Luke joins Matthew in including a version of what became known as the Lord’s Prayer. However, unlike Matthew, Luke separates the prayer off from the Sermon on the Mount. This may reflect the structuring of the Gospels to make points but also, as likely is that Jesus repeats in private, teaching he has given publicly. In other words, the sense here would be:
“Jesus can you show us how to pray”
“Well do you remember what I said on the mountain?”
In Matthew, the context is fleshed out teaching on prayer. He wil warn against publicly showing off, and repetitive prayer. They can trust God, as loving father to respond to their requests because he knows what we need even before we ask.[1]
Matthew will also develop the theme of forgiveness, linking the need for us to show forgiveness with us receiving forgiveness.[2] It is not possible to receive the generosity of God’s grace whilst we grip tight to our own grievances.
17.1 Read Luke 11:1-4
The form of words is given here in response to the disciples’ request for teaching on how to pray. They have seen him praying and want to learn. John the Baptist had instructed his disciples on prayer and they want the same(v1). The first thing Jesus does is teach them to address God as “Father”, just as he does. God is “our father in heaven”, identifying his exalted position and otherness so that God is both transcendent and imminent.
Ian Paul suggests that we should read the three desires expressed, that God’s name be made holy, that God’s kingdom should come and that God’s will be done, should be read together so that these things should be done on earth as in heaven, though not all manuscripts include the locating phrase “on earth” in Luke. In other words, we should see this as a single petition for the coming of God’s kingdom leading to greater reverence for God marked by obedience to him (11:2).[3]
Next, they are to ask God to supply their needs. The bread they are to ask for is what is required for subsistence, hence the translation “daily.” (v3). In the wilderness, Jesus had been tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread. Jesus’ response to Satan’s temptation was to remind him of the Scripture which says we don’t live by bread alone. So, we should not be surprised to see Jesus’ teach on prayer that it isn’t just about practical needs. Our daily bread will be spiritual as well as physical. So the follow on is first that we will know God’s forgiveness, just as we demonstrate a forgiving heart ourselves. Note a variation from Matthew here with Luke’s account having “sins” rather than “bets.” Nolland sees this as a Lucan modification but it can equally be seen as a variation due to a different setting.[4] Secondly, we are to pray that the Father will not “lead us into temptation.”
This may seem a strange thing to say. God does not tempt us.[5] Though, crucially, Nolland (correctly) argues that “there is no linguistic justification for avoiding attribution to God of the trial in view.[6] However, there are a couple of possibilities here. First of all, the same word is used to mean “test” and “tempt.” The devil tempts because his aim is to lead us into sin. God tests because he aims to prove and refine us. The difference is motivation and outcome. The prayer could be understood to mean either that God will use our suffering and testing to refine us rather than allowing us to be tempted and to fall or could be a plea that God will allow us to escape the worst of the trial. Jesus himself would pray “let this cup pass from me.” I see nothing wrong in expressing our desire not to suffer, so long as we submit to Jesus’ will. Finally, it is possible that the prayer states negatively “don’t tempt us” as deliberate understatement when by implication we are asking God to lead us in good paths and to protect us from evil and temptation. The negative statement would then function rhetorically. I am inclined to suggest that the phrase is so rich as to allow all of the above meanings to be included. They compliment rather than contradict each other (v4).
17.2 Read Luke 11:5-13
Jesus tells a parable. He encourages his hearers to imagine having visitors come to them late at night when they have nothing in and the shops are closed. What do you do in that situation? You go and knock on your neighbour’s door. They may be inconvenienced at the late hour and reluctant to come and help. Friendship may not be enough to motivate them but the fact that you have the “impudence” or “audacity” to go round at that time might cause them to say “okay I’ll get up and give you the bread”, if only to get rid of you (v5-8). This is used by Jesus as an encouragement to persevere in prayer, to “ask, seek, knock.” We should be bold and persistent in our faith. The encouragement is that we will find what we are looking for, receive what we ask for (v9-10).
In a further example, Jesus asks fathers to consider how they would respond to their children’s request for things. You wouldn’t give them stones, snakes and scorpions instead of bread, fish and eggs would you?[7] Then he says that if we are capable of getting it right, we can even more confidently be sure that God will. Note the provocative description of his audience of earthly fathers as “evil”. This was another rebuke to those who were proud of their place in the Abrahamic covenants and their Torah keeping but Jesus regards as an “evil generation” because they are sinners (v11-13).
The second example helps us to understand the sense of the first better. It’s not that God is like the grumpy, reluctant neighbour, or the mean judge in a later parable (Luke 18:1-8). Rather, there is a sense of “even more…” If those people will give grudgingly then, even more so will the loving Father give generously.
17.3 What exactly has Jesus taught them about prayer
Whilst the prayer has been incorporated into much public formal liturgy, there are two big clues that this wasn’t what Jesus intended. First, in Matthew, there are the strong warnings about empty, hypocritical public performances. Secondly, in Luke, Jesus is responding to questions arising from his disciples observing his own personal prayer life.
So, whilst I see no harm in using this form of words as a prompt to shape our prayers, we should recognise that Jesus tells us “how to pray” not “what to pray” here and in Matthew 6. Prayer is about whole hearted dependence and trust on God for everything that comes from a changed (forgiven and forgiving) heart.
[1] Matthew 6:5-8.
[2] Matthew 6:14-15.
[3] Ian Paul, Do we pray the Lord’s Prayer wrongly? www.psephizo.com/life-ministry/do-we-pray-the-lords-prayer-wrongly/ (accessed 14/06/2024).
[4] Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 618.
[5] James 1:13-14.
[6] Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 618.
[7] Note Matthew only includes the two examples, bread and fish (Matthew 7:9-12).
Faithroots 