Friday, September 05, 2003

Jesus on Prayer 9

To finish out this series, let's look at the entire text again:

Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So pray this way: 

Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 

For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins. (Matthew 6:5-15, The Net Bible)

Jesus' commentary about prayer is more that twice as long as His model prayer. The prayer, itself, is a marvel of simplicity and wisdom. It tells who we are praying to and what we should pray for. I believe that it also ranks what we pray about in priority order. This is significant, because we can focus on our Father and His kingdom and ask for daily provision before asking forgiveness! In this way, Jesus communicates the Father's abundant mercy and grace. As Jesus has already said in this same sermon, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:44-45)

The application of this text, as with many others, must be personal and by the direction of the Holy Spirit. Typically we have no insight into the hearts and motivations of others. Suppose you come across someone loudly praying on a street corner. Do Jesus' words above apply? You cannot tell. Jesus, for example, prayed in public. (John 11: 41, 42) Daniel was in a situation where it would have been wrong to pray in secret (Daniel 6:10). The one who retires into a secret place each day to pray may still have a hypocritical heart--he prays in secret and somehow lets everyone know he prays in secret.

So you need to read this passage concept by concept and bring your heart next to it.

  • Are your prayers mostly about you and your circumstances? Consider interceding for others.
  • How in tune are you to what the Father might be doing around you and the part you might play? Jesus said that He only did what He saw the Father doing. Prayer and connection with the Father is the key to our doing the same.
  • Does "forgive ... as we have forgiven" give you dread or is it full of promise, because your heart bears ill will to none? If you are not comfortable, do the hard work of letting go of your anger.
  • Do you plead for your family, church, community, country, and enemies? Remember that the model prayer is in first person plural.

It is the nature of Jesus' teaching that the bar he raises is higher than our grasp. But in the reaching, we reach higher all the time. 

Some people have memorized this prayer and they use it as a guide in their private prayers. That is a good thing and a practice that I would recommend.

May the Father bless you and visit you in your times of prayer.

Monday: I return to the book of Job

<>< Test everything. Cling to what is good. ><>

Thursday, September 04, 2003

A rare second post

On occassion, I find something worth an additional comment or reference. Having been in the middle of gender role controversies, I have found David Heddle's analysis and interpretive principles on this subject a refreshing read. Click here.

A paper that has a good analysis of the positions can be found by clicking here.

Jesus on Prayer 8

It is an interesting study to connect Jesus model of prayer with the Beatitudes.

The Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes

Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:9)

May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. (Matthew 5:3)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. (Matthew 5:10)

Give us today our daily bread

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6)

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

And forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. 

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:9)

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. (Matthew 5:10)

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way. (Matthew 5:11-12)

I am not inclined to add anything else. I find the pairings interesting and instructive. I hope you do as well. 

Friday: Some brief closing thoughts.

<>< Test everything. Cling to what is good. ><>

Wednesday, September 03, 2003

Jesus on Prayer 7

Jesus model prayer contains an interesting request. We are to ask the Father to forgive us to the same degree that we forgive others. After finishing the prayer, Jesus answers the anticipated question.

An Important Condition

Anyone following Jesus' instruction on prayer closely would have noticed that we are to prayerfully link our receiving forgiveness from the Father to our forgiving others. It is not a command from the Father to us. It is rather to be a request from us to the Father. This is, indeed, a strange thing and one that would prompt the question, "Did you really mean that my forgiveness is based on the degree to which I forgive/" Jesus answers this anticipated question this way:

For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15, The Net Bible)

Jesus states in very direct terms that what we are to pray is the way things are. There is actually incredibly good news here. There is no one who has done as much damage to me as I have done to the kingdom of God--or would do if given enough time for my self-centered attitudes and actions to propagate. So I if I come before the Father bearing no grudges for anything done to me, then I can ask Him to bear no grudge against me. Jesus prayer assumes that I have forgiven others before coming before the Father.

There are two important parables that back up this reality. This first even raises the ante by saying that we must forgive from the heart:

For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. As he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents was brought to him. Because he was not able to repay, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made. Then the slave threw himself to the ground before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’ The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt. After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred silver coins; then he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe!’ Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had happened. Then his lord called the first slave and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me! Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’ And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart. (Matthew 18:23-35)

The second is a story that includes a parable and shows that the degree to which we love the Lord can depend on the degree to which we have been forgiven.

Now one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. As she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfumed oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” So Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50)

The issue of forgiving others comes down to two things. The first is gratitude. We have been forgiven an enormous debt. Even the smallest and most petty of our self-centered mischief does real damage to the kingdom of heaven. We need only to look at the fallout from Adam and Eve's simple disobedience to know that the debt that we owe is our lives. Our forgiveness cost the Father the life of His Son in exchange. Our forgiving others is simple gratitude. How dare we not! The second is that by forgiving, we emulate the character of the Father. By this we honor His name. Our Father is known for His mercy and forgiveness. When we show mercy and forgiveness we strive to be like Him. In this way we give honor to His name.

Someone might now be asking, "Am I saved if I do not forgive others?" Since this prayer model seems to be a daily prayer by inclusion of a request for daily bread, then this would seem to be a daily request for forgiveness of what we have done wrong that day. It is operational forgiveness. It is what Jesus meant when He told Peter, "The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet" (John 13:10). But even placing this aside, salvation does not depend on us. Paul in Ephesians writes:

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not of works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Saved by grace which comes by faith which is, itself, the gift of God. We can contribute nothing to our salvation, which is all the more reason to gratefully forgive those who have wronged us--whether they seek that forgiveness or not.

Besides, we do not want to live unforgiving lives. It is like drinking poison and saying to our offender, "There! Take that!" We only slowly kill ourselves, our relationships, and our contact with the Holy Spirit.

Along these lines, I recommend that you read "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom. In that book, you will find the depths to which we as Christians are able to forgive.

Thursday: The Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes

<>< Test everything. Cling to what is good. ><>

Tuesday, September 02, 2003

Jesus on Prayer 6

Jesus tells us that there are forces within us and beyond us that desire our harm/ We can ask the Father for protection. 

Keeping the Heart

Jesus concludes His model prayer with these words:

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13, The Net Bible)

What does Jesus mean by our asking, "do not lead us into temptation?" Is it that we need to fear that the Father will lead us into temptation unless we pray? Will He set us up to see if we will fall? The letter of James tells us, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires." (James 1:13-14) I think most would agree that we must understand Jesus' words in light of our own propensity to sin.

The Father does not directly tempt us to evil, but He does bring us to moments of testing. And with testing, comes the temptation to quit and not press on. The famous example of Peter's denial illustrates such a failure. The night before, Peter had confidently asserted that he would stick by Jesus no matter what. Only a few hours later, Peter denied in strong language that he even knew Jesus. When we pray to not be led into temptation, we are asking the Father's help in avoiding such situations. We ask for doors to be closed that have difficult situations on the other side. We ask for our hearts to be strengthened and focused on good things.

Although we are morally culpable for our actions, it can also be said that even the first sin in our race was not committed in a vacuum. The serpent in Eden, later identified as Satan or the devil, tempted Eve and prevailed. The Lord had commanded that the man and woman not eat from a single tree in the center of Eden. Satan attacked at that point and helped bring forth the sin. And so we need to ask for protection from his schemes. 

Satan seeks our failure and prays for it. In Job, we have the record of such a prayer:

Then Satan answered the Lord, “Is it for nothing that Job fears God? Have you not made a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his cattle have increased in the land. But extend your hand and strike everything he has, and he will indeed curse you to your face!” (Job 1:9-11)

It is interesting that before this, we have a record of Job making offerings on behalf of his children-just in case they sinned. We are not told that Job ever made an offering for himself. Like Peter, he was self assured. Like Peter, Satan asked to sift Job like wheat. It is just such situations that we pray against in our prayers. We acknowledge our weakness and ask for strengthening. We ask to receive our lessons in another way-according to the way of wisdom and instruction.

There are other sources of temptation that we must guard against. The world values make constant appeal. Our inner natures are weak and would like to go along.  Through prayer, we can become a different kind of person.

Ultimately, it gets down to character that flows from within. "When is a thief not a thief?" When I ask this question, I usually hear, "When he is not stealing." That is not correct. A thief who is not stealing is a thief who is out of work. A thief is not a thief when he labors with his own hands in order to have something to give to someone in need. (Ephesians 4:28) Such is the goal of this prayer. To change us from thieves to givers, from adulterers to loving husbands and wives, from proud to humble, from hating to loving, from bitter to forgiving, and so on. For each negative, we need to find and nurture its opposite. Prayer can helps us do that.

This ends Jesus' prayer model according to the most reliable manuscripts. Some manuscripts tack on something like, "For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory." I have chosen to go with the more attested reading. In the first place, we can give honor to the Father at the beginning of the prayer. In the second place, if Jesus did not include the ending, there is questionable value in using it. It is a grand ending, but Jesus ended His model with a reminder of our humility. The prayer moves from the greatness and glory of God to our total dependence on Him. I think it is better left that way.

Wednesday: An important condition

<>< Test everything. Cling to what is good. ><>

Monday, September 01, 2003

Jesus on Prayer 5

In prayer, Jesus instructs us to direct out hearts to the Father and to His kingdom. After that, we can ask about the needs of our bodies and souls: those things about which He already knows.

Sustaining the Heart

What we need as people occupies the next section of Jesus' model prayer:

Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. (Matthew 6:11-12, The Net Bible)   

The most literal understanding of "daily bread" is a loaf of bread in my hands to last me for the day. Some might say that that is all that He means for us to ask for. I believe that it is better to expand daily bread to include all that we and others need. I would, in fact, extend it beyond the material and into prayers for the needs of our bodies an our hearts:

  • Food and Shelter -- "But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that. Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." (1 Timothy 6:8-9) 
  • Righteousness -- "“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6)
  • The Father's presence -- "Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth. ... But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done." (Psalm 73:25, 28)

Even though there is nothing in Jesus' prayer for asking about anything but basic needs, there are two reasons to imagine that requests can go beyond this. The first is that Paul tells us to pray for everything. "Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, tell your requests to God in your every prayer and petition—with thanksgiving." (Philippians 4:6) The second is the example of the wedding in Cana, where Jesus, in answer to His mother's request, turned water into wine in a way that exceeded the needs of the party. We have a generous God. When Jesus boils prayer down to "daily bread," He is encouraging thanksgiving. Ask for anything, expect the basics, and give thanks for everything.

The welfare of our souls and bodies also depend on two-way forgiveness. Guilt and bitterness eat away at us. Both are associated with personality troubles and physical ailments. We can make both a matter of prayer. "Forgive us our debts" takes care of our true moral guilt for the things that we do wrong. And because we have forgiveness, we can take honest assessments of ourselves, which hastens our sanctification. However, because bitterness is as bad or worse that unresolved guilt, Jesus tells us to link the two. "Father forgive us to the same degree that we forgive others." Jesus has more to say on this, and I will defer more comments until that time as well. Suffice it to say that it is unbalanced to ask to have our guilt removed so that we can stand comfortably in the Father's presence, when there are people that we exclude from our lives because they wronged us. If it is good for us to receive forgiveness, it is even more good that we give it.

If the Father answers what we have prayed so far, we would have healthy bodies and souls fit for service in the Kingdom of God.

Tuesday: Keeping the Heart

<>< Test everything. Cling to what is good. ><>