Introduction
When Jesus' disciples asked him about how to pray to God, he taught them to say:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (Matt. 6:9-13).
Matthew recorded the version cited above. However, Luke rendered it:
Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation (Luke 11:1-4).
The doxology, "for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever," was probably added to Matthew's version late in the first century. The early church adapted it from King David's inauguration speech for the first Jerusalem temple: "Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all" (1 Chron. 29:11). Likewise, the Didache, a first-century worship manual used by Jewish Christians in Syria, read:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us our daily bread today, and forgive our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours is the power and the glory forever (Ch. 8).
Jewish Origin of Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is an abbreviated form of the Amidah (H5975; "standing" prayer), a liturgical recitation of the Eighteen Benedictions in the synagogue. Consider these similarities:
Benediction 4
You are holy, and your name is sacred; all day long, your holy ones will praise you—Selah. Blessed are you, LORD, the holy God. You favor humankind with knowledge, understanding, and insight; blessed are you, LORD, who graces us with ability.
Benediction 5
Our Father, cause us to return to your instruction and draw us near, our King, to your service and bring us back in complete repentance to your presence. Blessed are you, LORD, who delights in repentance.
Benediction 6
Our Father, forgive us for sinning; pardon us, our King, for we have transgressed. Blessed are you, LORD, gracious and abundantly forgiving. Look upon our troubles, defend our cause, and quickly redeem us for your name's sake, for you are a strong Redeemer. Blessed are you, LORD, Redeemer of Israel.
Benediction 7
Heal us, and we shall be healed; rescue us, and we shall be saved, for you are our praise. And grant us complete healing for all our wounds, for you, God our King, are a faithful and compassionate healer. Blessed are you, LORD, healer of the sicknesses of your people, Israel.
Benediction 9
Bless this year to us, LORD our God, and all the good things supplied to us in it. Release your blessing upon the face of the earth. Satisfy us with Your goodness, and bless our year as other good years; blessed are you, LORD, who sanctifies the years.
Benediction 14
Return in compassion to Jerusalem, your city, and dwell there as you have spoken; build it up in our days as an everlasting building and establish the throne of David there. Blessed are you, LORD, the builder of Jerusalem.
Benediction 15
Let the branch of David, your servant, flourish quickly and let his horn be exalted in your salvation, for we await your rescue all day. Blessed are you, LORD, who makes the horn of salvation flourish.
Benediction 19
Grant wholeness, peace, goodness, blessing, favor, and grace upon us and all your people, Israel; bless us all together, our Father, with the light of your face; for by the light of your face you have given us, LORD, the instruction of life, love, and grace, along with righteousness, blessing, compassion, life, and peace. May it be pleasing in your sight to bless your people, Israel, each day and each hour with your vacation. Blessed are you, LORD, the one who blesses your people Israel with peace.
Some petitions in the Lord's Prayer also derive from the Mourner's Kaddish (H6918, "holy" or "sacred"), which Jews also recite during synagogue liturgies:
Glorified and sanctified be God's great name throughout the world, which he has created according to his will. May he establish his kingdom in your lifetime, during your days, and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon. May his great name be blessed forever and to all eternity. Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed is he, beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations ever spoken in the world. May there be abundant peace from heaven and life for us and Israel.
Implementation & Practice
Today, many churchgoers deny the liturgical roots of Jesus' prayer, misquoting this verse from his Sermon on the Mount: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (Matt. 6:7 KJV). The New International Version (NIV) more accurately reads, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words" (Matt. 6:7). The emphasis should not be on "repetition," but on the word "vain." Jesus was not teaching against liturgical recitation, as he also repeated prayers consistent with his Jewish heritage. His point was for us to avoid going through the motions, just saying the words, assuming God is impressed by our verbosity. Churchgoers may still recite prayers if they do so with faith and intentionality. There is no scripture in which God demands spontaneity or randomness. The psalm reads, "Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people" (149:1). It was a blessing, not a legalism meant for church musicians to check copyright dates.
When Jesus' disciples pleaded, "Lord, teach us to pray," they asked what changes he would make to the traditional forms of the Messiah. One of the most critical changes was rewording "May he establish his kingdom in your lifetime and during your days" to a much simpler, "Your kingdom come." The kingdom came with Jesus' arrival, so he necessarily changed this Kaddish from future to present. The Jews—or the Gentiles—would no longer have to wait one more day for the Messiah. However, Jesus did not just teach the Lord's Prayer to infuse Jewish petitions with messianic fulfillment and to give a template for all invocations. To implement and practice the Lord's Prayer as a template, follow this:
Identification of God, his power, and sovereignty.
Reverence to God's name.
Acknowledgment of God's will and kingdom.
Petition for daily sustenance, both spiritual and material.
Repentance and mutual forgiveness.
Deliverance from testing and temptation (both translate the Greek peirasmon, G3986).
Doxology: praising God.
Conclusion
The Lord's Prayer is a profound guide for believers, resonating across various traditions. Its enduring significance lies not only in its words but also in its timeless wisdom, drawing upon the deep spiritual heritage of humanity. Whether articulated in the gospels of Matthew or Luke or echoed in ancient texts like the Didache, its core message remains consistent: a call for reverence, surrender to divine will, sustenance, forgiveness, resilience against temptation, and deliverance from evil. The Lord's Prayer, rooted in ancient tradition and modern practice, unifies believers, offering a simple yet profound template for approaching God in prayer.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe; you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his name, you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; giving us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
Bibliography
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Ward, Rupert, Andrew Hook, and Roman Tanzer, eds. "Prayer Resource." Community Church Edinburgh, 2019. https://www.cce.community/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Prayer-Resource-2019.pdf.
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