This chapter contains several more accounts of Jesus’ ministry including teaching His disciples to pray, being accused of casting out demons in Satan’s name, commentary on demons, the ‘sign of Jonah’, being filled with spiritual light, and rebuking Pharisees / lawyers.
“Now 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.’ And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” ‘ ” (v1-4)
There are two things that immediately jump out at me as I read this.
The wording and context of this Lord’s prayer is different than in Matthew, so it is likely a different prayer. This is important to note, because Jesus isn’t one to promote ‘rituals’ as much as He promotes ‘relationship’. When we talk to people, do we say the exact same thing, word for word, in every single conversation? Of course not. So why would we recite the same ritualistic prayer to God over and over again? Jesus changes it up in His prayers and conversation with God, and so should we, because it’s about relationship, not ritual / religion.
His disciple’s request is worded critically, especially in today’s world. They don’t say teach us “how to pray”, they say teach us “to pray”. Learning ‘how to pray’ is easy, a child can talk to God. Learning ‘to pray’, is hard. The phrase is infinitive, which essentially refers to a general action, one that ‘is infinite’, rather than to a specific instance of a single action. Jesus’ disciple wanted to learn to pray continually. This is something we tend to lose sight of in our busy world today. We need to learn to pray, to pray constantly, and unceasingly (as Paul directs in 1 Ths 5:17).
Father God, our Glorious Lord of Light, Your name is holy and righteous. We humbly ask for Your help in avoiding temptation, and meeting our daily needs. Please also teach us to pray unceasingly, so we may deepen our relationship with You. May we also learn to pray in alignment with Your Spirit’s guidance, talking to You about that which You place upon our hearts. May we honor and glorify You with every word, every prayer, and every action, for all of our remaining days. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training