This post is part of a 40-day journey following Jesus in his prayer life. We’ll explore virtually every reference in the Gospels to Jesus and prayer. For a more in-depth treatment, see my book Prayers from the Pit.
When people witnessed Jesus at prayer, they were enticed to pray like him: “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’” (Lk. 11:1 ESV).
Jesus’ prayer-practices were magnetic. People were drawn to them. Here, Jesus’ disciples beg for Jesus to teach them to pray just as John taught his disciples to pray.
But this is more than just general fascination. Something specific is happening here. Biblical scholar Joachim Jeremias writes that in the Judaism of Jesus’ time it was common for individual groups to have their own customs regarding prayer. For example, factions such as the Pharisees and Essenes had prayer habits unique to them. John’s disciples did as well. Thus, the disciples ask Jesus to give them their unique prayer. They want a prayer custom that will set them apart from John’s disciples, the Pharisees and the Essenes. They literally want a “Jesus Prayer.”
What was the “Jesus Prayer”? What prayer would distinguish followers of Jesus from all others? What would it mean to pray in a distinctly Christ-like way?
Here is the prayer Jesus gave in response to the request: “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“(Lk. 11:2-4 ESV).
Jeremias argues that one word makes this prayer distinct. One word sets this prayer, and all of Jesus’ prayers, apart from the known prayers of other religious groups of the time—the word “Father.” What makes Jesus’ prayer exceptional is the way he not only addresses God as Father but the way he interacts with God as Father in prayer. Jesus’ “Lord’s Prayer” gives us one manifestation of this distinctiveness: “Father, hallowed be your name.” As we listen to the Son talk to the Father, we learn what it means to be truly “Christian” in our prayers.
In what ways do you find it helpful to recognize that the God to whom you pray is “Father”? Take a moment to list five qualities of an ideal father. Pray to God, thanking him for the way in which he exemplifies those five qualities.
