Matthew 6: 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
A dear friend, when he read in Matthew 6:12 Jesus say that God would forgive us [only, Matthew 6:15] as we forgive others, he was assured that such a contingency on God’s forgiveness was a Jewish doctrine in law that would later be overshadowed by a more abundant grace in which God’s forgiveness would be dependent only on Christ’s death and not any requirement on our part. As theologically reasonable as this sounds, nowhere in the Old Testament is God’s forgiveness based on ours. So what was Jesus saying?
If context matters [and it should] the provisions that Jesus told us in Matthew 6:11 to pray daily for are in Matthew 6:31-33 basic human needs which He promised to fulfill if we seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. Why pray for them when the way to obtain them is by seeking “His righteousness”?
And in Matthew 6:13, we are to ask the Lord to lead us away from temptation! That’s not going to happen! Paul did, however, say, that God is faithful [1 Corinthians 10:13], who will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to overcome. Jesus Himself, was tempted [Hebrews 4:15] in every way as we are tempted [yet without sin] but as a requirement for His High-priestly office. [He was crucified as the sinless Son of Man thus atoning for our sins.]
The only other thing we are urged to pray for is His coming Kingdom that it would bear the image of Heaven and, we, as citizens of it, His holiness [in Matthew 6:10]. This we can understand but I might think of a few additional things to ask God for: Peace in the world, a harvest of souls, revival in the church, and more. Were these left out by accident? Were they left out because they did not yet seem relevant until after Pentecost? Or maybe they were all included as what in American law is call “the lesser includes.” When we pray for God’s coming Kingdom we are praying for these other provisions. Should not all our prayers embrace a longing for our Lord’s return to set up His kingdom where there will be no sickness and no sin? [And for that matter, no tempter, no need for bread or forgiveness].
Our Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6 is a part of Jesus’ sermon on the Mount; so, should we broaden the context to include chapter 5, where Jesus spoke of loving our enemies [Matthew 5:44] and giving to those who cannot reciprocate—or won’t [Matthew 5:42]. The entire context of this loftiest of all sermons was probably somewhat puzzling to even the most devoted at the time but it should begin to make sense to us—this side of Calvary!
We might view this prayer from a human perspective, after all, it is “our” prayer and we live, at times, anxious moments with worries and remorse, with challenges to our spiritual as well as our natural well-being. It makes sense that we would appeal to God’s paternity and not so much simply to His wisdom or power, since we get all these as our “father in Heaven.” Every young child needs a father figure that protects them from dangers and provides for their needs and we are His adopted sons and daughters [Romans 8:15].
Gerhard Lohfink in his book, “The Our Father” wrote, “this petition is about a new form of society, a new family in which all help each other to enable the proclamation of the reign of God.” Ignoring this prayer or not praying from the heart the message it contains, Lohfink wrote, “We do so by hallowing our own names, not the name of God; by not acknowledging God’s rule, but wanting to be our own masters; by not entering into God’s plan, but serving our private interests; by not trusting, without security, that on the coming day, God will care for us, relying instead on our own provision for our lives.”
If this prayer is anything, it reflects our need of Him and a cry for reliance upon Him in all things. And is this not where “grace” comes in? Does not this prayer reveal the abundance of God’s grace not only in all our circumstances but also in giving us a heart that recognizes it. So what about “forgive .. as we forgive…”? This is a “lesser include” in Jesus’ admonition [John 15:12]: “love … as I have loved..” But this prayer is no “code in law” or duty for the devoted.
Our Lord’s Prayer is a condition of the believer’s new heart that simply longs to be like Christ.
