“Lord’s Prayer”

Bible Study Notes | March 26th, 2025

 

We find Jesus’ prayer in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. And so the Lord’s Prayer is Scripture, is attested by two apostles, and comes from Jesus Christ himself, hence the title. And while scholars, in the manner of scholars, quibble about this or that origin of the gospels, the remarkable thing about the Lord’s Prayer is its consistency and simplicity over time.

This being so, let us examine the Lord’s

“Our Father”

Our Lord Jesus Christ instructs us to begin by proclaiming our relationship to God the Father. Our Father, not “my” Father, but “Our” Father. Thus, from the outset we learn that this prayer ought to be offered with other Christians. Why? Because it is more powerful when so offered (“That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered to together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19-20). Does this mean that it should not be prayed while alone? No, but two or more is better and another of the many reasons that Christianity is not a solitary religion. Going to church, having Christian friends, being part of a body of believers, is the Christian way. And who is this “Father” that we are to pray to? Jesus used the term abba to describe the Father in heaven. It is a rare word in the New Testament, even unconventional. It implies an intimate loving relationship with the one so addressed. In one commentary on Matthew’s gospel – we read, “He wishes Himself to be called Father rather than Lord so that He may give us great confidence in seeking Him and great hope in beseeching Him.”

Jesus Christ himself, the second person of the Trinity, has instructed you to pray to His Father, in the name of His beloved Son: Jesus Christ. When Jesus prayed, he prayed to his Father, and so He told us to do the same. Moreover, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, will help you pray. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (8:26), “…for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” Thus, you need not feel inadequate. Just pray. Imagine this: the God of the universe wants to hear from you. His only Son has told you how to pray,and declares, use my name, I am your reference, my Father will know you. And the Holy Spirit will help your words, and even pray with you and for you, if you just pray.

“Who art in heaven”

Where is our Father? He is in Heaven, an unearthly place. It is not in the sky or in the clouds; and is not even in the universe for it existed before the creation of all matter, before time itself. Do not confuse the Heaven that is the dwelling place of the Lord with the “heavens” that were created in Genesis 1:1. Clearly, God was not in the “heavens” when He created them. The author of I Kings wrote, “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee [God]” (8:27).

The God of the Universe, that God who is omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscient (all knowing), does not dwell in a place your finite mind can grasp. I do know this: human beings who reject Christianity because heaven must be boring have not given much thought to the question.

“Hallowed be Thy Name”

Hallowed, for modern readers, is better translated, Holy. One must remember this is prayer. Those who pray the Lord’s Prayer are praying that men will praise the name of the Most-High God, that human beings will reverence His name. They are praying that God’s name will not be used lightly, disrespectfully, or in vain; that is, men will not swear by the name of God. This, of course, is completely in keeping with the third commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). Have you ever wondered why human beings swear by the name of the Lord? I have. Why do they do it? If they are believers, they know it is wrong; if they are non-believers, they don’t believe it has any power, so why swear? And yet, the name of God and of His Son are constantly used as swear words. It is as if some dark power moves men to break the commandment. Today, the taking of the name of God lightly, in jest, in exclamation, in other words in vain, is so common that it has its own abbreviation in emails and texts. Yes, OMG. Some people apparently cannot even speak without uttering this profanity. Father, forgive them, for they probably do not even know what they do. And that is a sad commentary on our culture. And so, Hallowed, or Holy, be thy name is a prayer that is most earnestly needed.

“Thy Kingdom Come”

Thy Kingdom Come is the next phrase of the prayer. Indeed, this plea, “Thy Kingdom Come,”dominates the whole prayer.

Christians are taught to pray that God’s Kingdom will come to earth in the same way that it is in Heaven. Why? So that God’s will shall be done. Is it not obvious that the Kingdom of God has not yet arrived on Earth as it has in Heaven? Is it not obvious that God’s will is not obeyed on Earth as it is in Heaven? Heaven is holy as God is holy. There is no sin there. That the Earth does fit not that description is beyond dispute.

Earth is not a holy place. The Lord does not reign here as he does in heaven – yet. Jesus himself told us that His kingdom was “not of this world.” (John 18:36). When the Father’s kingdom, Jesus’ kingdom, comes, that event marks the end of this world and the beginning of the new world with the New Jerusalem as its capital (Revelation 3:12; 21:2; 21:10).12

“Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”

The problem as to whose will is done on Earth is one of the most important Christian theological problems. The popular view, among both Christians and non-Christians, is that no matter what happens in life, it is God’s will. Given that there is evil in the world, and almost unimaginable daily tragedies, many people reject an all-powerful, all knowing, all good, God. They cannot rationalize the state of the world with a good God.

Consider Jesus’ conversation with the rich young ruler. This man wanted to know how he may obtain eternal life. Jesus told him to obey the commandments, sell his possessions, and come follow him. Sadly, for both parties, the young ruler refused, disobeyed God’s will, and walked away (Matthew 18: 18-24).16 Again, Jesus’s will was that the young man follow Him, but the former refused. The truth is that there is horrible evil in the world that is wholly averse to God’s will. It takes some significant prayer and spiritual maturity to truly pray, “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” Jesus, of course, knows this which is why he told us:

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundred-fold [hundred times] and inherit eternal life. In addition, and as noted above, the finite human mind cannot conceive of the joys of heaven. Heaven is the dwelling place of the most-high God, omniscience and omnipotence personified.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

The focus of the Lord’s Prayer now shifts from God’s majesty and purpose to our needs. This is as it should be; first we recognize the maker and master of the universe; we pray that His purpose be done in a world in which He has given us freedom and responsibility. And having done that, we recognize our dependence upon Him for both our great needs – our salvation, but also our mundane or daily needs: bread. The temptation here is to spiritualize “bread” away from its basic and obvious meaning: that bread which we eat. What Jesus seems to desire here is not primarily to remind us that He is the bread of life, but that we are dependent upon God for that which physically sustains us. Not only are we dependent upon God for our sustenance, we are to pray daily for this food. This design is linked to the Israelite’s sojourn in the wilderness when they were taught to rely upon God for their bread, their manna, on a daily basis (Exodus chapter 16).25 Thus Jesus joined together the human experience of the Old Testament with His new covenant; in both, human beings were and are daily dependent upon God for our physical well-being. And this dependence is not restricted to bread as food, though we begin there. Bread is properly understood as those aspects of life that are necessary… everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

Indeed, Jesus told us, just before he gave us His great prayer, that our heavenly Father already knows what we need, pray simply for Daily Bread., the prayer asks for needs, not luxuries.

And Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors

The fact that I have not divided this line of the Lord’s prayer in two is instructive as to its meaning: it cannot be divided. Much as many people would love to separate the first half from the second, the word “as” will not allow it. If we are to have God’s forgiveness, we must forgive those who have sinned against us. I am afraid there is no getting around this condition of our own forgiveness. Jesus did not intend to provide an escape hatch from the commandment of love, of mercy. Forgiveness and mercy are the only aspect of the prayer he went on to explain, to emphasize, so there could be no confusion.

He said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses [sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Jesus also made this point on other occasions. In Matthew 18 Jesus tells Peter that forgiveness must be given no matter how many times the offense is made; then Jesus told the parable of the king and his servant. The king was willing to forgive a debt the servant owed, but the servant would not forgive a much smaller debt owed to him by a fellow servant. When the king learned of this hardness of heart, he revoked his forgiveness and cast the wicked servant into prison. Jesus said “the kingdom of heaven may be compared…” to such a kingdom (Matthew18: 21-35).

God forgives us ‘on condition that’ and ‘in the measure in which’ we forgive. “This willingness to forgive, however, is not entirely self-generated; it is a product of God’s forgiveness in our life. God working with us will move us to show the mercy to others he has shown to us.

What is forgiveness? When we forgive, we are most like Christ. But few among us can completely forgive an offense against us. There always seems to be some lasting resentment, some vestige of hurt. Prayer, then, is required that we might forgive, might overcome our human emotions. And Jesus in His wisdom has us pray daily “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” This aspect of the Lord’s prayer, then, is for strength to forgive as much as it is a prayer to be forgiven. We are praying that the Lord will help us restore a broken relationship with the person who has sinned against us. And note this is an apt prayer whether the person has asked for forgiveness or not. The prayer speaks to my own heart as the forgiver, and to the heart of the offender who has not yet apologized. So our attitude toward someone who has given offense must not be “I will not pray for, or forgive, them until they apologize,” but rather, “Father lead my heart to forgive even before it is asked of me.” For in this way we are like the Father who wants to forgive us, and we are like the Son who cried on the cross “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Notice here, Jesus does not forgive those responsible for His crucifixion, He pleads their case to the Father. Nor have these crucifiers sought forgiveness, but Jesus’ attitude toward them is full of love and willingness to forgive. Therefore, it should not really matter in your own mind whether someone who has offended you has apologized or not, you should already be seeking a willingness to forgive when it is asked of you. Of course, it is required of all who sin to seek forgiveness; but our attitude toward the unrepentant is to be the same as the Father and the Son: God is not willing that any should perish. Perhaps a reminder of the parable of the Prodigal Son is helpful. What was the father’s response when his wayward, and utterly sinful son returned home? Luke tells us the old man saw his son while he was “yet at a distance” and “had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). God is like the father in the story, He wants to forgive us; and if we show the slightest repentance, He will “run” to us and embrace us like a father who was recovered a lost son.38 That should be our attitude toward those who sin against us.

And Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Here is another of the key concepts of the Christian faith found in the Lord’s Prayer: temptation. What is temptation, who tempts us, and why? The early church was very concerned about these questions,

The first thing to understand is the difference between testing and temptation.

Context determines the translation. Fortunately, we have James on the question. James wrote, “Count it all joy my brethren when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2). Just a few verses later, James wrote, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James: 1:13). James uses the same Greek word in these two passages. In verse 2 it is translated test or trial; in verse 13 it is translated tempted.

There is no question that God tests us, gives Satan the power to tempt us. This is clear in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and of course, the lives of human beings in all times and places. Paul informs us that temptations are “common to men” (I Corinthians 10:13). But God does not allow that testing in the hope that we will fail, far from it. God allows the testing knowing that we can be victorious if we only so choose. Paul reminds us that “God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength…” (I Corinthians 10:13). It is Satan, in the tempting, who hopes we will fail. But if we persevere in faith, we are strengthened in that faith and serve as a positive example to others.

But Deliver Us From Evil

The proper translation of this line of the prayer should be “deliver us from the evil one.” In other words, deliver us from Satan. We should not understand this aspect of the Lord’s prayer as primarily seeking deliverance from temptations originating in our minds, or as a circumstance of the world. Rather, the Lord Jesus directs us to be aware of the power of the evil one, the god of this world, and pray specifically to be delivered from his schemes and temptations.

Understanding the Lord’s Prayer in this way, as primarily concerned with overcoming the awesome power of Satan, helps us to reconcile this petition, “deliver us from evil,” with James 1:2, “Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials.” The problem is straightforward: Jesus seems to tell us to pray to avoid evil or testing; James, along with other Scriptures, suggests we should count such moments as joy as we are being refined, improved, in the moment of trial.

Life is testing, the kingdom of Christ comes through pain and suffering. Evil is in the world and part of the human condition (Romans 3:23) Being a Christian means “signing on for a struggle and a battle,” not only with Satan, but also ourselves.51 The life of Jesus, as always, is our great example. And sometimes we are not spared the testing, but Second Thessalonians 3:3 tells us we will be strengthened when we face trials: “But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from evil.”

 For Thine is the Kingdom and Power and the Glory Forever, Amen