What is the Lord’s prayer?
This is a prayer which Jesus gave to His disciples.
Was this a prayer which Jesus Himself prayed?
Jesus did not pray this prayer; He gave it to His disciples to help them know how to pray.
Where in the Bible do we read this?
In the gospel of Luke, we can read about this.
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them, “When you pray, say… (Luke 11:1-2)
What prayer did John teach his disciples?
The Bible does not tell us this although it is implied in Luke 5:33.
Was it common in those days for teachers to give their disciples a form of prayer like this?
Yes, we find such prayers given to the nation of Israel. Consider Numbers 6:
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: The LORD bless you, and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.’ “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27)
Consider also God’s command to Israel in Deuteronomy 26:
“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. “You shall say before the LORD your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments. ‘I have not eaten of it while mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of the LORD my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me. ‘Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’ (Deuteronomy 26:12-15)
Furthermore, teachers within the various religious communities in Judea often gave their disciples unique prayers to use on certain occasions.
What use did Jesus intend for His disciples to make of this prayer which He gives them?
Clearly, he intended it to be used as a pattern for their own prayers. This is especially clear in Matthew’s account of this prayer.
“Pray, then, in this way ουτως: ‘Our Father…” (Matthew 6:9)
You mentioned Matthew’s account; are there other accounts?
Yes, the Lord’s Prayer is given us twice in the gospels:
| Pray, then, in this way: | When you pray, say: |
| Our Father who is in heaven, | Father, |
| Hallowed be Your Name. | hallowed be Your Name. |
| Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. | Your kingdom come. |
| Give us this day our daily bread. | Give us each day our daily bread. |
| And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. | And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. |
| And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | And lead us not into temptation. (Luke 11:2-4) |
| For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. | |
| Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13) |
Did Matthew or Luke change the original prayer which Jesus gave His disciples?
It is nearly impossible to believe that they would have done this. A disciple would not presume to do such a thing to something the master had handed down to them.
Why then are there two versions of the same prayer?
We should not think that these two are the same prayer. As a teacher, Jesus would have taught His disciples about prayer on many different occasions. Depending on His audience, He would have used the same basic prayer while adapting the wording and meaning of the different phrases as He saw fit.
So Jesus gave His disciples this prayer on two separate occasions?
It is most likely that Jesus gave this prayer to His disciples many more times than just two.
How can we know the original wording of this prayer if we have two distinct versions of it?
Because there is no original version of the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus taught His people the basics of this prayer on many different occasions.
How did the context of Matthew differ from that of Luke in their accounts of this prayer?
In Matthew, this prayer is brought in as part of Jesus’ teaching on internal and external religion. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” said Jesus. (Matthew 6:1) Then, Jesus highlights two different situations; the first is charitable giving:
So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:2-4)
The second is prayer:
When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6)
Then Jesus cautions His disciples not to use empty repetition in their prayers, and it is in this context that He gives them the Lord’s Prayer:
And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father… (Matthew 6:7-9)
Were Matthew and Luke speaking to different groups of people?
They were indeed. Matthew wrote His gospel in order to teach people from a Jewish background about Jesus. He would naturally have chosen to bring an account of Jesus teaching this prayer which would be most helpful for people with a Jewish background and upbringing. Luke, on the other hand, was more concerned to teach gentiles about Jesus. Jeremias writes:
The differences in these two primers on prayer are to be explained by the fact that they are directed at very different groups of people. The Matthaean catechism on prayer is addressed to people who have learned to pray in childhood but whose prayer stands in danger of becoming a routine. The Lucan catechism on prayer, on the other hand, is addressed to people who must for the first time learn to pray and whose courage to pray must be roused. It is clear that Matthew is transmitting to us instruction on prayer directed at Jewish-Christians, Luke at Gentile-Christians. The Prayers of Jesus, p88–89.