, it is hard to be sure, but the meaning is the same either way. The expectation and recognition is that God is our provider, down to the food that sustains us each day. If the earth did not provide food, where would our nourishment and sustenance come from? The disciple acknowledges God’s care at this basic level (12:22–31).
The disciple also seeks forgiveness of sin, but does so recognizing that he or she must give in return what is asked for. Thus, not only is the request made that our “sins” be forgiven, but that we are ready to forgive others who are indebted to us (Matt. 18:23–25; Luke 7:41–43).5 It is wrong to ask from God what we are not willing to give to others. Judaism also recognized this connection: “Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray” (Sirach 28:2). We are to model what we ask for.
The final request is for spiritual protection. This petition is often misunderstood. Why should we ask God not to “lead us … into temptation”? Surely he has our best interests at heart and does not desire that we be tempted, right? The request really reflects a fundamental recognition about ourselves. If we are to be protected from temptation, we must lean on God to protect us.6 This sentence has the force of “do not cause us not to succumb to temptation.”7 Integrity is a result of recognizing that without God’s leading we would lead ourselves straight into sin. Thus this request also reflects a depth of spiritual sensitivity, since it understands just how prone to sin we are, if we do not seek God’s face.
The prayer as a whole reflects a disciple’s total reliance on God and his care. Whether it be in the circumstances that lead to his control of history, the provision of basic needs like food, or spiritual protection, the disciple knows that God’s presence is an absolute necessity. That recognition is at the heart of this prayer. Thus the prayer bonds the disciple to God, recognizing that the affairs of life are often a matter in which we either walk alone or walk with our hand in his hand. The disciples’ prayer acknowledges that our hand needs to be in his hand.
So how should one approach prayer? Jesus has told us what to pray, but how should we come to the throne of grace? Since God is holy and the Creator of the universe, should he perhaps be approached rarely and only in moments of dire need? Such thinking is dead wrong. We should pray with a spirit of dependence and humility, looking for God’s gracious provision. Jesus therefore goes on to present a parable that emphasizes that God is approachable, gracious, generous, and ready to hear our requests.
To understand this parable, we must appreciate certain aspects of first-century cultural expectation. (1) Food was not as readily available as it is today; the era of twenty-four hour convenience stores is new. Bread was baked each day to meet daily needs. (2) The culture held hospitality in high regard, almost as a duty. A visitor was to be welcomed and cared for, regardless of the hour of his arrival. Here, then, we have a dilemma: a late evening guest, but no food. What would the host do? Also behind the story stands the reality that most ancient homes had only one room. To approach a neighbor meant risking waking the family. How bold would the host be?8
Jesus poses the dilemma and then asks, “Which of you would have the nerve to go wake up his friend (and possibly his family as well!) in the middle of the night to ask for bread?” The request for three loaves would meet the need, provided his neighbor still had some leftovers from the day. The answer shows the tension. He replies that he cannot be bothered, since the children are in bed and he is unwilling to risk rousing them! Anyone who has put children to bed understands how the neighbor feels. In fact, the natural quality of the reply is part of the charm of this parable.
Jesus then comes to his main point. The neighbor does respond, not because he is a friend but because the petitioner has “boldness” (anaideian). This Greek term is difficult to render in English. It combines two qualities: boldness and shamelessness. This man has nerve to make such a request. In recognition of his boldness, the neighbor honors the request (cf. Heb. 10:19–22).9
The qualification of these requests as applying to basic spiritual needs comes from the concluding verses of the unit (vv. 9–10), where Jesus issues a call to “ask,” “seek,” and “knock.” The promise of an open door lies before the disciple, who need not be too shy to ask. Then Jesus gives another illustration. If a child asks for a basic meal, fish, or eggs, will the father give him something dangerous instead, like a snake or scorpion? What father would do that? None. So Jesus concludes, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke’s point differs from Matthew’s use of this imagery. Matthew speaks of God’s giving good things, a broader category of divine favor. But Luke focuses on the more narrow concern of spiritual enablement. Some see Luke’s request fulfilled in Acts 2 and limit it to the new era of the kingdom, but it is probably broader than this, since the entire spiritual walk is in view. We may draw on the Spirit’s resources at any point in our walk, not just at its start. The Father delights in giving the basic spiritual provisions that the disciple needs to negotiate his or her way through life. If one needs strength or insight from God, he will provide it if we but ask.
For Luke the Spirit is the one who gives enablement (Acts 1:8). Thus the dependence expressed in this disciples’ prayer should also lead them to trust God fully, including the right to approach him boldly for spiritual insight. Even basic relationships such as those we have with neighbors and children illustrate the point. We can seek a neighbor’s aid in moments of need, or a child might seek help from a parent. Surely the most intimate of relationships, our need for God, works in the context of similar care, where we can rest in the knowledge that he cares for us and hears us.
Bridging Contexts
BASIC SPIRITUAL CHARACTERISTICS are present here. The importance of dependence and prayer for every believer’s walk is central. In order to build a bridge from an ancient prayer that is set forth as a model, we need to reflect on both the requests and the attitudes present in them.
Prayer links us with God in the right way and puts us in dialogue with him. Not praying is a little like walking up to the marriage altar, saying one’s vows to the spouse, and then going mute as the relationship moves from day to day. There can be no development of a deeper connection without time for table talk. In fact, without such basic contact, the relationship not only fails to go forward; it goes backward. That is certainly a reason why Jesus and Luke put so much stock in prayer.
A less appreciated dimension of the Lord’s Prayer is its corporate thrust. This is not my individual prayer, but one that is shared as a community, uttered as if it were one prayer spoken with one voice. In other words, the disciples pray for the same things as a part of a large family. This sense of community is developed only in limited terms in our day. Believers do not sense, nor do churches often promote, our sense of connectedness to each other. We need reminding that we share the same basic spiritual goals and have the same needs. Applications to the Lord’s Prayer usually speak in terms of me or mine, rarely us and ours. We may have some community within congregations, on rare occasions across some denominational lines, but here Jesus approaches the entire believing community as if it is a unit (see John 17).
A major foundation for Christian unity is the ability to pray together. The prayer groups Joe Aldrich formed in the northwestern part of the United States and which have spread to other portions of the country are a step in the right direction. The affirmation that comes when large groups of believers affirm each other in prayer for spiritual goals, as has taken place recently with Promise Keepers, can only bring a smile to God and must cause his heart to rejoice as this unified intercession reaches his ears.
The Lord’s Prayer not only asks us to pray together but to forgive one another. If our willingness to forgive is part of what God responds to in our prayers, then a key to unity is the ability to forgive, so that relationships are not shattered by the fractures that sin is so capable of generating. The tragedy of the church is that as a community built on the principle of reconciliation established at the cost of Christ’s shed blood, it is often unable to demonstrate even a drop of compassion to those both within and outside her walls.
Prayer is a timeless element of spirituality. A look at the Psalms shows just how long such intercession, some of it filled with great honesty and pain, has been a part of the community’s walk with God. We all need to walk and talk with God. We tend to look to him in our moments of need and dependence; but if we are wise, we will recognize that we always are in need of him. He is fully aware of and sensitive to our requests. He wants us to pray constantly and to intercede for one another. God expects boldness from his children when it comes to such spiritual requests. But it is also important to see that the asking in the passage is not open-ended (i.e., ask for anything you want). God does not promise to give us whatever we desire; only what we need.
Contemporary Significance
BESIDES THE ISSUE of community that stands behind this prayer, there are several other important points. One of the most fundamental is the sense of intimacy the prayer assumes believers possess with God. This intimacy is not a matter of feelings, but is grounded in the presence of a solid, established relationship. It is not a matter of sensing closeness, but of understanding and appreciating our need for dependence and trust. This point gets harder to make in a world where many people grow up with human fathers whom they either never knew, never were close to, or never got along with. It is hard to trust a Father we do not physically see when the one we had is absent, distant, or cruel.
But God is not a cosmic grouch. He loves and cares for us, desiring what is best for us. He shows the extent of his commitment to us in the sacrifice of Jesus (Rom. 8:30–39). Nothing can separate us from a close connection with him but ourselves and our failure to accept the care, provision, and access that comes from his hands. A relationship takes more than words claiming his presence; it must be nurtured through time and effort. That is why prayer is so crucial to the Christian walk. If Jesus took the time to teach us how to pray and urged us to do so with boldness, then our calling is to make time for it.
The pursuit of spiritual discipline is receiving renewed attention today. This is only right. Our world is so hectic that often all we think we have time for is a quick “check in” with the Father above. In fact, however, the more hectic the pace, the more we need him. In Jesus’ life, Luke notes him praying in the moments when things were getting the most hectic. He prayed when he was baptized, before he chose the Twelve, after Peter’s confession at the Transfiguration as he prepared to face Jerusalem, and when he was in the Garden, even as the guards approached to take him prisoner—not to mention on the cross itself. When events surrounded him, Jesus circled the wagons around the courts of God. The disciples must have sensed this, because this is one of the few places where they make a specific request to be taught something. The application is simple: Make time to see his face.
Another point emerges in the juxtaposition of intimacy with respect for God’s uniqueness. God is not a “buddy,” he is both Father and Lord. The petitioner who recognizes his uniqueness appreciates the privilege of entering his presence. Kneeling before the God of the universe requires humility. In our culture, where respect for elders often has reversed itself into a worshiping of youth, it is important to appreciate that a relationship with God is not a peer relationship. He sits enthroned in the heavens above. Thus, humility is fundamental to the ways of discipleship. The requests in the community prayer evidence this perspective. From daily food to spiritual forgiveness to spiritual protection, the disciple looks to God. There is no moment that can spare dependence on him.
God desires prayer that is bold, even shameless, in its approach to him. It is not shameless in the sense of coming to God for all the wants that we have. But it is brash and bold in making use of the access he gives us to seek his face and call on him to develop us spiritually. He desires prayer with nerve. Our requests can be set before his table. The response, of course, is up to God, but the Lord desires we share our heart with him and come with an intense desire to knock at heaven’s door. The reason we can be bold emerges in the more subtle argument of the parable: If a human being responds affirmatively to the earthly request of his neighbor, surely a gracious God will respond to our requests about basic spiritual needs. This implicit idea in verses 5–10 emerges explicitly in verses 10–13.
We are to come to the Father, knowing that his arms are open for us. I had the gift of a father who loved me. I knew what it meant to be able to walk into his room, his office, the living room, or wherever he was, and know that if I had a crucial need, he had an ear that was leaning in my direction and a heart that was open to my pain. The great lesson of a good father is that it gave me a glimpse of the heavenly Father I now have, even in the absence of my human father. I knew what it was to receive fish or eggs when I asked for them, just as I know now what it is to receive spiritual strength for basic spiritual needs from my Father in heaven. We can be bold because he cares. We can seek his face because he is there, waiting to hear and embrace our spiritual needs.