The Lord's Prayer

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The lord’s Prayer

Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary: The Lord’s Prayer Publication Staff Publisher & Executive Vice President Keith Gammons Book Editor Leslie Andres Graphic Designers Daniel Emerson Dave Jones Assistant Editors Katie Brookins Kelley F. Land

Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc. 6316 Peake Road Macon, Georgia 31210-3960 1-800-747-3016 © 2017 by Smyth & Helwys Publishing All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-64173-006-8

SMYTH & HELWYS BIBLE COMMENTARY

The Lord’s Prayer Nijay K. Gupta

Project Editor R. Scott Nash Mercer University Macon, Georgia

Old Testament General Editor Samuel E. Balentine Union Presbyterian Seminary Richmond, Virginia Supplemental Series Old Testament General Editor Mark McEntire Belmont University Nashville, Tennessee

New Testament General Editor R. Alan Culpepper McAfee School of Theology Mercer University Atlanta, Georgia Supplemental Series New Testament General Editors Peter Rhea Jones Mercer University Atlanta, Georgia Nijay K. Gupta Portland Seminary George Fox University Portland, Oregon

advance praise What a delight to have such a thoughtful and stimulating commentary dedicated to the Lord’s Prayer! Gupta’s depth of research and clear prose will serve readers for years to come. —Jonathan Pennington Associate Professor of New Testament Southern Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky

Nijay Gupta has written a volume about the Lord’s Prayer that offers a rare combination of solid exegesis with pastoral warmth. Gupta makes the prayer of all prayers come alive with careful exposition combined with insights from literature, history, and art. A truly judicious investigation of the theological dimensions and spiritual depth of the Lord’s prayer. —Michael F. Bird Ridley College Melbourne, Australia

Resonating with the rich heritage of prayer, Nijay Gupta’s commentary brings new light and vitality to reading Jesus’ most well-known prayer. Gupta’s approach combines practical wisdom gleaned from the Lord’s Prayer with intellectual depth and spiritual expression. In doing so, he has created a resource that will be meaningful for all kinds of readers! —Beth M. Stovell Associate Professor of Old Testament Ambrose Seminary of Ambrose University, Calgary, Alberta

Nijay Gupta has crafted a lovely volume on the Lord’s Prayer. He illumines this well-known prayer with attention to its back and front stories. Readers will appreciate Gupta’s clear exposition of the prayer in its Matthean and Lukan contexts, as well as rich contributions from its reception history—in word and image. This is a gem of a commentary. —Jeannine K. Brown Professor of New Testament Bethel Seminary

This is a commentary with texture! It is multi-grained bread for a bleached-bread world. Gupta deftly immerses the reader into the historical, exegetical, and theological riches of the Lord’s Prayer in a way that accentuates its relevance for every cultural context. The clarity and depth of the commentary sections alone are of surpassing insight and quality. But to these are added an expansive resource of sidebars and visuals that serve to capture the imagination of the interpreter and give freshness for sermon preparation. Professor Gupta’s work on the Lord’s Prayer is a must-read for scholars, pastors, and all who desire to plumb the depths of its meaning. Highly recommended! —Douglas Cullum Vice President and Dean Northeastern Seminary

How many of us have been taught to recite the “Our Father” or “The Lord’s Prayer” but never really reflect deeply on it? Nijay Gupta has not only offered all of us a comprehensive commentary on this famous prayer, but also teaches us about the practice of prayer itself. Gupta’s engaging work will educate as well as stimulate, as readers will come away with greater insight regarding the prayer as it appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Individuals, as well as groups, will find Gupta’s commentary a useful tool in their study of Scripture. —Dennis Edwards Senior Pastor, Sanctuary Covenant Church Minneapolis, Minnesota

I find it ironic that many Christians, myself included, have no recollection of ever memorizing the Lord’s Prayer. It seems as if it was just there, on our tongues, when we needed to pray it. At the height of Holy Communion, the Book of Common Prayer invites us weekly to pray together as the Lord taught us: “And now as our Savior Christ taught us to pray, we are bold to say.” The Lord’s Prayer is the gospel in prayer form. This recognition of the Prayer’s familiarity speaks to its importance, but also to its neglect; so as the saying goes: familiarity breeds contempt. Nijay Gupta’s commentary on the Lord’s Prayer attends to both realities by unpacking the prayer’s power through a thorough exposition of its petitions and by reasserting its importance for a Christian spirituality that is shaped by Jesus. Nijay’s commentary is well-researched and accessible and rich in theological insight. Nijay presents the Lord’s Prayer as an indispensable model for a Christian’s prayer life and as vital for Christian spiritual formation. —Joel Willitts Professor in Biblical and Theological Studies North Park University Chicago, Illinois

Nijay Gupta’s fine book brings together the best of scholarly study of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke and Matthew, a wide range of responses to the prayer from the Christian centuries, stunning visuals to illustrate points, and thoughtful reflection on the prayer’s implications for Christian living and praying today. It illuminates the prayer beautifully by engaging phrase by phrase from this wide range of angles. It is said that to communicate clearly, you must understand profoundly: this excellent study of the Lord’s Prayer accomplishes exactly that difficult art. Nijay Gupta has put thoughtful Christian people, as well as students, pastors, and professors, in his debt by his deep research and his clear and lucid writing. His book deserves a wide readership. —Steve Walton Professor of New Testament St Mary’s University, Twickenham (London)

Contents author’s preface xvii series preface xix how to use this commentary xxiii introduction 1

Our Father in Heaven

37



Let Your Name Be Sanctified

55



Let Your Kingdom Come, Let Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven

71



Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread

91



Forgive Us Our Sins

113



Lead Us Not into Temptation, Deliver Us from Evil

133

bibliography 153 index of modern authors 163

index of scriptures 165



index of sidebars and illustrations

169

index of topics 173

Dedication

For my parents, Dr. Mohinder and Sudesh Gupta

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS COMMENTARY Books of the Old Testament, Apocrypha, and New Testament are generally abbreviated in the sidebars, parenthetical references, and notes according to the following system. The Old Testament Genesis Gen Exodus Exod Leviticus Lev Numbers Num Deuteronomy Deut Joshua Josh Judges Judg Ruth Ruth 1–2 Samuel 1–2 Sam 1–2 Kings 1–2 Kgs 1–2 Chronicles 1–2 Chr Ezra Ezra Nehemiah Neh Esther Esth Job Job Psalm (Psalms) Ps (Pss) Proverbs Prov Ecclesiastes Eccl or Qoheleth Qoh Song of Solomon Song or Song of Songs Song or Canticles Cant Isaiah Isa Jeremiah Jer Lamentations Lam Ezekiel Ezek Daniel Dan Hosea Hos Joel Joel Amos Amos Obadiah Obad Jonah Jonah Micah Mic

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Abbreviations Nahum Nah Habakkuk Hab Zephaniah Zeph Haggai Hag Zechariah Zech Malachi Mal The Apocrypha 1–2 Esdras 1–2 Esdr Tobit Tob Judith Jdt Additions to Esther Add Esth Wisdom of Solomon Wis Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom Sir of Jesus Son of Sirach Baruch Bar Epistle (or Letter) of Jeremiah Ep Jer Prayer of Azariah and the Song Pr Azar of the Three Daniel and Susanna Sus Daniel, Bel, and the Dragon Bel Prayer of Manasseh Pr Man 1–4 Maccabees 1–4 Macc The New Testament Matthew Matt Mark Mark Luke Luke John John Acts Acts Romans Rom 1–2 Corinthians 1–2 Cor Galatians Gal Ephesians Eph Philippians Phil Colossians Col 1–2 Thessalonians 1–2 Thess 1–2 Timothy 1–2 Tim Titus Titus Philemon Phlm Hebrews Heb James Jas 1–2 Peter 1–2 Pet 1–2–3 John 1–2–3 John Jude Jude Revelation Rev

Abbreviations Other commonly used abbreviations include: ad  Anno Domini (“in the year of the Lord”) (also commonly referred to as ce = the Common Era) bc Before Christ (also commonly referred to as bce = Before the Common Era) C. century c. circa (around “that time”) cf. confer (compare) ch. chapter chs. chapters d. died ed. edition or edited by or editor eds. editors e.g. exempli gratia (for example) et al. et alii (and others) f./ff. and the following one(s) gen. ed. general editor Gk. Greek Heb. Hebrew ibid. ibidem (in the same place) i.e. id est (that is) LCL Loeb Classical Library lit. literally n.d. no date rev. and exp. ed. revised and expanded edition sg. singular trans. translated by or translator(s) vol(s). volume(s) v. verse vv. verses Selected additional written works cited by abbreviations include the following. A complete listing of abbreviations can be referenced in The SBL Handbook of Style (Peabody MA: Hendrickson, 1999): AB Anchor Bible ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary ACCS Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture AJT Asia Journal of Theology ANF Ante-Nicene Fathers ANTC Abingdon New Testament Commentaries AthR Anglican Theological Review BA Biblical Archaeologist BAR Biblical Archaeology Review

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Abbreviations BASP  Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists BBR Bulletin for Biblical Research Bib Biblica CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly ChrCent Christian Century Di Dialogue Enc Encounter ExpTim Expository Times HTR Harvard Theological Review HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual IBC Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching ICC International Critical Commentary IDB Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JETS  Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society JSJ Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Periods JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament JSPSup Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha: Supplement Series JTS Journal of Theological Studies KJV King James Version LXX Septuagint = Greek Translation of Hebrew Bible LW Living Word MDB Mercer Dictionary of the Bible MT Masoretic Text NAC New American Commentary NASB New American Standard Bible NEB New English Bible Neot Neotestamentica NIB New Interpreter’s Bible NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary NIV New International Version NovT Novum Testamentum NRSV New Revised Standard Version NTS New Testament Studies OGIS Orientis graeci inscriptiones selectae OTL Old Testament Library PRSt Perspectives in Religious Studies PSB Princeton Seminary Bulletin ResQ Restoration Quarterly RevExp Review and Expositor

Abbreviations RSV Revised Standard Version SBLSP Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers SP Sacra pagina TDNT  Theological Dictionary of the New Testament TEV Today’s English Version ThTo Theology Today TS Theological Studies WBC Word Biblical Commentary WTJ Westminster Theological Journal WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament

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Author’s Preface It has been my dream for many years to study the Lord’s Prayer in depth and write a theological commentary. What a privilege and joy to be able to work with the Smyth & Helwys team to turn this dream into a reality—with beautiful images included! More than any other project I have worked on, this one has been spiritually edifying as the church’s reflection on the Lord’s Prayer throughout the years encouraged me and challenged me in so many ways. First and foremost, I want to thank Keith Gammons and Scott Nash for prompting me to contribute to this series and for accepting my idea of a book on the Pater Noster. I would also like to thank George Fox University and Portland Seminary for offering a generous faculty grant for me to complete this book (GFU2016G09). Several other communities were crucial dialogue partners in this work including the Christian Forum class of Reedwood Friends Church and the students in my Portland Seminary prayer courses in 2016 and 2017. My wife, Amy, as well, has been a steady support throughout this project and inspires me to believe in the power of prayer. As for my children—Simryn, Aidan, and Libby—we have had many enriching conversations about the Lord’s Prayer in the last few years, and it gladdens my heart to hear them recite and pray it from memory. This book is dedicated to my parents: Dr. Mohinder Gupta and Sudesh Gupta. When I think about the parental love of God expressed in the Lord’s Prayer, I know that I am deeply shaped by their unreserved love for my family and me. —Nijay K. Gupta Portland, Oregon

SERIES PREFACE The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary is a visually stimulating and user-friendly series that is as close to multimedia in print as possible. Written by accomplished scholars with all students of Scripture in mind, the primary goal of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary is to make available serious, credible biblical scholarship in an accessible and less intimidating format. Far too many Bible commentaries fall short of bridging the gap between the insights of biblical scholars and the needs of students of God’s written word. In an unprecedented way, the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary brings insightful commentary to bear on the lives of contemporary Christians. Using a multimedia format, the volumes employ a stunning array of art, photographs, maps, and drawings to illustrate the truths of the Bible for a visual generation of believers. The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary is built upon the idea that meaningful Bible study can occur when the insights of contemporary biblical scholars blend with sensitivity to the needs of lifelong students of Scripture. Some persons within local faith communities, however, struggle with potentially informative biblical scholarship for several reasons. Oftentimes, such scholarship is cast in technical lan­ guage easily grasped by other scholars, but not by the general reader. For example, lengthy, technical discussions on every detail of a partic­ ular scriptural text can hinder the quest for a clear grasp of the whole. Also, the format for presenting scholarly insights has often been confusing to the general reader, rendering the work less than helpful. Unfortunately, responses to the hurdles of reading extensive commentaries have led some publishers to produce works for a general readership that merely skim the surface of the rich resources of biblical scholarship. This commentary series incorporates works of fine art in an accurate and scholarly manner, yet the format remains “userfriendly.” An important facet is the presentation and explanation of images of art, which interpret the biblical material or illustrate how the biblical material has been understood and interpreted in the past. A visual generation of believers deserves a commentary series that contains not only the all-important textual commentary on Scripture, but images, photographs, maps, works of fine art, and drawings that bring the text to life.

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The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary makes serious, credible biblical scholarship more accessible to a wider audience. Writers and editors alike present information in ways that encourage readers to gain a better understanding of the Bible. The editorial board has worked to develop a format that is useful and usable, informative and pleasing to the eye. Our writers are reputable scholars who participate in the community of faith and sense a calling to communicate the results of their scholarship to their faith community. The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary addresses Christians and the larger church. While both respect for and sensitivity to the needs and contributions of other faith communities are reflected in the work of the series authors, the authors speak primarily to Christians. Thus the reader can note a confessional tone throughout the volumes. No particular “confession of faith” guides the authors, and diverse perspectives are observed in the various volumes. Each writer, though, brings to the biblical text the best scholarly tools available and expresses the results of their studies in commentary and visuals that assist readers seeking a word from the Lord for the church. To accomplish this goal, writers in this series have drawn from numerous streams in the rich tradition of biblical interpretation. The basic focus is the biblical text itself, and considerable attention is given to the wording and structure of texts. Each particular text, however, is also considered in the light of the entire canon of Christian Scriptures. Beyond this, attention is given to the cultural context of the biblical writings. Information from archaeology, ancient history, geography, comparative literature, history of reli­ gions, politics, sociology, and even economics is used to illuminate the culture of the people who produced the Bible. In addition, the writers have drawn from the history of interpretation, not only as it is found in traditional commentary on the Bible but also in litera­ ture, theater, church history, and the visual arts. Finally, the Commentary on Scripture is joined with Connections to the world of the contemporary church. Here again, the writers draw on scholarship in many fields as well as relevant issues in the popular culture. This wealth of information might easily overwhelm a reader if not presented in a user-friendly format. Thus the heavier discus­ sions of detail and the treatments of other helpful topics are presented in special-interest boxes, or sidebars, clearly connected to the passages under discussion so as not to interrupt the flow of the basic interpretation. The result is a commentary on Scripture that focuses on the theological significance of a text while also offering

Series Preface

the reader a rich array of additional information related to the text and its interpretation. An accompanying CD-ROM offers powerful searching and research tools. The commentary text, sidebars, and visuals are all reproduced on a CD that is fully indexed and searchable. Pairing a text version with a digital resource is a distinctive feature of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. Combining credible biblical scholarship, user-friendly study features, and sensitivity to the needs of a visually oriented genera­ tion of believers creates a unique and unprecedented type of commentary series. With insight from many of today’s finest biblical scholars and a stunning visual format, it is our hope that the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary will be a welcome addition to the personal libraries of all students of Scripture. The Editors

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HOW TO USE THIS COMMENTARY The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary is written by accomplished biblical scholars with a wide array of readers in mind. Whether engaged in the study of Scripture in a church setting or in a college or seminary classroom, all students of the Bible will find a number of useful features throughout the commentary that are helpful for interpreting the Bible. Basic Design of the Volumes

Each volume features an introduction that provides a brief guide to information necessary for reading and interpreting the text: the historical setting, literary design, and theological significance. Each introduction also includes a comprehensive outline of the particular text under study. Each chapter of the commentary investigates the text according to logical divisions. Sometimes these divisions follow the traditional chapter segmentation, while at other times the textual units consist of sections of chapters or portions of more than one chapter. The divisions reflect the literary structure of the text and offer a guide for selecting passages that are useful in preaching and teaching. An accompanying CD-ROM offers powerful searching and research tools. The commentary text, sidebars, and visuals are all reproduced on a CD that is fully indexed and searchable. Pairing a text version with a digital resource also allows unprecedented flexibility and freedom for the reader. Carry the text version to locations you most enjoy doing research while knowing that the CD offers a portable alternative for travel from your office, church, classroom, and home. Commentary and Connections

As each chapter explores a textual unit, the discussion centers around two basic sections: Commentary and Connections. The analysis of a passage, including the details of its language, the history reflected in the text, and the literary forms found in the text, are the main focus of the Commentary section. The primary concern of the Commentary

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section is to explore the theological issues presented by the Scripture passage. Connections presents potential applications of the insights provided in the Commentary section. The Connections portion of each chapter considers what issues are relevant for teaching and suggests useful methods and resources. Connections also identifies themes suitable for sermon planning and suggests helpful approaches for preaching on the Scripture text. Sidebars

The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary provides a unique hyperlink format that quickly guides the reader to additional insights. Since other more technical or supplementary information is vital for understanding a text and its implications, the volumes feature distinctive sidebars, or special-interest boxes, that provide a wealth of information on such matters as: • Historical information (such as chronological charts, lists of kings or rulers, maps, descriptions of monetary systems, descriptions of special groups, descriptions of archaeological sites or geographical settings). • Graphic outlines of literary structure (including such items as poetry, chiasm, repetition, epistolary form). • Definition or brief discussions of technical or theological terms and issues. • Insightful quotations that are not integrated into the running text but are relevant to the passage under discussion. • Notes on the history of interpretation (Augustine on the Good Samaritan, Luther on James, Stendahl on Romans, etc.). • Line drawings, photographs, and other illustrations relevant for understanding the historical context or interpretive significance of the text. • P resentation and discussion of works of fine art that have interpreted a Scripture passage.

How to Use This Commentary

Each sidebar is printed in color and is referenced at the appropriate place in the Commentary or Connections section with a color-coded title that directs the reader to the relevant sidebar. In addition, helpful icons appear in the sidebars, which provide the reader with visual cues to the type of material that is explained in each sidebar. Throughout the commentary, these four distinct hyperlinks provide useful links in an easily recognizable design.

Alpha & Omega Language

This icon identifies the information as a language-based tool that offers further exploration of the Scripture selection. This could include syntactical information, word studies, popular or additional uses of the word(s) in question, additional contexts in which the term appears, and the history of the term’s translation. All nonEnglish terms are transliterated into the appropriate English characters. Culture/Context

This icon introduces further comment on contextual or cultural details that shed light on the Scripture selection. Describing the place and time to which a Scripture passage refers is often vital to the task of biblical interpretation. Sidebar items introduced with this icon could include geographical, historical, political, social, topographical, or economic information. Here, the reader may find an excerpt of an ancient text or inscription that sheds light on the text. Or one may find a description of some element of ancient religion such as Baalism in Canaan or the Hero cult in the Mystery Religions of the Greco-Roman world.

Interpretation

Sidebars that appear under this icon serve a general interpretive function in terms of both historical and contemporary renderings. Under this heading, the reader might find a selection from classic or contemporary literature that illuminates the Scripture text or a significant quotation from a famous sermon that addresses the passage. Insights are drawn from various sources, including literature, worship, theater, church history, and sociology.

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Additional Resources Study

Here, the reader finds a convenient list of useful resources for further investigation of the selected Scripture text, including books, journals, websites, special collections, organizations, and societies. Specialized discussions of works not often associated with biblical studies may also appear here. Additional Features

Each volume also includes a basic bibliography on the biblical text under study. Other bibliographies on selected issues are often included that point the reader to other helpful resources. Notes at the end of each chapter provide full documentation of sources used and contain additional discussions of related matters. Abbreviations used in each volume are explained in a list of abbreviations found after the table of contents. Readers of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary can regularly visit the Internet support site for news, information, updates, and enhancements to the series at www.helwys.com/commentary. Several thorough indexes enable the reader to locate information quickly. These indexes include: • An Index of Sidebars groups content from the special-interest boxes by category (maps, fine art, photographs, drawings, etc.). • An Index of Scriptures lists citations to particular biblical texts. • An Index of Topics lists alphabetically the major subjects, names, topics, and locations referenced or discussed in the volume. • An Index of Modern Authors organizes contemporary authors whose works are cited in the volume.

Introduction The Lord’s Prayer made newspaper headlines in the last weeks of 2015. An advertisement from the Church of England featuring the Lord’s Prayer was banned from viewing at most UK cinemas due to fears that it could be offensive to the public.1 [Attending to the Lord’s Prayer] The advertisement was a brief video featuring a variety of Christians from different walks of life taking turns reciting and praying portions of the Lord’s Prayer. Attending to the Lord’s Prayer In the advertisement, because it was “In a word, the Lord’s Prayer is the greatest composed only of the Lord’s Prayer, martyr on earth. Everybody tortures and abuses it; few take comfort and joy in its proper use.” there was no talk of damnation or —Martin Luther hell, and no mention of the name of Jesus. The advertisement ended with “The Lord’s Prayer is often prayed but all too often by the words (written but not voiced), inattentive minds. . . . [R]epeating the Lord’s Prayer “Prayer is for everyone,” along with is a meaningless exercise unless one encounters it the website, justpray.uk. The debate as a guide for how to pray, what to pray, and in what spirit to pray, so that one’s life is changed accordabout whether the movie-viewing ingly.” —David Garland public should be subjected to religious ads notwithstanding, it is significant Martin Luther, LW 42.200, as cited in C. P. Arand, “‘The Battle Cry of to note that the Church of England Faith’: The Catechism’s Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer,” Concordia Journal 21 (1995): 42–65, at 42. chose this brief text from Matthew D. E. Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” RevExp 6:9-13 to represent the Christian faith 89 (1992): 215–28, at 215. and invite the British public to pray. There is, of course, strong precedent for interest in and emphasis on the Lord’s Prayer in the Christian tradition. It is widely acknowledged that these five verses happen to be the most well-known, most memorized, and most recited portion of Scripture since the inception of Christianity. Theologians from at least the third century until today have dedicated themselves to thorough study of this small prayer (and this commentary indeed carries on that tradition). Its importance can be traced to a number of reasons: it appears within Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (widely popular throughout the entire course of Christian history, but especially in the first few centuries of Christianity), and in Luke’s Gospel Jesus offers the prayer in response to the disciples’ request to be taught how to pray (Luke 11:2-4). Martin Luther made this comment about the inimitable nature of the Lord’s Prayer: “Since our Lord is the author of this prayer, it is without doubt the most sublime, the loftiest, and the

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The Lord’s Prayer

most excellent. If he, the good and faithful Teacher, had known a better one, he would surely have taught us that too.”2 If Luther underscores the superlative nature of the Lord’s Prayer, Bonhoeffer acknowledges its comprehensiveness: “All the prayers of the Holy Scriptures are summed up in the Lord’s Prayer and are taken up into its immeasurable breadth.”3 It is not so much that the Lord’s Prayer teaches Christians about the nature of prayer per se as that there has been a pervasive and long-standing assumption that it teaches the essence of Christian theology and spirituality. In Augustine’s Enchiridion, he uses the Pauline triad of faith, hope, and love to outline the Christian faith. Under the heading of “faith” he discusses matters pertaining to the creed. Under “love” he examines the Decalogue. And Christian “hope” is explained by reference to and exposition of the Lord’s Prayer.4 The Lord’s Prayer holds a special place in my own life as well. I came to faith as a teenager, and one of the earliest memories of my Christian faith involves a high school Latin Club field trip to Italy. We spent a day in Vatican City, and I distinctly recall standing near St. Peter’s Basilica huddled together with a few other believers from our school as we prayed the Lord’s Prayer. I was so young in my faith and my knowledge of Scripture that I barely had the words committed to memory, but there was something unmistakably reverent about praying the prayer at that time and in that space. It is remarkable that this prayer is prayed by millions and millions of men, women, and children across the globe every day, in some cases several times a day. (In fact, the Didache instructed the prayer to be recited, in Hall and Napier’s old English translation, “thrice in the day”; 8:3). The purpose of this book is to penetrate deeply into this short prayer because I believe, along with so many before and around me, that it does indeed capture something central to the Christian faith, particularly regarding the nature and theology of prayer and the Christian life. We will endeavor to examine the Lord’s Prayer not only historically as a prayer of Jesus (or of the Jesus tradition) from the first century but also canonically and theologically. While I will study and comment on both Luke’s and Matthew’s texts, I’ll give more attention to the latter given its priority in Christian tradition. In this introduction, we will begin with the Jewish prayer tradition, starting with the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible), and continuing to the development of Jewish traditions in the Second Temple period. [The Lord’s Prayer, by Chris Taylor]

Introduction The Lord’s Prayer, by Chris Taylor As Lil Copan recounts, artist and musician Chris Taylor was driving home in a state of despondency and anxiety. When he spotted a bumper sticker that read, “Jesus loves you,” he scoffed at it. Nevertheless, he felt led to pray the Lord’s Prayer. Reflecting on that moment Taylor said, “Forgot I even know it . . . how simple and encompassing it is.” Later he drew this picture. Lil Copan, “On Art,” ChrCent (23 January 2013): 47.

Artwork by Chris Taylor www.christaylorworld.com

Jewish-style Worship: Prayer in the Old Testament and Early Judaism

It ought not to be too controversial to say that the Lord’s Prayer is a Jewish-style prayer. Before making full sense of it (or as close as we are going to get), it behooves us to study the biblical, Jewish roots of its orientation, language, worldview, and theology. The Personal and Covenantal God We must begin with the fact that Israel always viewed prayer as conversation and worship in communion with a personal God. The God who spoke to Jacob in a dream revealed himself this way: “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac” (Gen 28:13).5 Again, to Moses he introduced himself as “the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exod 3:6). And, of course, it was on this same occasion that he communicated to Moses his personal name (Exod 3:14).6

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The Lord’s Prayer

Along these same lines, the God of Israel committed himself not only to hearing the prayers of his people but also to acting on behalf of their well-being. When they were slaves in Egypt, suffering under Pharaoh’s cruelty, “God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exod 2:24). In Deuteronomy, the compassion of God is affirmed: “When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression” (Deut 26:6-7). With this in mind, Samuel Balentine’s core statement about prayer in the Hebrew Bible is apropos: “Prayer is the quintessential dialogue of faith in which God and humanity work in partnership to maintain covenant relationship.”7 Balentine emphasizes that this relationship must be viewed as a genuine partnership, a two-way street of life together. Israel is committed to exclusive worship and obedience, and Yahweh promises loyalty and good will. This does not mean the covenantal partners are “equals”—Yahweh, after all, is the initiator and suzerain (sovereign). But Balentine’s point is that “both parties have responsibility for the maintenance of the partnership. It cannot be sustained in its fullest form by either party alone.”8 This “dialogical” conception of covenant is significant for a Jewish view of prayer. Both parties have a voice and a role to play; neither can disregard the appeals of the other and maintain the relationship as it is intended to be. If either God or Israel does not participate in the dialogue, then communication fails and the relationship is impoverished by silence. . . . God cannot and does not use the divine prerogatives of power to reduce Israel’s response to monotones of praise, submission, or silence. Such limitations of human response effectively eviscerate genuine covenant relationship, substituting instead enforced obedience or passive devotion.9

Because of the covenantal commitment of Yahweh, he has made himself accessible to the people. But that does not mean he becomes a magic genie in a bottle, ready to grant wishes with the snap of a human finger or the utterance of a prayer. He responds to the prayers of the obedient and righteous (Prov 15:29). But to those with calloused, hard hearts, he refuses to listen. He despises superficial prayer (Isa 29:13) and rejects the sacrifice of the wicked (Prov 15:8). In order to explore (however briefly) the rich tradition of Jewish prayer arising out of the life of Israel and inspired by Jewish

Introduction

Scripture, we will examine three biblical texts: the Shema (Deut 6:4-9), the Priestly Blessing (Num 6:23-27), and the Psalter. The Shema

The title “Shema” comes from the first Hebrew word of Deuteronomy 6:4: Shema Israel—“Hear, O Israel . . . .” HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates. (Deut 6:4-9, JPS)

This text has played a central role in the history of Jewish worship for many centuries. Its use in Jewish prayer is discussed in early rabbinic texts, but most scholars presume that the regular practice of praying the Shema daily goes back even further.10 Josephus appears to make reference to the recitation of the Shema “twice daily” out of commemoration and gratitude to God for his freeing them from slavery in Egypt and bestowal of many blessings (Ant. 4.212).11 The Letter of Aristeas also mentions the placement of “oracles upon our gates and doors as a remembrance to God, and upon our hands too” (Aristeas 158–59). Furthermore, Jews are to meditate on the works of God when lying down and rising again (Aristeas 160). If you stop and consider the matter, the Shema is not actually a prayer in the traditional sense—it states a series of divine expectations on Israel. However, as S. J. Cohen trenchantly explains, these expectations became central to Jewish liturgy and prayer because “they represent some of the core ideas and commandments of Judaism.”12 We will briefly explore the significance of the Shema in three parts: The Lord Is One (6:4), Love (6:5), and the Debarim-Commitment (6:6). The Lord Is One. A literal rendering of the Hebrew text of 6:4 would read, Lord our God Lord One. The JPS (see above) renders this “the LORD is one” (cf. NIV). The RSV has “The LORD our God is one LORD.” The NRSV reads, “The LORD our God, the LORD alone.” Is the emphasis meant to fall on the oneness of God in and of himself? Or is it more about Israel committing to only

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The Lord’s Prayer

one God in covenantal worship and obedience? Or both? Richard Nelson points to three options discussed by scholars: (a) The Lord is unique, i.e., “Yahweh is to be Israel’s ‘one and only.’” (b) The Lord is incomparable, i.e., “unrivaled and unparalleled by any god.” (c) The Lord’s nature is unitary, i.e., “singleness, internal oneness, and absence of plurality.”13 Probably, when this text was first recorded, it was not meant to be a testimony to monotheism (the belief in only one god), though it eventually came to be identified with that perspective by the Second Temple period. Rather, in the context of Deuteronomy, it points to the exclusive focus on and worship of Yahweh as Israel’s God. Even if we elevate uniqueness (a) as most forefront in the Shema, it is only because the Lord is incomparable (b) and can be counted on because of his integrity (c). As Gerald Janzen aptly summarizes, the Lord can be confessed as one “in the sense that Yahweh can be relied upon to act in the future in a manner consistent with Yahweh’s past actions and consistent with past promises whose fulfillment is as yet outstanding.” 14 Ultimately, then, acknowledging publicly and prayerfully the “oneness” of God testifies to his sovereign supremacy and utter trustworthiness. To pray “the LORD our God, the LORD is one” is to reaffirm the covenant, recognizing the liberation, outreach, and love of God for Israel. Walter Moberly offers a stimulating discussion of the Shema in his Old Testament Theology, urging that the “oneness” of God noted in 6:4 ought to be interpreted in light of the call to love God in 6:5. He refers to the use of “one” in Song of Solomon 6:9: “My dove, my perfect one, is the only one.” The previous verse in Song of Solomon mentions the possibility of countless lovers, but his focus is on this one alone (see 6:8). Moberly draws a connection then to the Shema; because Yahweh is Israel’s “one and only,” she is called to “unreserved love.”15 Love. This brings us to the emphasis in Deut 6:5 on love. Here the reference is not merely to a kind of sappy, Hallmark-greetingcard love; rather, it is to covenantal love.16 So, Moshe Weinfeld explains, “Although love between God and Israel involves also affection and emotion, the practical meaning of the command of love is loyalty and obedience.”17 The Shema offers a comprehensive call to love with heart, soul, and might. Heart refers to the seat

Introduction

of the will and mind, and the emotional core. Soul does not mean “spiritual self ” in the Old Testament. Rather, here it better involves a “do-or-die” commitment, a willingness to cling to Yahweh even in the face of death. As for “might,” it could be understood as all things at our disposal: our wealth, our time, and so forth.18 Debarim-Commitment. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 could be understood as a fleshing out, an explaining of how one loves God with the whole self, i.e., by meditation on, passing down of, and obedience to the commanding words of God. In Hebrew, debarim means “words.” This word appears in 6:6 for the covenantal “words” that must be remembered. Further, most scholars think that when the Shema refers to “words,” the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) repeated in Deut 5:1-21 is in mind. 19 The Shema has been prayed in such a way that the whole covenantal law is assumed, however, thus the book of Deuteronomy is known in Jewish tradition as Debarim.20 Again, it should be kept in mind that the Decalogue begins with the reminder that the Lord brought them out of Egyptian slavery (5:6). Also, the commandments and prohibitions are not about following particular moral laws per se, but more about becoming like God in his righteousness (6:25), similar to Jesus’ own statement: “Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matt 5:48).21 The idea behind immersing oneself in meditation on these debarim (all day, all places, with all kinds of people) is to thrive in the new land (6:10): “Do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the LORD swore to your ancestors to give you.” Again, the giving of the covenantal law, the debarim of life, was “for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive” (6:24). Why pray these things? Why so often and so comprehensively? Perhaps we could take a cue from the narrator of the film The Shawshank Redemption: “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.” Better yet, St. Paul: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity” (Rom 12:2, J. B. Phillips). [Tefillin and the Shema] The Priestly Blessing

One of the most influential prayers in the Old Testament comes from Numbers 6:22-27, known as the “priestly blessing” or the “Aaronic blessing.”

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The Lord’s Prayer Tefillin and the Shema Orthodox Jews often wear “tefillin,” small boxes containing sacred texts in observance of the command from Deut 6:8 to bind the commandments to the head. In addition to the inclusion of the Shema in the tefillin, one would find Exodus 13:1-10; 13:1116; and Deut 11:12-21. Sydney Harris (photographer). Hasidic Jews wearing tefillin and tzitzit, 1981. Tefillin are small boxes containing passages of religious text written on parchment scrolls. They are attached with leather straps and worn during prayer. Tzitzit are woven shawls. (Credit: HIP / Art Resource, NY)

Image Not Available due to lack of digital rights. Please view the published commentary or perform an Internet search using the credit below.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

This short benediction has played an important role in the liturgical traditions of Israel and the early church.22 Around the time of the New Testament, this blessing was given at the morning and evening sacrifices of the temple. The Mishnah instructs this blessing to be given at the close of synagogue services.23 Ultimately, this prayer-blessing acknowledges the goodness and generosity of God, the one who loves, guides, protects, and teaches. As Dennis Olson observes, the final word aptly encapsulates the spirit of the blessing, namely that the God of Israel is a God of shalom (peace) who desires that his people prosper and thrive.24 [A Liturgical Adaptation of the Priestly Blessing in the Dead Sea Scrolls]

Psalms

It would be impossible to properly discuss “Jewish prayer” without giving serious attention to the Psalms. The book of Psalms is often referred to as the “hymnbook of the Second Temple”—that is, Jews in the Greco-Roman era made a special, central place for the Psalms in their personal and corporate worship.25 When Judas Maccabeus and his brothers instituted a festival commemorating the purification of the temple after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes, they did not compose a new song to mark this occasion; rather, they chose Psalm 30 (164 BCE).26 Recitation of psalms

Introduction A Liturgical Adaptation of the Priestly Blessing in the Dead Sea Scrolls May He bless you with all good and preserve you from all evil May He lighten your heart with life-giving wisdom and grant you eternal knowledge May he raise his merciful face towards you for everlasting bliss . . . And the Levites shall curse all the men of the lot of Satan, saying: Be cursed because of all your guilty wickedness May He deliver you up for torture at the hands of the vengeful Avengers May He visit you with destruction by the hand of all the Wreakers of Revenge Be cursed without mercy because of the darkness of your deeds Be damned in the shadowy place of everlasting fire May God not heed when you call on Him, nor pardon you by blotting out your sin May he raise His angry face towards you for vengeance May there be no peace for you in the mouth of those who hold fast to the Fathers. 1QS ii 2-4: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/gopher/other/courses/rels/225/Texts/1QS. See further B. Nitzan, Qumran Prayer and Religious Poetry (vol. 12; Boston: Brill, 1994) 148–49.

would have occurred in temple liturgy, and some would be sung as Jews made pilgrimage to Jerusalem for festivals (e.g., Pss 84; 120–134). 27 Psalms also would have been frequently used in private prayer as well.28 It should be rather obvious to anyone who has read the Gospels that Jesus had a special fondness for the Psalms. Famously, he repeated the words of Psalm 22 while hanging on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1; Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34). In conversation he often quoted from the Psalms (e.g., Ps 118:23; Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17). When Jesus and the disciples sang a hymn at the Lord’s Supper, there is good reason to believe that they used psalms customarily sung at Passover.29 The Psalms rival Isaiah as the book most often quoted or alluded to by the New Testament writers in general.30 Why did the Psalms become such popular spiritual liturgy for Jewish and Christian worship? From a Christian perspective, Walter Brueggemann argues that the Psalms became central in worship because of their unique function and form as “dialogical literature,” that is, literature that “expresses both sides of the conversation of faith.” On the one hand, Israel’s faithful speech addressed to God is the substance of the Psalms. The Psalms do this so fully and so well because they articulate the entire gamut of Israel’s speech to God, from profound praise to the utterance of unspeakable anger and doubt. On the other hand, as Martin Luther understood so passionately, the Psalms are not only addressed to God. They are a voice of the gospel, God’s good word addressed to God’s faithful people. In

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The Lord’s Prayer this literature the community of faith has heard and continues to hear the sovereign speech of God, who meets the community in its depths of need and in its heights of celebration. The Psalms draw our entire life under the rule of God, where everything may be submitted to the God of the gospel.31

Brueggemann also highlights one of the most attractive and enriching aspects of the Psalms: it shows transparently the raw emotions of the people of God. Brueggemann calls the psalmist speeches “abrasive, revolutionary, and dangerous.” Throughout the Psalter, we bear witness to Israel’s “churning, disruptive experience of dislocation and relocation.”32 This is prayer unedited, so to speak. The Psalms remind us that God does not require pomp and he does not appreciate making a The Power of the Psalter “show of prayer.” He deserves the highest, “Perhaps one reason for the enduring power of most joyous praise, and he deserves—and the Psalter, despite its troubling aspects, is its blistering honesty; not only does the Psalter not shrink can certainly handle—honest lament and from owning negative emotions, but it also does not articulated anguish. [The Power of the Psalter] underplay the experience of abandonment by God voiced Of course the Psalms have played a role in the laments that dominate the first third of the Psalter.” in inspiring many Christian hymns and —Ellen Charry songs, and liturgies, but in the Protestant Ellen T. Charry, Psalms 1–50 (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible; tradition the book has largely fallen out of Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2015) xix. private interest and use—perhaps out of concern that mindless repetition of psalms might be vain. However, in recent years we have seen a strong resurgence of inspiration to recover the regular use of the Psalms in worship and prayer (even in non-liturgical churches). As Eugene Peterson reminds us, it has been the perspective of many theologians that the psalmists offer a kind of expert training in prayer: “they are the prayer masters.”33 Brueggemann similarly explains that “the words of Scripture bring power, shape, and authority to what we know about ourselves.”34 Because it is the case that Jesus prayed the Psalms (and presumably knew many of them by heart, as other Jews of his time certainly did), a closer study of the Psalms for us today will undoubtedly give deep insight into the themes and perhaps even the formation of the Lord’s Prayer. For example, when Jesus teaches that we ought to address God as “our Father,” there may be a reminiscence here of Psalm 68:5, remembering God as “Father of orphans and protector of widows.” Or note that Psalm 89 refers to David as the Lord’s anointed slave who is blessed with the loyalty and mercy of God; David will cry out, “You are my Father, my God” (89:26a). David’s children, even when they sin and must face chastisement from God, will never lose the divine promise

Introduction

of steadfast love and faithfulness pledged to David (Ps 89:33). [Someone

Else’s Words?]

The Kaddish The Kaddish (or Qaddish) is a Jewish prayer of praise (traditionally recited in Aramaic) still used today but dating back in some form to early Judaism. New Testament scholars tend to compare this in length and even thematically to the Lord’s Prayer. We do not have certainty about the earliest version of the Kaddish, but a common reconstruction is as follows: “Magnified and sanctified be his great name in the world he created according to his will. May he establish his kingdom during your life and during your days, and during the life of all the house of Israel, speedily and in the near future. Amen.”35 Today the Kaddish is commonly used in Jewish funeral liturgy, no doubt because of its eschatological outlook.

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Someone Else’s Words? The challenge for many with praying the psalms verbatim is a challenge also to some who do not wish to say the Lord’s Prayer verbatim. In fact, John Rogerson tells a story where he, as an Anglican, was asked to speak to a Brethren church. He was told in no uncertain terms that he must refrain from using or even mentioning the Lord’s Prayer lest it amount to “vain repetitions” about which Jesus warned in Matt 6:7. Is it really so dangerous praying with someone else’s words? Perhaps some are afraid that doing so means that I have no words to say for myself. However, this is wrong-headed. Perhaps we are concerned with legalism or lack of authenticity. But think about it this way: when Valentine’s Day or a wedding anniversary comes around, why do most of us buy a card? I hope it is not purely out of convenience! With the best of intentions, we buy a card hoping that someone else has the right words for our occasion. We want something especially beautiful and poetic, just the right words. We, of course, add our personal note in the card, but the romantic poem on the cover expresses our hearts with more poignancy than we ourselves could muster alone. In that sense these cards act as “duets”—ancient and/or artistic words combined with our own personal touch. So too many see the Psalms and the Lord’s Prayer as inspired words that can uniquely express our own hearts and something to which we can add our own words, because “some of the most important things we want to say remain just a little beyond even our best words.” J. W. Rogerson, The Art of Biblical Prayer (London: SPCK, 2011) 71. Quoted portion from N. T. Wright, A Case for the Psalms (New York: HarperOne, 2013) 3.

The Eighteen Benedictions In addition to the Kaddish, another prayer that was known to be in regular communal use in early Judaism was the Eighteen Benedictions (also called the Amidah). The Eighteen Benedictions were recited during the temple sacrifices. According to Jewish tradition, the Eighteen Benedictions trace their origins back to the time of Ezra. The Eighteen Benedictions are too lengthy to reproduce in full here, but of special interest to the study of early Jewish and Christian prayer, we may note here the eschatological and messianic themes: And to Jerusalem, your city, return in mercy, and dwell in it as you have spoken; rebuild it forever soon in our days and speedily establish in it the throne of David. Blessed are you, O Lord, who rebuild Jerusalem.

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The Lord’s Prayer Speedily cause the offspring of your servant, David, to flourish, and let his horn be exalted by your salvation, because we wait for your salvation always. Blessed are you, O Lord, who cause the horn of salvation to flourish.36 Jesus and Prayer

According to the four Gospels, and especially Luke’s witness, Jesus was a man of prayer.37 We will examine Jesus’ understanding and practice of prayer under four headings: Jesus and Jewish-style Prayer, Jesus’ Personal Prayer Life, Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer, Jesus’ Crisis Moments in Prayer. Jesus and Jewish-style Prayer While the Gospels do not explicitly mention Jesus’ participation in the traditional prayer practices of Israel, we can comfortably presume so much from his commitment to the Torah, the temple, and the synagogue.38 Thus, Grant Osborne is probably correct when he asserts, “As a pious Jewish Yahweh worshipper, [Jesus] would have prayed three times a day (at the times of the morning and afternoon sacrifices and in the evening) as well as saying the blessing at meals.”39 Above we have mentioned the Shema, the Psalms, the Kaddish, and the Eighteen Benedictions. Undoubtedly Jesus was influenced significantly by the Shema and the Psalms. We can also presume that he was formed by the Jewish liturgy of his time and context. Specifically concerning the Eighteen Benedictions, there appear to be strong parallels between Jesus’ prayer teaching and benedictions 1, 6, and 14.40 Benediction 1: Blessed are you, Lord Our God and God of our fathers; God of Abraham God of Isaac and God of Jacob; The great God, powerful and revered; Exalted God, owner of heaven and earth; Our shield, and shield of our fathers; Our refuge in all generations. Blessed are you, Lord, shield of Abraham. Benediction 6: Forgive us our Father, For we have sinned against you. Blot out and remove our transgressions From before your eyes,

Introduction For your compassion is great. Blessed are you Lord, who abundantly forgives. Benediction 14: Have compassion, Lord our God, With your great compassion, Upon Israel your people, And upon Jerusalem your city, And upon Zion, the dwelling of your honor, And upon your Temple. And upon your Residence, And upon the royal house of David, Your righteously anointed one. Blessed are you Lord, God of David Builder of Jerusalem.

Jesus’ Personal Prayer Life41 Though we rarely get a glimpse of Jesus in communal prayer, we know much more about the personal prayer life of Jesus, and James Dunn’s comment is apt: “a religious man is most truly himself in his private prayers.”42 We learn that Jesus liked to pray in isolated places where he could be free from distractions; thus, Luke writes, “He would withdraw to deserted places and pray” (Luke 5:16; see Mark 6:46//Matt 14:23; cf. Mark 1:35). Many times he prayed alone (Luke 9:18), but often enough his disciples went searching for him and found him (Luke 11:1)! We also learn from Luke that he took Peter, John, and James on the mountain so they could pray together (Luke 9:28). Furthermore, it should not be overlooked that he prayed for his disciples (Luke 22:32). Perhaps here we can briefly note that Jesus prayed with confidence and a sense of intimacy with God, clearly demonstrated in his use of the Aramaic term Abba (a term of endearment for one’s father) in prayer in Mark 14:36.43 The significance of this phenomenon passes into early Christian tradition such that the followers of Jesus also can cry out “Abba, Father” in prayer through the Spirit (Gal 4:6; cf. Rom 8:15). Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer44 Jesus offered much instruction to his disciples on prayer. They should pray for (as in “bless”) those who persecute and harass them (see Matt 5:44). Children should also receive blessings (Matt 19:13). Jesus criticizes any type of prayer that attempts to be “showy” or smacks of superficiality (Matt 6:5). Instead, as we will see with his instructions regarding the Lord’s Prayer (in the Sermon

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The Lord’s Prayer

on the Mount), prayer should focus on the audience of God alone; the sincerity of the heart is more important than the exact words used. In terms of the meaning of prayer, Jesus acknowledges that prayer with faith is powerful (Matt 21:22; Mark 9:29). One can and should pray for divine strength in the midst of weakness (Luke 21:36). The pray-er ought to show perseverance and commitment to prayer, knowing that he or she is loved and heard (Luke 18:1-9). One of the most powerful teachings Jesus gives in respect to prayer is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

The reminder is issued here that God honors a humble and contrite spirit and rejects the proud and self-inflated. Jesus’ Crisis Moments in Prayer We catch Jesus, in the Gospels, in the midst of a few crisis points where he commits himself to prayer. The first occasion is the selection of the disciples, where Luke informs us that Jesus went to a mountain and spent the whole night in prayer (Luke 6:12). The second “crisis” happens in the Garden of Gethsemane—Jesus takes along disciples to be with him and, as Patrick Hartin observes, he spends his last night there in prayer to his Father.45 When he goes off by himself, we are told he throws himself on the ground to pray, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want” (Matt 26:39). He returns to the disciples to find them asleep. He expresses disappointment, exhorts them, and withdraws again to pray. On the second occasion of prayer in the garden, Luke tells us that Jesus was “in anguish” and prayed “more earnestly” (Luke 22:44). Jesus prays yet another time before he is arrested (Matt 26:44).

Introduction

The final key moment of prayer in crisis is the collection of prayers and cries from the cross.46 Again, it is insightful to observe these last words of Jesus as prayers. • “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34; Matt 27:46) • “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34) • “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46) In comments we read in some of the Patristic writers, there is a tendency to portray the prayer life of Jesus as if it is play-acting for our benefit; that is, Jesus did not need to pray to God but rather he modeled prayer for us. Perhaps one might get a sense of this from a text like John 11:41-42, but an examination of the whole scope of Jesus’ prayers and teachings on prayer in the Gospels shows a man who prayed to commune with and rely on God. The Lord’s Prayer: The “Very Words” of Jesus?

Does the Lord’s Prayer (in Matthew or Luke) contain the “very words” of Jesus? While this subject will not occupy a central place in this commentary, it is worth addressing the matter of the Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane Masaccio (1401–1428), Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, 1424–1425. Tempera on wood. Lindenau-Museum, Altenburg, Thuringia, Germany. [Credit: Web Gallery of Art/wikimedia commons, Wikimedia Commons, PD-Art (PD-old100)]

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The Lord’s Prayer

memory and recording of the Lord’s Prayer(s): do we have the “very words” of Jesus? One of the reasons theologians throughout history have found this text especially significant is because it is a teaching from Jesus himself. But to what degree can we claim that these are Jesus’ words? If one were to consult the Jesus Seminar, the prospect would be discouraging. According to the scholars of the Jesus Seminar, we can only be sure that, of the whole LP, Jesus himself said, “Our Father.”47 But most scholars think that there is reason to tie this prayer to Jesus. For example, the Greek word for “daily” in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3 is epiousios; it is an unusual word, extraordinarily rare in fact, almost without precedent in the Greek-speaking world before these occurrences (see pp. 94–97). This seems to point in favor of an Aramaic origin to the prayer, translated later into Greek. In terms of the overall content of the Lord’s Prayer(s), again many scholars agree that the themes found therein reflect what we know about the message of the historical Jesus. As Davies and Allison write, the LP coheres well with what we otherwise know of Jesus’ proclamation. For example, he spoke of God as Father, announced the coming of the kingdom, and was much concerned with the forgiveness of sins . . . . [T]hey were the very heart of what Jesus was all about and therefore are parThe Lord’s Prayer in Real Life ticularly appropriate in a short Sometimes prayer can be a kind of escapist activity—we prayer composed by him.48

want to get away to pray—and we should sometimes, just as Jesus did. But we must be careful not to fall into a trap of thinking prayer and “real life” do not intersect. That would lead to a dualistic way of life. No matter how you feel about the political sentiments in the following story, take note of the way the LP appears in the midst of life. On May 17, 1968, the Catonsville Nine, which included two Catholic priests, went into the Selective Services offices in Catonsville, Maryland, and burned several hundred draft records in a direct action against the Vietnam War. They were arrested, tried, and found guilty of destroying government property. After the nine were sentenced, one of the priests, Dan Berrigan, asked the judge if the Lord’s Prayer could be recited. All in the courtroom, including the judge and prosecuting attorneys, rose and joined in the prayer.

Dan Berrigan and his brother were both sentenced to several years in prison. S. Claiborne, J. Wilson-Hartgrove, and E. Okoro, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010) 282.

Making an argument to prove that either Matthew’s LP or Luke’s is the words of Jesus is obviously difficult. Some believe it is possible that Jesus gave both of these on different occasions. Others think that the core of the LPs is based on Jesus’ teachings but is developed and shaped by Matthew and Luke respectively.49 [The Lord’s Prayer in Real Life]

Matthew

Key Themes of Matthew It is rather obvious when we look at the works of the Apostolic

Introduction

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Fathers and the patristic theologians The Lord’s Prayer that Matthew was the early church’s favorite Gospel; it is given prominence of place in lists and is cited and commended extensively. Ignatius of Antioch drew from Matthew in his writings (e.g., Ignatius, Eph. 19.2; Smyrn. 1.1). The Didache too appears to be influenced by Image Not Available Matthew (see Did. 1.1; 7.1; 8.2). As Ian due to lack of digital rights. Boxall observes, it appears that scribes Please view the published tended to harmonize disagreements commentary or perform an Internet search using the among the Gospels by conforming them credit below. to Matthew.50 Partly this popularity is due to the church’s tradition that the disciple Matthew was responsible for this Gospel. Furthermore, its structure and content made it profitable for Christian instruction, particularly its extensive inclusion of Jesus’ own teachings. The Sermon on the Mount is a centerpiece Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727–1804). The Lord’s Prayer. Photo by Thierry Le of Jesus’ instruction in Matthew, and, Mage. Private Collection. (Credit: © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY) of course, the Lord’s Prayer is contained therein. A number of important themes can be associated with Matthew’s Gospel. First, when the early Christian theologians assigned angelic faces corresponding to the heavenly creatures of Ezekiel 1:10 (cf. Rev 4:7), Matthew was represented by the human face—probably connected to the messianic identity of Jesus, Jesus as son of David. Another prominent theme in Matthew is the emphasis on the fulfilled unique presence of God, Immanuel, God with us (so Matt 1:23; cf. 28:20). Third, Matthew (as narrator) and the Jesus of his Gospel refer to and cite Old Testament Scripture prolifically with an emphasis on fulfillment. Furthermore, there is an overall positive perspective on the Old Testament Law, just as Jesus confesses, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Matt 5:17). Finally, it is worth mentioning—and again this may have contributed to its overall popularity—that Matthew is the only Gospel that specifically refers to the “church” (ekkl∑sia). Matthew 16 offers this word of institution from Jesus: “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (16:18). In Matthew 18, the church is mentioned several times in association with reconciliation in the community.

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The Lord’s Prayer “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times” (Matt 18:15-22).

Prayer in Matthew Above we have already given attention to the prayer life of Jesus and his teachings on prayer in the Gospels, so in the interest of avoiding redundancy we will only address here information that is unique to Matthew’s Gospel or pertains to his editorial tendencies. Matthew offers numerous occasions where prayer is involved. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that his followers are meant to pray for their persecutors (5:44), implying that this should be done with the attitude of loving your enemy. Luke’s Gospel has a similar teaching, but rather than expressing that one must pray for his or her enemy, Jesus instructs his disciples to love their enemies (Luke 6:27). The story of Jesus blessing the children is found in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matt 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 17:15-17). Mark’s account is the longest, and after Jesus rebukes his disciples for turning the children away, Mark writes this: “And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying hands upon them” (10:16). In Luke’s version, the story ends with Jesus’ words of rebuke, and it is implied that Jesus goes on to bless them. In Matthew the end of the story reads as follows: “And he laid his hands on them and went away” (19:15). The assumption is that this entails how he blessed them, with the laying on of his hands and prayer (see Matt 19:13). Both Matthew and Luke contain Jesus’ teachings on faith that can do amazing things (see Luke 17:6; Matt 17:20), but Matthew addresses this more than once and links it to prayer more directly. After telling his disciples that their intrepid faith could topple a

Introduction

mountain, Jesus adds, “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive” (Matt 21:22). The Sermon on the Mount and the Lord’s Prayer The Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:3–7:27) is the most famous portion of the Gospel of Matthew and perhaps the most wellknown set of teachings of Jesus in popular culture. Augustine is often credited with the title “Sermon on the Mount,” as it was the name he gave this section in his commentary on Matthew written in the late fourth century. There is no consensus about the structure of the Sermon on the Mount, but Mark Allan Powell offers a helpful outline. Introduction (5:3-16) Greater Righteousness (5:17-47) Private Piety (6:1-18) Further Exhortations (6:19–7:12) Conclusion (7:13-27)51 In terms of how the Sermon on the Mount “fits” within Matthew as a whole, it is important to note that it comes after Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom (see Matt 4:17) and the calling of his disciples (4:18-22). Following the Sermon on the Mount, chapter 8 is composed largely of stories of Jesus’ healings and miracles, but in the middle of the chapter we find Jesus’ sharp and sobering response to a would-be, hopeful follower: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (8:20). Here, as also throughout Matthew, Jesus places an emphasis on the challenge of discipleship and the “narrow road” to the kingdom. The Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13) appears in chapter 6, which can be divided into seven parts: Alms (6:1-4), Prayer (6:5-15), Fasting (6:16-18), Treasures (6:19-21), the Healthy Eye (6:22-23), Serving God (6:24), and Do Not Worry (6:25-34). What probably holds these seemingly disparate sections of chapter 6 together is the heading of “worship.” The Lord’s Prayer appears in the Prayer section (6:5-15). Jesus teaches his disciples first not to be like “the hypocrites” (hoi hypocritai). This Greek word hypocrit∑s can mean “actor” or “pretender.” As the word is used in the Synoptic Gospels, Allison and Davies are right to suggest that it carries that sense of “a conscious lack of integrity, of being two-faced.”52 The point for Jesus is that the “hypocrites” are placing the focus on winning glory, honor, and attention for their piety—their focus is on mortal

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popularity, not genuine worship of God. Only a hidden act (i.e., in private) can demonstrate that devotion is for God alone; of course, not all acts of worship and service need to be anonymous (see Matt 26:13). But in general the orientation of the heart ought to be squarely focused on God, as if with “blinders” on. The same goes for prayer. The hypocrites pray loudly in public as a spectacle, to be seen as pious (6:5). Jesus then commends private prayer (with the door shut!) as he introduces the Lord’s Prayer (6:6-13). That prayer is not only a private and personal matter is clear enough from the “our” of “Our Father”—Jesus certainly does not shun group prayer. Again, the focus is on praying in such a way that the heart and mind “tune out” any sort of artificial playacting for the sake of attention and vainglory, and the pray-er should “tune in” to God. Jesus warns his disciples to eschew “babbling like pagans” (Matt 6:7). It is unclear what practice Jesus is criticizing, whether it pertains to unintelligible (spell-like) utterances or to human-language prayers. In either case, the problem in this context is not so much the “what” of the praying as the focus on “many words” (polylogia). That is, prayer is not about coercing God via long-winded speeches but rather about honest prayer from the heart, openness and vulnerability before a God who already knows one’s need (6:8). 53 Rowan Williams also addresses this by noting that Christian prayer trusts that God is close and cares for us deeply. He writes, “Very near the heart of Christian prayer is getting over the idea that God is somewhere a very, very long way off, so that we have to shout very loudly to be heard. On the contrary: God has decided to be an intimate friend and he has decided to make us part of his family, and we always pray on that basis.”54 Prayer should not be in the way of manipulating God or shouting in hopes of being heard, but instead Jesus instructs his disciples to pray this way: 9bOur

Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And do not bring us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.55

Introduction

21

The organization of this prayer is rather straightforward. After the introductory address (Our Father . . .) there are a series of petitions, six or seven depending on whether verse 13 is broken down into separate requests. As F. Dale Bruner explains, the Greek Fathers counted six petitions broken into two sets of twos. The first set relates to the character and mission of God (6:9b-10). The second set concerns human need (6:11-13). The LP in Matthew represents a number of key themes highlighted in the First Gospel. First, the emphasis on heaven is notable, both for its prominence and its repetition. This can be combined with the LP’s reference to the coming of the “kingdom.” Matthew prefers the language of “kingdom of heaven” over “kingdom of God.” Some have suggested that Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven” out of reverence for the divine name, thus using “heaven” as a circumlocution.56 Jonathan Pennington has debunked this argument, questioning common assumptions about where, when, and how such reverential circumlocution practices took place.57 A fundamental weakness in the “circumlocution” argument is the fact that Matthew uses the word “God” (theos) several dozen times throughout his Gospel and also uses the phrase “kingdom of God” several times. 58 Pennington cogently argues The Elegance and Intention of the LP’s that one ought to treat Matthew’s language of Structure heaven not as the avoidance of something (like “Let us notice that their order is, in a certain sense, analogous to that of the the divine name) but as a term that is deeply Ten Commandments. There is a clear difference meaningful in and of itself. As Pennington sumbetween the first three and the last three. The marizes elsewhere, Matthew’s concern with the first three correspond to the first four “kingdom of heaven” treats that heavenly enviCommandments, and the last three to ronment as the perfect and unique dwelling Commandments five through ten.” —Karl Barth place of God untainted by sin and fallenness. “Jesus is into perfection in Matthew’s gospel, and Matthew’s appeal to the “kingdom of heaven” it is surely significant that the Lord’s Prayer has serves as a “contrast with all competing earthly seven clauses.” —David Wenham kingdoms, those of both Jewish leadership and K. Barth, Prayer (ed. D. E. Saliers; Louisville: Westminster John 59 the Roman Empire.” [The Elegance and Intention of Knox, 2002) 26. the LP’s Structure]

David Wenham, “The Sevenfold Form of the Lord’s Prayer in

The importance of forgiveness and mercy is Matthew’s Gospel,” ExpTim (2010): 377–82, at 380. also a representative theme in the LP. Though the “forgiveness” petition is not the final petition of the LP in Matthew, this is where Jesus picks up in the Sermon on the Mount: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (6:14-15). This subject is revisited in an extended way in Matthew 18:21-35, when Peter raises the matter of the limits of forgiveness (18:21-22). Jesus responds with the parable of the unforgiving servant, where the depiction

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of the kingdom of heaven underscores patience, compassion, and clemency. Another connection between Matthew 18:21-35 and the LP (6:9b-13) is the language of sin as debt and forgiveness as debt-cancelling.60 Some ancient manuscripts of the text of Matthew contain the familiar concluding doxology, “for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever.”61 However, this doxology (as well as variations found in a few other manuscripts) is absent from some of the earliest and best manuscripts. Thus, almost all English translations of Matthew’s LP omit it.62 How is it that Matthew’s LP became the dominant version of this prayer used in liturgical and ecclesial instruction throughout the years and today? There are probably three main factors. First, Matthew was widely popular in the early church probably due to its emphasis on the direct teachings of Jesus for the church. Second, the Sermon on the Mount drew significant interest and the LP is obviously a fundamental teaching within this material. Third, Matthew’s LP is recited and promoted in the Didache. But do not let your fasts coincide with those of the hypocrites. They fast on Monday and Thursday, so you must fast on Wednesday and Friday. Nor should you pray like the hypocrites. Instead, pray like this, just as the Lord commanded in his Gospel:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debt, as we also forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one; for yours is the power and the glory forever.”

Pray like this three times a day. (Didache 8:1-3) [The Lord’s Prayer in The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s Gospel “The LP is not the prayer of the self-sufficient but of those who know that they need to ask, to seek, and to knock (7:7). It is the prayer of the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, and those who long to do what God requires.” —David Garland D. E. Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” RevExp 89 (1992): 227.

Matthew’s Gospel]

Luke

Key Themes of Luke Luke’s Gospel complements Matthew in many ways, sometimes overlapping with stories and other times offering parables, narrative

Introduction

information, and other nuances that give it a distinctive shape and theology. Luke, for example, is insistent about the way God works in time and works out his promises and salvific actions to redeem his creation. Even from the first verse, Luke explains how this story focuses on “what has been fulfilled among us . . .” (1:1). In Jesus’ life and ministry, Scripture is fulfilled (4:21), God has engaged the completion of his work (13:32), and salvation has reached even the most unexpected places (19:9). As Jesus himself explained to his disciples when he appeared to them after his death, the Messiah must suffer and rise on the third day to fulfill the Scriptures (24:44-46). Another key concern for Luke is the Holy Spirit as the power of God to bring about redemption and new creation. The Spirit empowers John the Baptist with the passion of Elijah (1:15). The Spirit enables Mary to bring forth the Savior (1:35). The Spirit inspires Zechariah to prophesy (1:67) and Simeon to recognize the infant Messiah (2:28). Only Luke refers to Jesus as “full of the Holy Spirit” (4:1; cf. 4:14; 10:21; Acts 11:24). Luke famously gives special attention to and concern for the lowly and the marginalized. When Mary utters her song of praise, she wonders at God’s favor towards “the lowliness of his servant” (1:48). Salvation is described as God bringing the powerful down from their thrones and raising up the humbled (1:52). There is, to give another example, extra attention given to the despised Samaritan. In Luke’s parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan—over and against a proper Jewish priest and Levite—is the prime example of mercy and compassion towards the helpless (10:30-37), and in the story of the ten lepers, the only healed leper who returned to thank Jesus was a non-Jew, specifically a Samaritan (17:16). Prayer in Luke While Christians are more familiar with Matthew’s LP than with Luke’s, the Gospel of Luke carries a stronger interest in worship overall; in fact, it is sometimes called the “Gospel of Prayer.” This is especially evident in the early chapters of Luke. The Gospel introduces the pious Jews Zechariah and Elizabeth right away. Zechariah serves as a priest, and in the midst of worship and service to God he receives an angelic visit. The angel tells Zechariah that God has heard his prayer for a child (1:13). In chapter 2 we learn of the elderly prophetess Anna, who never left the temple; she “worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day” (2:37).

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As for Jesus, during his baptism Luke informs us that the heavens parted and the Spirit descended as Jesus was praying (3:21). During his ministry, Jesus slipped away to an isolated place to pray (5:16), and before the selection of his disciples he prayed to God overnight on a mountain (6:12). He also had occasion to spend intimate time in prayer with only his closest disciples (9:18). All of the Synoptic Gospels recount the Transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:2-8; Matt 17:1-8), but only in Luke is it explicitly stated that the purpose of ascending the mountain with Peter, John, and James was prayer. And only Luke says that Jesus’ appearance was transformed while he was praying (9:29). As for Jesus’ teaching, Luke alone offers the parables of the widow and the unjust judge (18:1-8) and of the Pharisee and the tax collector (18:9-14). At the close of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus appears to his disciples and commissions them (24:49). Furthermore, he leads them into Bethany, raises his hands, and offers a blessing over them. The Gospel ends with these words: “While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God” (24:51-53). Luke’s Version of the Lord’s Prayer Given that Matthew’s LP is found in the Sermon on the Mount, one might assume that Luke’s LP is within his Sermon on the Plain (6:17-49), but it is not. It appears in Luke 11:1-4, just after the parable of the Good Samaritan and Luke’s account of Jesus’ interaction with Martha and Mary (10:38-42). Luke’s eleventh chapter commences with Jesus praying and his disciples asking him afterwards, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (11:1). This is the only place in the Gospels where his disciples ask Jesus to teach them about prayer. Jesus immediately responds with this shorter version of the LP: When you pray, say: 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 indebted to us. And do not bring us into temptation. (11:2b-4)

Introduction

Features of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke There are obvious similarities in Luke compared with Matthew’s version. Roy Hammerling presents this structure: Introduction [Father] First Petition [hallowed be your name] Second Petition [Your kingdom come] Third Petition [Give us each day our daily bread] Fourth Petition [And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us] Fifth Petition [And do not bring us into temptation]63

Luke does not include two petitions that are in Matthew, the divine will petition and the divine deliverance petition. In terms of textual criticism, we get a clear sense that some scribes either confused Luke’s LP with Matthew’s or simply wanted to harmonize the two. In either case, we see textual variants that make Luke’s version more like Matthew’s—for example, adding “our” to Luke’s “Father.”64 A more peculiar variant involves the inclusion of a whole clause—“May your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us”— instead of “Your kingdom come” (Luke 11:2d). Marcion, Gregory of Nyssa, and Maximus the Confessor add this clause (or something similar), and it appears as well in minuscules 700 and 162. Metzger treats this variant as a “liturgical adaptation” of the LP “used perhaps when celebrating the rite of baptism or the laying on of hands.”65 In any case, it is unlikely to be original to Luke’s text. While, in the course of this work on the LP, you will find that more attention is given to Matthew’s longer version, we will not neglect Luke, especially connecting with the theological interests of Luke’s Gospel overall. Perseverance in Prayer in Luke 11:5-13 If Matthew 6 transitions from the LP to focus more specifically on the subject of forgiveness, then Luke 11 concentrates on persistence and perseverance in prayer. Without formal transition, Jesus immediately launches in 11:5 into a parable-like scenario involving a friend in need of food (for a guest), but who asks at midnight. The presumption is that if the person gets out of bed to supply this bread, it is not primarily because he is a friend but “because of his [the guest’s] persistence he will get up and give whatever he needs” (11:8). Jesus here is encouraging his disciples not to pester God in prayer but to approach God with a searching and desperate longing. As for God, he is not reluctant or unresponsive; he is a

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The Lord’s Prayer

gracious heavenly Father who loves to provide for and even pour out blessings upon his children (11:11-13). “Pray This” or “Pray Like This”?

One of the reasons the LP has been so important in the Christian tradition is because it is a teaching that is given directly by Jesus (and not an apostle or a later theologian). Thus, the Matthean LP is commonly committed to memory in many Christian communities. But was it meant to be memorized and repeated verbatim? Another way to raise this matter is to consider the phrase in Matthew 6:9a. When Jesus tells his disciples to pray “this way,” does it mean “pray this exactly” or “pray like this”? Is the LP intended to be a rote prayer or a model for prayer? Given that we have both a Matthean version and a Lukan version, it appears that the latter is more likely. Indeed, early theologians like Origen and Tertullian seemed to take it this way.66 Origen wrote, “I have shown that the Lord’s Prayer is an outline for prayer; that it contains two parts, one heavenly, the other earthly; that it has no fixed text; that it is a communal prayer; that private petitions may follow it; and that it is to be prayed three times a day.”67 Dale Allison defends this “model” perspective with appeal to eighth-century Nestorian bishop Isaac of Nineveh, who said, If someone says that we should recite the prayer uttered by our Saviour in all our prayers using the same wording and keeping the exact order of the words, rather than their sense, such a person is very deficient in his understanding . . . . Our Lord did not teach us a particular sequence of words here; rather, the teaching he provided in his prayer consists in showing us what we should be focusing our minds on during the entire course of this life.68

There were many throughout history who ascribed some kind of special quality to the words of the LP, especially the version in Kids Say the Darndest Things Matthew—the appearance of portions of the LP (par“[T]here are those of us who ticularly the final petition) on ancient magical amulets pick up, through childhood or attest to a certain superstitious inclination towards through brief contact with Christian treating the words themselves as efficacious (see p. faith, concepts that stay with us for 134). But the context of Jesus’ introduction to the LP years. For some it is the Lord’s Prayer, in Matthew (don’t babble, use few words, focus on depenwhich they understood from an early age as ‘Our Father who are in heaven, dence on God) defies such assumptions. Thus, it is rather Harold is thy name’ or ‘But deliver us clear that Jesus was not teaching his disciples a certain from Mabel.’” —David Wilkinson set of words to repeat. Nevertheless, we can affirm Leon D. Wilkinson, When I Pray, What Does God Do? Morris’s perspective that using the words themselves is (Oxford: Monarch, 2015) 43.

Introduction The Orante The ancient Roman catacombs are home to many Christian bodies as well as numerous pieces of art that inform us today about early Christian thought and worship. One common image is that of the Orante, or the praying woman. Apparently this image depicted the soul at peace. Catacomb of Priscilla. Lunette with orante. (Credit: Scala / Art Resource, NY)

Image Not Available due to lack of digital rights. Please view the published commentary or perform an Internet search using the credit below.

Praying woman. Catacomb of Calixtus, Rome, early 4th C. Frescoe. [Credit: Talbar/ Wikimedia Commons, PD-Art (PD1923)]

not wrong per se as long as one understands the meaning of the teaching and does not feel constrained by these words alone.69 [Kids Say the Darndest Things] [The Orante]

A Basic Guide to the Reception of the Lord’s Prayer

One of the reasons I have been fascinated with the LP is the formative role it has played in Christian thought and practice, from the earliest period of Christianity, throughout every age, and into the present. It is no exaggeration to say that the LP is the most formative piece of religious literature in all of Christian history! Here I offer a brief guide to the fascinating reception of the LP.70 Leaving aside the New Testament itself, we have already mentioned the space given to the LP (at least what appears to be Matthew’s version) in the Didache. Tatian’s Diatesseron (2nd century) also included the Matthean LP.71 The earliest extant commentary on the LP comes from Tertullian in the early third century. Cyprian also penned a study of the LP, dependent on Tertullian’s work, for the education of Christian leaders, and his work has become known for concentrating on the theme of unity

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The Lord’s Prayer

of the church.72 Credit goes to Origen for the longest exposition of the LP in the early church, and his work was also unique insofar as Origen gave attention to both Matthew and Luke. Origen also apparently treated the LP as an “outline” for prayer.73 In the fourth and fifth centuries, the interest in the LP focused primarily on teaching for those seeking baptism, so we have treatises from Ambrose, Cyril of Alexandria, and Peter Chrysologous in this category. Cyril too apparently used the LP to teach against heretics such as the Nestorians. Hammerling comments that Augustine had a special fondness for the LP. Augustine “wrote more about the LP than any author before him and almost every author after him down to the time of the Reformation.”74 Dozens of Augustine’s writings mention or bear obvious influence from the LP, but his Letter 130 (to Proba) addresses the LP most directly, as he responds to a request for teaching on Christian prayer. Augustine wrote about the LP, “Run through all the words of the holy prayers, and I do not think that you will find anything in them that is not contained and included in the Lord’s Prayer.”75 Gregory of Nyssa and Theodore of Mopsuestia also taught on the LP in this period, and the LP is obviJohn Cassian on “Our Father” ously addressed in the Opus Imperfectus in “We are saying ‘Father, make us such as to Mattaeum, a fifth-century commentary deserve knowledge and understanding of how holy you are, or at least let your holiness shine forth in the on the First Gospel. Hammerling notes spiritual lives we lead.’” how the monk John Cassian moved away In M. Levering, ed., On Prayer and Contemplation (Lanham: Sheed & Word, from the traditional focus on the LP as a 2005) 25–37, at 32. guide to verbal prayer; Cassian used the LP in a more mystical fashion, believing it to teach how to pray in the Holy Spirit.76 [John Cassian on “Our Father”] Throughout the medieval period the LP was used in various ways as part of Christian catechesis and the exposition of Christian doctrine. In the Reformation period it maintained central significance, especially as “direct” teaching from Jesus. Martin Luther emphasized the basics of prayer using the LP in his shorter catechesis. John Calvin covered the LP in his Institutes of the Christian Religion and on several other occasions including the Geneva Catechism, his commentaries on Matthew and Luke, and numerous sermons.77 The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) includes questions and answers on the Lord’s Prayer under the theme of Christian gratitude (the other subsection in this part being the Decalogue). John Wesley also referred to the LP numerous times in his works, but he dedicated a major exposition to it in his Sermon 26 on the Sermon on the Mount (and of course brief comments appear in his famous study notes on the Bible).

Introduction

29

Mention too could be made of Hugh Latimer’s sixteenthcentury book Certayn Godly Sermons Made Uppon the Lords Prayer, Erasmus’s devotional reflections on the LP in Precatio Dominica in Septem Portiones Distributa, or Offspring Blackall’s Practical Discourses on the Lord’s Prayer. In 1891, F. H. Chase published a critical reception work titled The Lord’s Prayer Christian Reverence for the Lord’s Prayer “The veneration of the early church given in the Early Church (Cambridge University to the celestial mystery and power of the Press). In the modern period, some of the LP helped to promote it as the most frequently most important treatments of the LP come discussed text of the Christian scriptures down from Karl Barth,78 Bonhoeffer’s short work on through the Reformation.” —R. Hammerling prayer with regard to the LP and the Psalms,79 R. Hammerling, The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church (New York: Palgrave-MacMillan, 2010) 5–6. Joachim Jeremias’s critical works on The Lord’s Prayer and The Prayers of Jesus, 80 Finger-Ring Set with the Lord’s Prayer and liberation theologian Leonardo Boff ’s The Lord’s Prayer: The Prayer of Integral Liberation. 81 [Christian Reverence for the Lord’s Prayer]

Praying the Lord’s Prayer: Theological Perspectives

Image Not Available due to lack of digital rights. Please view the published commentary or perform an Internet search using the credit below.

Most Christians know that prayer is much more than bringing a grocery list of requests before God—God do this, God do that. We cannot Finger-ring set with the Lord’s Prayer. England, 1676. Calligraphy on paper, rock treat prayer simply as using God as crystal, champlevé enamel work. British Museum, London, Great Britain. (Credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum / Art Resource, NY) our genie in a bottle to get certain things done. God is God, and we This small ring contains the LP in tiny print and dates to 1676. are his creatures. But there is also While this demonstrated remarkable craftsmanship for its time a concern that we might err on the (and thus would have been expensive and a mark of wealth), it may have served as a holy object to ward off evil. The original opposite side of shying away from owner, Sir Hans Sloane, is known to have collected various objects coming to God in prayer because we with healing or mystical properties. do not want to disturb him—he is too important, awesome, and glorious to pay any attention to “little old me.” To put the matter more directly, what right do we have to tell God, Do your will, bring your kingdom? Karl Barth answers this question by pointing to Jesus Christ: “By Jesus Christ, humanity is in the presence of God.”82 Barth himself found inspiration from John Calvin, who argued that “we pray through the mouth of Jesus.”83 Jesus speaks for us, and we are privileged to have our voice heard through the Son of God “because of what he has suffered in obedience and faithfulness to his Father.”84 So, when we pray the LP, Jesus is not just inviting us to pray the LP after him but also to

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pray it with him. I like to imagine that Jesus Christ in his service as advocate for humanity pours out from his mouth and heart a constant river of prayers to the Father. When we pray, we are given the privilege of pouring our small buckets Prayers for Real Life of prayers into that vast river, knowing the “Anyone who later comes up against insoluble current runs directly to God. [Prayers for Real problems and despair must remember that the Shema of Israel and the Lord’s Prayer were prayed in Auschwitz.” —J. Moltmann

Life]

Rowan Williams offers a similar perspective in his reflections on prayer in Being Christian. He says that for Christians, prayer is about “let[ting] Jesus’ prayer happen in you.”85 Williams says, “Put yourself in the place of Jesus.” I refer to this as “vicarious Christology,” the notion that Jesus Christ creates a place for us to meet God. Williams notes how it might seem strange, even ambitious, to put ourselves in the place of Jesus. But he explains it this way:

J. Moltmann, The Crucified God: The Cross of Christ as the Foundation and Criticism of Christian Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993) 416.

Jesus speaks to God for us, but we speak to God in him. You may say what you want—but he is speaking to the Father, gazing into the depths of the Father’s love. And as you understand Jesus better, as you grow up a little in your faith, then what you want to say gradually shifts a bit more into alignment with what he is always saying to the Father, in his eternal love for the eternal love out of which his own life streams forth.86

When we think about praying the LP in these terms, we are reminded that we lean and depend on God. Barth points to Luther, who said “we must all be destitute, for we are A Greek Orthodox Perspective on the Lord’s Prayer faced by a great void and have everything to “The Lord’s Prayer is a true confession of receive and learn from God.”87 Thus, prayer faith. In terms of its content, it basically is grace; “what matters,” Barth explains, “is sums up all the riches of the Orthodox theological not that our prayers be forceful, but that God tradition in particular. Both in its dogmatic, moral, listens to them. That is why we pray.”88 [A Greek and spiritual aspects, and also in terms of its form, it is a masterpiece, displaying perfect harmony, a rigorously articulated structure and an impeccable internal logic. Divine in its origin, human in its form, simple, short and accessible to everyone, the Lord’s Prayer remains forever a model of prayer unsurpassed by any other. In the patrimony of Christian spirituality, in public or individual worship, and in the realm of catechetics or homiletics, there is no prayer more comprehensive and more complete. It is a perfect summary of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” —N. Dumitrascu N. Dumitrascu, “The Lord’s Prayer in Eastern Spirituality,” Di 52/4 (2013): 349–56, at 355.

Orthodox Perspective on the Lord’s Prayer] [Recommended Reading on the Gospels, Matthew, Luke, and the Lord’s Prayer]

Introduction Recommended Reading on the Gospels, Matthew, Luke, and the Lord’s Prayer Jesus and the Gospels Barton, S. C. The Spirituality of the Gospels. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1992. Gaventa, B. R. and R. B. Hays, ed. Seeking the Identity of Jesus: A Pilgrimage. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008. Pennington, J. T. Reading the Gospels Wisely. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012. Matthew Brown, J. Matthew. Teach the Text. Grand Rapids, Baker, 2015. McKnight, S. Sermon on the Mount. Story of God Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013. Powell, M. A. God with Us: A Pastoral Theology of Matthew. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995. Luke Garland, D. E. Luke. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. Gonzalez, J. The Story Luke Tells. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015. The Lord’s Prayer Eastman, S. G. “The Lord’s Prayer.” Pages 79–90 in Prayer. Edited by D. Marshall and L. Mosher. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 2013. Garland, D. E. “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” RevExp 89 (1992): 215–28. Hammerling, R. The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church. New York: Palgrave-MacMillan, 2010. Kreeft, P. The Lord’s Prayer. New Haven CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2001. Stewart-Sykes, A., ed. Tertullian, Cyprian and Origen: On the Lord’s Prayer. New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004. Wright, N. T. The Lord and His Prayer. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

Notes 1. For a sample news report see http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/23/europe/lordsprayer-advert-banned-star-wars/. 2. LW 42; as cited in M. J. Haemig, “Practical Advice on Prayer from Martin Luther,” Word & World 35/1 (2015): 22–30, at 25. 3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, Prayerbook of the Bible (DBW 5; ed. G. B. Kelly; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996) 157. 4. See J. Pelikan, Credo: Historical and Theology Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003) 161; Enchir. 30; quoting Jeremiah 17:5, Augustine argues that the Lord’s Prayer pertains to hope because “cursed is everyone who rests his hope in man.” 5. All quotes from Scripture are from the NRSV unless otherwise specified. 6. See C. Seitz, “Prayer in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible,” in Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament (ed. R. N. Longenecker; Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2001) 3–22, at 12. 7. S. E. Balentine, Prayer in the Hebrew Bible: The Drama of Divine-Human Dialogue (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993) 271. 8. Ibid., 262. 9. Ibid., 262, 263. 10. Reference is often made to the Nash Papyrus from Egypt, a text dating to the second century BCE containing the Decalogue and the Shema. While it is unclear how

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The Lord’s Prayer this papyrus was used, some speculate that it was folded and placed in tefillin. Tefillin (also called “phylacteries”) are small receptacles worn during prayer that contain texts of the Decalogue and the Shema; see E. S. Alexander, Gender and Timebound Commandments in Judaism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013) 153–54; also Yehudah B. Cohn, Tangled Up in Text: Tefillin and the Ancient World (Providence: Brown University Press, 1998) 67–68; in general see S. J. Cohen, From Maccabees to the Mishnah (3rd ed.; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2014) 63. 11. Some scholars dispute that Josephus has the Shema in mind; see Tessel M. Jonquiere, Prayer in Josephus (Boston: Brill, 2007) 46. 12. Cohen, Maccabees to the Mishnah, 63. 13. See R. D. Nelson, Deuteronomy (OTL; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002) 89. 14. G. Janzen, “The Claim of the Shema,” Enc 59 (1998): 243–57, at 244. 15. See R. W. L. Moberly, Old Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2013) 18–20. 16. See J. Levinson, The Love of God: Divine Gift, Human Gratitude, and Mutual Faithfulness in Judaism (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2015). 17. M. Weinfeld, Deuteronomy 1–11 (AB; New York: Doubleday, 1991) 351; see similarly J. G. McConville: “Love of Yahweh as covenantal loyalty is fleshed out in Deuteronomy in a specific way, namely as gratitude for him for his special love towards and deliverance of them” (Deuteronomy [Apollos; Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002] 142). 18. This is articulated well by Dean McBride, “The Yoke of the Kingdom: An Exposition of Deuteronomy 6:4-5,” Int 27 (1973): 273–306; repeated in P. D. Miller, Deuteronomy (IBC; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1990) 102–103. 19. My personal preference is to refer to the “Ten Commandments” as the “Decalogue” because the latter means “ten words,” testifying to the fact that Jews consider the first “word” of ten to be, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” It is significant that the first word is not a command but a statement of God’s active love for his people; see P. D. Miller, The Ten Commandments (IBC; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2009) 15. 20. Often the Jewish name of Scriptural books comes from one of the first Hebrew words of the book; debarim is the second word in 1:1, “These [are the] words that Moses spoke to all Israel . . . .” 21. See McConville, Deuteronomy, 121. 22. Even within Scripture, for example, R. Kessler argues that Malachi 1:6–2:9 was probably written with Num 6:23-27 in mind; see “The Unity of Malachi,” in Perspectives on the Formation of the Book of the Twelve (ed. R. Albertz, J. Nogalski, and J. Woehrle; Berlin: De Gruyter, 2012) 223–36. Also, two metal plates were discovered in 1979 that contain the text of Num 6:24-26, the plates dating back to the seventh century BCE. T. C. Vriezen and A. S. van der Woude argue that these plates probably served as amulets; see Ancient Israelite and Early Jewish Literature (trans. B. Doyle; Boston: Brill, 2005) 17. 23. See D. T. Olson, Numbers (IBC; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2012) 40. 24. Olson, Numbers, 42; see also D. L. Stubbs, Numbers (Brazos Theological Commentary; Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2009) 77–78.

Introduction 25. See B. K. Waltke and J. M. Houston, with E. Moore, The Psalms as Christian Worship (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010) 24–26. 26. See R. J. Clifford, Psalms 1–72 (Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries; Nashville: Abingdon, 2002) 157–58. 27. See J. Penner, Patters of Daily Prayer in Second Temple Period Judaism (Leiden: Brill, 2012) 49. 28. Lawrence Schiffmann notes that it became customary among Jews to recite psalms prior to the morning call to prayer. Schiffmann cites second-century sage Rabbi Yose ben Halafta’s famous dictum: “May my lot be among those who complete a Hallel every day” (see b. Sabb. 118b); see “Hallels, Midrash, Canon, and Loss,” in Psalms in Community (ed. H. W. Attridge and M. E. Fassler; Atlanta: SBL, 2003) 33–57, specifically 33–38. There is also some evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls that points towards personal use of the Psalms—see 4Q393.1-2, ii.2-4. 29. See D. Hagner, Matthew 14–28 (WBC; Waco: Word, 1995) 2.774. 30. The New Testament writers collectively quote about forty different psalms a total of over sixty times. 31. W. Brueggemann, The Spirituality of the Psalms (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2002) 1–2. 32. W. Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit (2nd ed.; Eugene OR: Cascade, 2007) 7. 33. E. Peterson, Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer (New York: HarperCollins, 1989) 3–4. 34. Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms, 2. 35. See A. Avery-Peck and J. Neusner, The Routledge Dictionary of Judaism (New York: Routledge, 2004) 121. 36. As cited in G. W. E. Nickelsburg and M. E. Stone, eds., Early Judaism: Texts and Documents on Faith and Piety (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2009) 194. 37. For two helpful (brief) studies of Jesus and prayer, see I. H. Marshall, “Jesus—Example and Teacher of Prayer in the Synoptic Gospels,” in Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament (ed. R. N. Longenecker; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001) 113-–31; S. J. Grenz, Prayer: The Cry for the Kingdom (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1988) 11–17. 38. The connection between Jesus and communal prayer may be made in reference to his affirmation of the temple as a “house of prayer” (Matt 21:13). See further on the subject of Jesus and Jewish prayer, M. N. A. Bockmuehl, This Jesus: Martyr, Lord, Messiah (London: T & T Clark, 1994). 39. G. Osborne, “Moving Forward on Our Knees: Corporate Prayer in the New Testament,” JETS 53/2 (2010): 243–67, at 247. 40. It is impossible to reconstruct the text that would have been in use in the time of Jesus. For our purposes, it will suffice to draw from a Geniza fragment translated by David Instone-Brewer; see “The Eighteen Benedictions and the Minim before 70 CE,” JTS 54 (2003): 25–44. 41. On the subject of Jesus’ prayers, see B. J. Dodd, Praying Jesus’ Way (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997). 42. J. D. G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975) 15.

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The Lord’s Prayer 43. So Dunn claims, “we can say with confidence that Jesus experienced an intimate relation of sonship in prayer. He found God characteristically ‘Father’; and this sense of God was so real, so loving, so compelling, that whenever he turned to God it was the cry ‘Abba’ that came most naturally to his lips” (Jesus and the Spirit, 26); see also Bockmuehl, This Jesus, 127. See pg. 44, “Praying to Our Abba.” 44. See especially D. Crump, Knocking on Heaven’s Door: A New Testament Theology of Petitionary Prayer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006) 1–157. 45. P. J. Hartin, Exploring the Spirituality of the Gospels (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2011) 51. 46. We will exclude the Johannine last words of Jesus as they are not clearly addressed to God (John 19:26-30). 47. See R. W. Funk and R. W. Hooker, eds., The Five Gospels (New York: Macmillan, 1993) 148. The Jesus Seminar is a group of critical biblical scholars especially active in the 1980s and 1990s. Famously they voted on the various passages of the canonical Gospels, deciding whether they were historical or not. The result was an extremely minimalist collection of sayings and activities of Jesus. 48. W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison, Matthew (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1988) 1.593; see also C. Blomberg, Matthew (NAC; Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1992) 119. 49. So Hagner, Matthew, 1.146. 50. I. Boxall, Discovering Matthew: Content, Interpretation, Reception (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015) 2. 51. This outline is merely a distillation of some of Powell’s judgments and comments; the outline itself is not given by Powell; “Sermon on the Mount,” NIDB 5.179. 52. Allison and Davies, Matthew, 1.580. 53. See J. Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005) 285. 54. R. Williams, Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014) 66. Martin Luther was particularly critical of any sense of vain prayer. He wrote, “In the past . . . we did not know how to pray but knew only how to chatter and to read prayers. God pays no attention to this.” Luther also says, “You must not pray haphazardly or simply shout to the wind. Then you would mock and tempt God. It would be better not to pray at all, than to pray like the priests and monks.” See Haemig, “Practical Advice,” 25. 55. The English translation of the LP as I have cited it here is from the NRSV, but I have included the alternative translation gloss provided by NRSV for the petition “do not bring us into temptation.” See pp. 133–45. 56. See, e.g., this argument made by Mitchell Reddish, Introduction to the Gospels (Nashville: Abingdon, 1997) 128; also G. R. Osborne, Matthew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010) 110, n. 9. 57. See J. Pennington, Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew (ed. C. W. Morgan and R. A. Peterson; Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009) 11–98. 58. See Pennington, Heaven and Earth, 35. 59. Pennington, “Heaven in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts,” in Heaven and Earth, 63–82, at 69. See also pp. 75–78 in this commentary. 60. See N. Eubank, Wages of Cross-Bearing and Debt of Sin: The Economy of Heaven in Matthew’s Gospel (New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2013). See further in this commentary, pp. 115–21.

Introduction 61. K L W D Q P f 13; see B. M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (2nd ed.; New York: UBS, 1994) 13. 62. See Nolland, Matthew, 279, note g. 63. R. Hammerling, The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church (New York: PalgraveMacMillan, 2010) 12. 64. So found in uncials A C D K P W X D Q Y; see J. Nolland, Luke 9:21–18:34 (WBC; Dallas: Word, 1993) 2.610. 65. Metzger, Textual Commentary, 131. Dale Allison wonders whether this variant addition or explication arose as a reinterpretation of the kingdom petition because “as time passed, a prayer for the Spirit seemed more relevant to some.” Allison observes that Tertullian is the earliest witness to this variant (Marc. 4.26) and elsewhere makes the comment that Christians pray for the “postponement of the end” (Apol. 39). See D. C. Allison, Constructing Jesus: Memory, Imagination, and History (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010) 32. F. Bovon agrees with the majority of scholarship on this reading not being original, but he opens up the possibility that the Holy Spirit clause may have made its way into some traditions of the LP because it could have been an agraphon (a saying of Jesus not in the canonical Gospels) (see Bovon, Luke 2 [Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013] 87). 66. Cyprian writes, “May he who lives inside our heart be also in our voice, and since, when as sinners we ask forgiveness of our failings we have him as an advocate for our sins in the presence of the Father, let us set forth the words of our advocate. For since he said that whatever we ask from the Father in his name he will grant us, how much more effectively should we obtain what we ask in the name of Christ if we ask it using his own prayer?” (in Tertullian, Cyprian and Origen: On the Lord’s Prayer [trans. A. Stewart-Sykes; New York: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004] 66). 67. See G. J. Bahr, “The Use of the Lord’s Prayer in the Primitive Church,” JBL 84 (1965): 153–59 at 156. 68. Isaac of Ninevah, The Second Part 14.36, cited in D. C. Allison, The Sermon on the Mount: Inspiring the Moral Imagination (New York: Crossroads, 1999) 132. Allison also points to early theologians such as Theodore of Mopsuestia, Catechetical Homilies 11.3, 5. 69. L. Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992) 242. 70. I am deeply indebted to the work of Hammerling, The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church. See also K. Froehlich, “The Lord’s Prayer in Patristic Literature,” in The Lord’s Prayer: Perspectives for Reclaiming Christian Prayer (ed. D. L. Migliore; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993) 71–88. 71. Matthew’s LP also appears in the Syriac Apocryphal Acts of Thomas (4th century?). 72. Hammerling, The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church, 32; also Junghoo Kwon, “Cyprian, Origen and the Lord’s Prayer: Theological Diversities between Latin West and Greek East in the Third Century,” AJT 26/1 (2012): 56–87, at 57. 73. Bahr, “Use,” 156. 74. Hammerling, The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church, 46. 75. Augustine, Catechesis of the Catholic Church 2762; as cited in P. Kreeft, The Lord’s Prayer (New Haven: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2001) 5.

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The Lord’s Prayer 76. Hammerling, The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church, 117. 77. See W. H. Neuser, “Exercitium Pietatis—Calvin’s Interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer,” Acta Theologica Supplementum 10 (2008): 95–107. 78. Barth, Prayer. 79. D. Bonhoeffer, Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible. 80. J. Jeremias, The Lord’s Prayer (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1964); The Prayers of Jesus (London: SCM, 1967). Mention here should also be made of Raymond Brown’s important “The Pater Noster as an Eschatological Prayer,” TS 22/2 (1961): 175–208. 81. L. Boff, The Lord’s Prayer: The Prayer of Integral Liberation (New York: Maryknoll, 1983). 82. Barth, Prayer, 14. 83. Ibid., 14. 84. Ibid., 14. 85. Williams, Being Christian, 62. 86. Ibid., 62–63. 87. Barth’s paraphrase of Luther, Prayer, 19. 88. Barth, Prayer, 19.

Our Father in Heaven Introduction

The Lord’s Prayer has historically been known in church tradition as the “Pater Noster.” Around the fourth century, with the rise of monasticism in the West and the dominance of Latin in the liturgy, when believers recited the LP, it would begin “Pater noster,” meaning “Our Father.” It is a convenience to refer to the LP by the first few words (just as Jews have done with the Shema), but calling the LP the “Our Father” reflects that the way the prayer begins is in fact important and tells us much about the nature of the prayer itself. Jesus’ model prayer does not begin, “Our God,” “Our Lord,” or “Our King”—the last of these might make the most sense in the LP since one of the petitions is “Thy kingdom come.” No, it starts with turning to God as the heavenly Father.1 In each chapter of the commentary, our practice will be to begin with the “Commentary,” which looks at the ancient text of the LP in Matthew and Luke with a view towards its historical (firstcentury) meaning as well as its meaning in canonical context. Then we will turn to the “Connections” section, where we will Depictions of God the Father One rarely finds an artistic depiction of God the Father from the first millennium of Christian history. Drawing the form of God was considered irreverent (see Exod 33:20; John 1:18). Early artists, though, found a number of circumlocutions, portraying a hand or a symbolic object (like a burning bush; see Cornwell and Cornwell). By the time of the Renaissance, we see more and more paintings of God. H. Cornwell and J. Cornwell, Saints, Signs, and Symbols (New York: Morehouse, 2009) 2.

This painting by Pieter de Grebber shows God holding an orb symbolizing divine control over the world. Pieter de Grebber (c. 1600–1652/3). God Inviting Christ to Sit on the Throne at His Right Hand. 1645. Oil on canvas. Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht. [Credit: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Art (PD-old-100)]

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reflect on the meaning of this text (“Our Father in heaven”). In “Connections,” we will consider two types of connections: those of the general kind (Christian life and thought as a whole) and those specifically related to prayer.

Commentary According to the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus introduced his model prayer to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, he began with “Our Father in heaven” (Matt 6:9b). Luke offers a shorter version: “When you pray, say: Father” (Luke 11:2b). Sometimes it has been asserted in the past that the idea or practice of Jews praying to God as “Father” would have been unheard of, and unique to the teaching and practice of Jesus himself. This has now been shown to be untrue. While Jesus’ addressing of God as “Father” in prayer was distinctive, it was not unprecedented. Directly addressing God as “Father” is not found frequently in the Old Testament; however, one cannot really understand the significance of Jesus’ Father-oriented prayer without attending to the foundational idea of the Fatherhood of God in the Old Testament, further developed in early Jewish literature. Canonical Context

According to the Old Testament, Israel expressed their understanding of God through many different images and roles including God as Creator, God as King, and God as Judge. While the idea of God as Father is present in the Old Testament, it was apparently not the most common way Israel addressed God. Why not? Christopher J. H. Wright makes the case that pagan nations surrounding the Israelites often believed in a notion of “divine parenthood” where humans and whole nations could spawn from gods having sex. Given Israel’s commitment to the oneness of God, it is conceivable why they would eschew such ideas.2 Nevertheless, Wright explains that we can detect a clear sense in which Yahweh was indeed recognized as parent of Israel. Wright points to a variety of personal names of humans in Israel that refer to this: Abiel means “God is my father” (1 Sam 9:1); Joab means “Yahweh is father” (2 Sam 8:16); Abimelech means “My father is king” (Judg 9:1).

Our Father in Heaven

When it comes to Israel’s theological understanding of the Fatherhood of God, there are two key points to make, and both of these will be relevant to the context of the Gospels and Jesus’ turning to God as Father. First, Israel considered itself a “son” adopted by God, and this adoptive grace was especially associated with the exodus from Egypt where they were freed from slavery. In Exodus 4:22-23 Moses is instructed by God to tell Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD: Israel is my firstborn son. I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may worship me.’” This image in respect to the exodus is taken up again in Hosea 11:1: “When Israel was a child, I loved him and out of Egypt I called my son.” Another example of the national sonship of Israel, particularly in view of Yahweh as Father-Creator, comes in Isaiah 64:5-7, where Israel appeals to the Lord saying, “you are our Father, we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isa 64:8-9).3 But just because God’s Fatherhood is understood here in terms of God-asCreator does not mean he is merely progenitor for Israel; in Psalm 103 in one breath the psalmist can say that God is both the compassionate Father of Israel and also the one who recognizes and responds to their creaturely frailty (103:13-16). The second way in which Father imagery is used of God, particularly in prayer, pertains to Yahweh as “Father” to the king of Israel. We see this asserted in the covenant with David and his kingdom where God promises to be a father to the king, and the king will be his special son (2 Sam 7:14). This royal covenant is affirmed in Psalm 89 where the Lord pledges his love and commitment to the Davidic king of Israel. The Lord will hear the prayer of that king who cries, “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation” (89:26), and the Lord will continue to protect his kingdom (89:27-29). Similarly, Psalm 2 recounts that when nations rage and kings plot against Israel, the Lord stands with his child proclaiming, “You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (2:7b-8). We will briefly discuss here how the prayer language of Israel developed in the Second Temple period. Again, the idea that Israel never addressed God as Father is probably false. We find in the Dead Sea Scrolls this thanksgiving prayer (1QH XVII.35-36), which attributes both fatherly and motherly images to God: For my mother did not know me and my father abandoned me to you. Because you are father to all sons of your truth in them you rejoice,

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The Lord’s Prayer like one full of gentleness for the child, and like a wet-nurse, you clutch to your chest all your creatures.4

In the book of Tobit, the Israelite Tobit proclaims in worship to Yahweh, “Exalt him in the presence of every living being, because he is our Lord, and he is our God; he is our Father and he is God forever” (13:4). James Charlesworth urges that, while it is not as explicit, we see the same kind of parental The Paternoster Lift care expressed in a place like Psalms of Did you know there is a special kind of elevator Solomon 9:8: “And, now, Thou are God, that goes by the name “pasternoster”? This pasand we the people whom Thou hast senger lift runs on a loop and never stops. The “paternoster” elevator became popular in the late nineloved; Behold and show pity, O God of teenth century. It was named “paternoster” because the Israel, for we are Thine.”5 looping machine is reminiscent of rosary beads used in As attested well by the above examples, Catholic prayer. Israel knew God as Father in a particular way, especially as the covenantal Father who rescued them from Egypt and adopted them, and as the Father of the key representative of Israel, the king—in particular, the Davidic king. Nevertheless, the way that Jesus so passionately, intimately, and frequently calls upon his God as Father is noteworthy. The Old Testament sets the groundwork for understanding Jesus as Son of Israel (as in within Israel and as an embodiment of Israel as a whole), and also for understanding Jesus as Son of David (as the embodiment of the terms of the Davidic covenant and climax of Psalm 2 where the true “sonking” stands against the raging, conspiring Helfmann. Schematic representation of a paternoster. 2009. Public domain. kings among the nations).6 [The Paternoster (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paternoster.png) Lift]

Matthew

God as Father of Jesus the Son Kinship imagery, particularly the depiction of God as “Father” and the disciples as “sons,” is a leitmotif in the Gospel of Matthew. 7 Countless times Jesus refers to “your Father in heaven” in reference to the Lord. Before we explain the contexts in which these references occur, we ought to begin by noting that Jesus claimed for himself a special relationship with this heavenly Father. So, he

Our Father in Heaven

teaches, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matt 12:50). Furthermore, he warns his followers that everyone who “acknowledges” him (Jesus) before others will be “acknowledged” by Jesus before his Father in heaven, but whoever denies him will also be denied (10:32-33). He has authority directly from his Father (11:27), and “no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (11:27). When Jesus teaches about cooperative prayer, he claims that two or three who agree when they ask will be rewarded with an answer by Jesus’ Father because Jesus himself will be there among them as they ask in his name (18:19). What Jesus appears to be teaching is that he is the unique and true “son” of the Father, and in that sense only he can pray to God directly and legitimately as his “Father.” However, as Messiah and Son of God he calls together his disciples to become part of his family (hence 12:50), and they can share in his special “son-ness.” Thus, Jesus in Matthew can speak about “my Father” (with Jesus as unique son) and “your Father” (with a sense that the disciples have the privilege of adoption through Jesus the son). Along these same lines, Paul refers to believers who are called to conformity to the image of God’s Son so that Jesus would become “firstborn” (prøtotokos) of many brothers and sisters (Rom 8:29). God as Father of Jesus’ Disciples As noted above, Jesus frequently refers to God as “your Father in heaven” to his disciples. Particularly within the Sermon on the Mount, we see this language used in view of the disciples’ responsibilities as “sons” before God as parent. Just as parents have a special concern that their children behave properly and grow in maturity, so this applies to divine concerns for human behavior. Children of the heavenly Father must not parade their piety or they shall forfeit the Father’s reward (6:1, 4; cf. 6:18). The Father expects to see “good deeds” in his children, and such acts bring public honor to the Father (5:16). One dimension of how family relationships operated in the ancient world is this: children were expected to imitate the likeness of the father. David deSilva explains it adroitly. Both Greek and Jewish writers stressed the likeness between parents and their children, a “wondrous likeness both of mind and of form” (4 Macc 15.4). This likeness was held to extend beyond physical appearance to emotions, predispositions and moral character. An important element of this likeness was the children’s adoption of

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The Lord’s Prayer the parents’ traditions, especially their religious observances (see Sir 41:14).8

Indeed, we appear to see just this kind of idea in Matthew 5:44-45, where Jesus exhorts his disciples to love their enemies and pray for persecutors “so that you may be like your Father in heaven.” This emphasis on “family resemblance” is even clearer in the famous command of Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We perhaps see a glimpse of this as well in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ parable of the wicked tenants (Matt 21:33-46), where the landowner wished to collect the Parable of the Wicked Tenants profits of the harvest. When he sent from a distance his own personal slaves (as his agents), the hired tenant farmers killed them, wanting the profit for themselves. After unsuccessfully sending another round of slave-agents, the landowner decided he should send his own son, thinking to himself, “They will respect my son” (21:37). Why would they respect his son if they did not respect his slaveagents? There is a sense here in which the slaves are seen as messengers, but not necessarily proxies—they do not carry the authority of the landowner. But the son would (presumably) carry with him the authority and identity of the father, and an affront against the son would be Anonymous (1499). Parable of the Wicked Tenants. 15th C. woodcut from a rejection of the father.9 This fact underParis, France. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Philip Hofer, M5654. (Credit: Imaging Department (c) President and Fellows of Harvard scores, again, the special bond between College) “father” and “son.” Fatherly Care of God In Jesus’ teaching in Matthew, God as Father is particularly related to his tender care for his children. In prayer, one need not babble endlessly, informing God of problems, because the Father is always attentive to his children’s needs and he “knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt 6:8). Jesus offers examples of divine care by looking at creation: the heavenly Father feeds the birds who do not have barns, so he will care all the more for humans made in his image (6:26). Jesus offers analogies from human families: if sintainted parents still feel such love that they pour out “good gifts” on their children, “how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (7:11)! If we examine the

Our Father in Heaven

Matthean parable of the lost sheep, where the shepherd leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of the wandering lamb, we should be reminded that Jesus’ explanation of this example draws a correlation to “your Father in heaven” who wills that no “little one” should ever be lost (18:14). Looking at such examples, David Garland is surely correct that Matthew portrays a very warm and intimate image of God as Father in his Gospel.10

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God as Father and Master

Image Not Available due to lack of digital rights.

Please view the published The Gethsemane Prayers of Jesus the Son commentary or perform an (Matt 26:36-46) Internet search using the The Gospels offer us no better glimpse credit below. into the personal prayer life of Jesus than his prayers of anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. There, on the eve of his crucifixion, he tells his disciples he is in utter grief (26:38) and goes off by himself after he asks for their support. In isolation, he throws himself on the ground, praying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (26:39a). No sooner has he spoken these words than he adds, “yet not what I André Thevet (1502–1590). Tertullian, 1584. Quintus Septimius Florens want but what you want” (v. 39b). The flesh Tertullianus (born c. AD 160), known as Tertullian, was an early Christian leader and author of Christian literature. From Les Vrais Portraits et Vies is weak, but the spirit is willing, and in the des Hommes Illustres (Paris: Keruert et Chaudiere, 1584). Engraving. torment of this moment Jesus prays to his New York Public Library, New York, NY. (Credit: The New York Public Library / Art Resource, NY) Father. He prays a second time, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your “God is a perfect Father and a perfect Master. He is a will be done” (26:42). A third time he prays Father in his mercy but a Master in his discipline. He with the same words (26:44). is a Father in the mildness of his power but a Master In Mark’s account of this event, he signals in its severity. He is a Father who must be loved with that Jesus prayed the first time, “Abba, dutiful affection, but he is also a Master to be feared. He is to be loved because he prefers mercy to sacrifice Father, for you all things are possible; and feared because he dislikes sin. He is to be loved remove this cup from me; yet, not what I because he prefers the sinner’s repentance to his death want, but what you want” (Mark 14:36). and feared because he dislikes sinners who do not Much discussion has taken place in scholrepent. Scripture says that the obedient person must arship regarding this word abba, a Greek love God and that the transgressor must fear him.”— word transliterating Aramaic. There was Tertullian some assumption, at one time, that abba Against Marcion 2.13, as cited in G. Bray, ed., We Believe in One God (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2009) 65. meant “daddy” and represented “the chatter of a small child.” Joachim Jeremias explains that he formerly took such a view but later noted that there is no evidence for this.11

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Adults could call their fathers abba. It was not baby talk, but it did convey a “close, intimate relationship” between a child and a father.12 While Mark 14:36 is the only occasion in the Gospels where this word is explicitly mentioned, the fact that it appears in Galatians 4:6 and Romans 8:15 indicates that it was treated as instructive in the earliest Christian tradition.13 While Jesus’ use of abba was not unique, “it was distinctive, perhaps even somewhat unconventional.”14 When it comes to the LP and the “Our Father,” one must remember that Jesus was not directing prayer to a cosmic despot, a bullying parent, a stern paternal Praying to Our Abba The LP as we have it (whether in Matthew or Luke) comes judge, or anything of that kind. to us in the Greek text of the Gospels, though most When he teaches his disciples scholars believe Jesus himself taught his disciples in Aramaic. Once about prayer, then, it is not going in a while the Evangelists include an Aramaic word transliterated into too far to think that he implied Hebrew. For example, in Mark 5:41, Mark tells us that when Jesus they ought to pray, “Our Father, healed the child he said “Talitha cum,” which is the Aramaic phrase Abba . . .” (again, cf. Rom 8:15).15 “Little girl, get up!” The entire text of the LP in Matthew and Luke is only given to us in Greek, but when Jesus is in the Garden of Let us turn our attention, then, Gethsemane, Mark recounts how Jesus addressed God as “Abba, to the Matthean text of the LP, Father” (Mark 14:36). There are only three instances in the New Matthew 6:9b: “Our Father in Testament where this Aramaic word abba appears in the Greek text; heaven.” [Praying to Our Abba] the other two places are Gal 4:6 and Rom 8:15. These three witnesses to the early Christian retention of this Aramaic word abba tell us that it was a distinctive feature of the ministry and life of Jesus (Bailey, 97). Some have tried to argue that before Jesus, Jews did not have a theological understanding of God as “father”; this is misleading (see above p. 38). In the Jewish Babylonian Talmud, the story is told of a man named Hanin ha Nehba, and how teachers sent pupils to him saying, “Abba, abba, habh lan mitra”—“Father, father, give us rain.” In reply, Hanin ha Nehba said to God, “Master of the world, grant it [the rain] for the sake of these who are not yet able to distinguish between an abba who has the power to give rain and an abba who has not” (Lee, 123). In Jesus’ time, abba would have been a term of endearment for one’s father, even used by adults. Regarding Jesus, it attests to the close and dependent relationship Jesus had with his Father. As Eugene Boring rightly observes, for Jesus “Father was not a general term for the deity, but was first of all Jesus’ words for his own relation to God. He then included his disciples, and then human beings as such in this relationship” (87–505, 203). Kenneth Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2008). B.Ta’an 23b, as cited in A. H. I. Lee, From Messiah to Preexistent Son: Jesus’ SelfConsciousness and Early Christian Exegesis of Messianic Psalms (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005). M. Eugene Boring, “The Gospel of Matthew,” in NIB (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995); also see R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002) 584; and I. H. Marshall, “Jesus-Example and Teacher of Prayer in the Synoptic Gospels,” in Into God’s Presence (ed. R. Longenecker; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001) 128.

Matthew 6:1-15: Concerning Prayer

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses many subjects, including anger, adultery, divorce, and fasting. However, he devotes a major section of his teaching to prayer. He discouraged his disciples from being hypocrites and making a show of their faith (6:1). True prayer is meant to be for God’s eyes and ears only, not for the sake of increasing one’s social standing. In the LP (6:9-13), Jesus offers a model for a short prayer that both takes a posture of worship and thanksgiving and also recognizes one’s own weaknesses and dependence on God. Matthew in particular draws out

Our Father in Heaven

Jesus’ emphasis on forgiveness in prayer, not just that God forgives human sin but also that the disciples ought to forgive their debtors. Thus, the LP is immediately followed with this explanation: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:14-15). This no doubt relates to the earlier teaching that if you remember a dispute with a brother or sister when you are ready to give an offering at the temple, “leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift” (5:23). According to Matthew, Jesus was insistent that one could not try to have a healthy “spiritual life” in prayer while harboring ill will or embroiled in conflict with others (cf. 5:25-27). Our Father When Cyprian of Carthage wrote his de Dominica Oratione in the third century, he was especially intent on underscoring the unity and community of the church. Thus, when he preached and taught on the LP, he made much of the word “our.” Before all things, the Teacher of peace and Master of unity did not wish prayer to be offered individually and privately as one would pray only for himself when he prays . . . . Our prayer is public (publica) and common (communis), and when we pray, we pray not for one but for the whole people, because we, the whole people, are one.16

Cyprian is no doubt right about this. Despite the fact that Jesus encourages secret prayer, it should be kept in mind that going into the private chamber to pray was not about isolation but rather a reminder not to pray as a way to show off. Observe that all the petitions in the LP are plural: give us our bread, forgive us of our sins, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. There would be a way for Jesus to have said, “Give each of us our individual bread” or “Forgive each of us for our sins.” It is not wrong to ask God to forgive our individual sins when we pray this prayer, but we must be attentive to its corporate nature as well. For Jesus, what did it mean to pray to God as Father? We have developed above the way Matthew portrays Jesus’ depiction of God’s Fatherhood. The first thing to say, perhaps, is that the pray-er prays to the God who is known. This is unlike, for example, Catallus’s poem to the goddess Diana: “Hallowed be thy name, whatever name you prefer.”17 As David Garland explains,

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The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches that God may be addressed simply as Father. One need not worry about omitting some key name for God any more than children worry about ceremoniously addressing their parents when they cry out for help or cry out for joy. When we pray, Jesus teaches, we pray to a loving Father who is eager to listen.18

When I first had children, I remember my father would call me on the telephone and ask how they were. Once he said, “Nijay, you know how much you love those babies, your beloved children? Remember, my son, I love you even more.” I could not feel more loved than in those conversations simply because I knew what it was like to be a father who loved his son and daughters. Again, as we observed already, it was not outlandish for Jews to think of God as Father, especially as covenantal Father. What is perhaps fresh in the LP is the most personal notion, that he is “father of the individual Israelite.”19 There is unprecedented warmth communicated by the “Our Father.” Rowan Williams explains that this introduction to Christian prayer requires one to get over the idea that God is “somewhere a very, very long way off, so that we have to shout very loudly to be heard.”20 The so-called Opus Imperfectum (a fifth-century commentary on Matthew) makes a similar point: “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.”21 In Heaven Matthew’s LP defines the “Father” as the one in heaven. This does not mean he is an absentee God; the whole thrust of the Sermon on the Mount demonstrates the attentiveness and graciousness of a God who knows his children’s need and hears their prayers—and intends to act in good faith (see, e.g., Matt 7:7-8). So the psalmist can proclaim, “whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps” (Ps 135:6). Scholars consider three possible nuances that may come into play regarding God as “heavenly” or “in heaven”: his omnipresence, his supremacy, and his perfection. We will treat each of these in turn. [Heaven or Heavens?] Presence: The Everywhere God

One way to look at the heavenly place and nature of God is as a reminder that if he is “in heaven,” he is seated in a place from which he has access to everyone in every place. Ernst Lohmeyer relates this to the common notion in the ancient world that a particular deity may be responsible for a specific city, state, or nation and preside in that region. It is significant, Lohmeyer suggests, that

Our Father in Heaven

“Our Father” is not situated simply in a temple. Lohmeyer brings this notion of God as spirit into the picture (John 4:24), the idea that God is not geographically locatable: “Wherever the Father who is in heaven reveals himself, the suppliant too is near to him and before his heaven.”22 Supremacy: The Plenipotentiary Father

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Heaven or Heavens? Traditional English translations of the LP begin “Our Father . . . in heaven.” In English we tend to say “heaven” in the singular. In the Greek text of Matt 6:9b, the word for “heaven” is plural (ouranois)—“in the heavens.” Are we mistranslating the word in English? Should we say, “Our Father . . . in the heavens”? This is not necessary. It would seem that the singular/plural variation carries little meaning if any. In the Gospel of Matthew, the word “heaven” is used many dozens of times, and Matthew seems to switch fluidly from singular to plural. Overall the singular form is more common in Matthew. For example, Matthew always uses the singular in the phrase “kingdom of heaven.” Otherwise, there is variation. Even within the LP itself, we see the plural in 6:9b (“our Father . . . in the heavens”) and the singular in 6:10 (on earth as it is in heaven). As noted in the Introduction, the Didache was one of the earliest citations of the LP in Christian history, and in Did. 8.2 we note that ouranos is in the singular, “Our Father . . . in heaven.”

Another way to look at what it means to pray to our heavenly Father is to recognize his greatness and majesty. Donald Hagner observes how one can draw comfort from this notion that the great God can provide for all his children’s needs.23 David Garland also sees this idea but paints it on a wider canvas of God’s care for all of creation. [This phrase, “in heaven”] implies that God is not simply Father for us alone; God is Father over all the heavens and the earth. He is the one who sends his rain and shines his sun indiscriminately on the just and unjust alike (5:45). His love and care therefore extend to all the families of the earth. Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount that we become true children of the Father only when we imitate the Father’s universal benevolence (5:9, 45).24 Perfection: The One God

Theologian Nicu Dumitrascu shares his orthodox perspective on this phrase by appealing to “heaven” as the conceptual framework for Christian hope and fulfillment. Heaven, in the Gospels, is not simply the place “up there” but rather the model of God’s kingdom, where his will is done without question or qualification. So Dumitrascu finds that praying to “Our Father in heaven” turns our attention to the path to that holy kingdom, a path that turns us away from sins. Drawing from Gregory of Nyssa, Dumitrascu teaches that “Turning away from sins makes us capable of becoming like God; that is, becoming holy by grace and good deeds, not by nature: becoming like God enables us to draw down heaven and the divine image into our soul.”25

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The Lord’s Prayer Luke

While Matthew’s LP begins with the famous “Our Father . . . in heaven,” Luke’s LP simply starts with “Father.” Like Matthew, Luke’s Gospel underscores the close relationship between God the Father and his Son Jesus (see Luke 1:35; 4:3, 9; 22:70). Jesus’ own references to God as “Father” are fewer in Luke than they are in Matthew, but they are not absent; we see a cluster of such appellations in the Passion Narrative of Luke (e.g., 22:42; 23:34). Here we will dwell on two notable ways Luke fills out what it means for Jesus to teach about God as Father(ly). First, we make note of the mimetic text of Luke 6:36: “Be merciful as your Father is merciful.” Like Father, like son and The Prodigal Son daughter—children are meant to imitate the virtues and formative habits of the parents. What is striking is how Jesus describes the Father as merciful, compassionate, and tenderhearted. This teaching foreshadows, no doubt, the parable of the prodigal son, a teaching of Jesus unique to Luke’s Gospel (15:11-32). This familiar parable bears a few key parallels to Luke’s LP. Obviously there is the connection of the loving “father” (15:11-12). This father graciously forgives his son’s sins (15:20-21). While the son expected no more than daily bread, the father immediately called for a lavish feast (15:22). Also, the father was pleased to share his whole kingdom with his children (15:31). This parable serves as a perfect image to keep in mind when Rembrandt (1606–1669). The Return of the Prodigal Son. c. 1668. Oil on canvas. Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. [Credit: praying the LP to our “Father”—full of Wikimedia Commons, PD-Art (PD-old-100)]. compassion, quick to forgive. That brings us to the second distinctively This is one of Rembrandt’s most famous art pieces. Henri Nouwen theologically engages this painting Lukan portrayal of God the Father. In another in his book The Return of the Prodigal Son. Nouwen segment of Jesus’ teaching he tells his disciobserves that in Rembrandt’s painting, the father’s ples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is hands each have an individual quality. One hand is your Father’s pleasure to give the kingdom” more masculine, and the other more feminine. So (12:32)—another interesting connection to Nouwen reflects, “The Father is not simply a great the LP. Furthermore, Luke portrays the Father patriarch. He is mother as well as father . . . . He holds, and she caresses. He confirms and she conas ready and willing to graciously give to his soles. He is, indeed, God, in whom both manhood children the Holy Spirit (11:13; 24:49), his and womanhood, fatherhood and motherhood, are trusty source of comfort, courage, and empowfully present.” erment for mission and ministry. H. Nouwen, Return of the Prodigal Son (New York: Doubleday, 1994) 99.

Our Father in Heaven

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Connections Christian Life Connections

Will this “Father” Respond Graciously to Me? [P.Oxy. LX 4010 Pater Noster] While many Christians have a fondness for the LP as part of the earliest Christian tradition, some believers have a difficult time praying to God as “father,” that is, praying with a masculine, patriarchal image right from the start. The fact is that some men and women have had difficult experiences with their fathers such that it is uncomfortable, perhaps even offensive, to imagine God in such a way. One reaction would be to change the image altogether, choosing instead to pray to God as “mother” or as eternal Spirit. Another possibility would be to “balance” the P.Oxy. LX 4010 Pater Noster patriarchal “Father” of the LP with prayers Among the findings from Oxyrhynchus there is a that display God as mother. Regarding the fourth-century fragment of Christian liturgy: former, I am hesitant to reword the LP Master of all . . . and Father of all mercies and God because kinship language is so central to of all comfort . . . have compassion and [guide us?] the biblical message. Karl Barth offers a . . . Consider us [worthy?]. Our Father in heaven, halrather illuminating theological perspective lowed be your name. Your kingdom come on earth on why it is important for Christians to as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. continue to think of God as “Father.” And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven It is Jesus Christ who invites us to address ourselves in prayer to God and to call him our Father; Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, who has made himself our brother and makes us his brothers and sisters. He takes us with him in order to associate us with himself, to place us beside him so that we may live and act as his family and as the members of his body. He says to us, “Follow me.”26

our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial [or lead us not into temptation], but rescue us from the evil one, rescue us. (355–56) Four features here are noteworthy: 1. The text follows a shorter form of the Matthean version 2. The initial prayer is based on 2 Cor 1:3 3. The LP here does not follow the Didache exactly 4. The prayer repeats the final words “rescue us” but with an “amen” (355) L. H. Blumell and T. A. Wayment, Christian Oxyrhynchus (Waco: Baylor

University Press, 2015). So then, Barth explains, when we dare to pray the LP, “Jesus Christ invites us, commands us, and allows us to speak with him to God, to pray with him his own prayer, to be united with him in the Lord’s Prayer.”27 Patricia Wilson-Kastner offers some helpful insights regarding the patriarchal language of the LP and how to approach preaching, worship, and pastoral ministry in the church with sensitivity to these concerns.

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First, Wilson-Kastner underscores the importance not only of praying out loud to “God the Father” in the service but also of telling “stories about human fathers, and Jesus’ relationship with the one he calls his Father.”28 It needs to be recovered theologically as part of the gospel of Father God and Jesus the Son and the dynamic of their relationship and cooperation in the redemptive mission. Second, Wilson-Kastner suggests that it needs to be reinforced that the language is metaphorical, and that metaphor has a purpose and it has limits. She explains, “Anthropomorphism is not, in and of itself, bad or even misleading, as long as we know what we are doing when we use it, and when we tell our congregations, directly and indirectly, that we are using human language to express the inexpressible.”29 Third, she promotes the use of multiple metaphors and images to describe God in general, images that indeed include female and motherly language as we find in The Holy Trinity with God the Father Holding His Son Scripture itself. Note how in Isaiah 66:13 the Lord says, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”30 Finally, Wilson-Kastner proposes that preachers, teachers, and pastors shape and reshape the vision of Image Not fatherliness using the righteous and Available gracious example of God’s relation due to lack of digital to Jesus, especially as a corrective to rights. Please view the distorted images of fatherhood we published commentary may encounter around us (see Eph or perform an Internet 3:14-19): “For us, the theological search using the credit below. vision shapes the earthly reality we seek to create.” 31 Wilson-Kastner adds this final bit of counsel: “My own approach is to preach about ‘our Father, Abba’ as Jesus’ own experience of God. It expresses a vision of intimacy and trust, I say, not a primary focus on maleness . . . . I try to explain Colijn de Coter (1455–1538). The Throne of Mercy, or The Holy Trinity with God Jesus’ experience, as best I can, his the Father Holding His Son. c. 1510–1515. Oil on wood. Photo: Michel Urtado. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. (Credit: © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY) context, and his relationship to God extended to us.”32 [Peter Chrysologus on the This remarkable sixteenth-century image of the Trinity depicts God the Father holding his crucified Son.

Fatherly God]

Our Father in Heaven

Our Father in Heaven . . . and Everywhere Else To pray to a Father God in heaven is not to pray to the sky, hoping anxiously that the distant God can hear and will respond. There is a profound paraphrase of the LP developed by the African Fellowship of Union Church (Istanbul, Turkey) that captures this sense of the heavenly God who desires to make himself available to all people everywhere who call upon his name:

Peter Chrysologus on the Fatherly God Fifth-century bishop Peter Chrysologus found it foundational for converts to Christianity to know the transformative work of the gospel of Jesus Christ as one is reconciled with God especially through the grace of baptism. He also believed the LP to be a gift from God, a gift that angels revere and that ought to be treasured. For Chrysologus the LP was not simply a taught prayer but a profound theological truth that “He who has changed from a judge into a Father [through the gospel] has wished to be loved, not feared.” R. Hammerling, The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church (New York: PalgraveMacmillan, 2010) 5.

Our Father Who Art in Heaven You are in Istanbul, in our flats and hotels, in Taksim and Beyoglu. You are within us and with us and in our homes. You are in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. In Yugoslavia and Russia. You are with the hungry and dying children in Somalia. Also in Liberia, Bosnia, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, and Iraq.33 [Mark Twain and the Lord’s Prayer]

Prayer Connections

Our Father I heard him call you his beloved son And saw his Spirit lighten like a dove, I thought his words must be for you alone, Knowing myself unworthy of his love. You pray in close communion with your Father, So close you say the two of you are one, I feel myself to be receding further, Fallen away and outcast and alone.

Portrait of Peter Chrysologus from Donald Lupton (d. 1676), The Glory of Their Times, or The lives of ye primitive fathers, containing their chiefest actions, workes, sentences, and deaths. A portrait of Peter Chryologus, Bishop of Ravenna and Doctor of the Church. In the image’s upper-left corner, the artist includes an inset of the city of Ravenna, the seat of Peter’s see. (Credit: Pitts Theological Library)

And so I come and ask you how to pray, Seeking a distant supplicant’s petition, Only to find you give your words away, As though I stood with you in your position,

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The Lord’s Prayer

Mark Twain and the Lord’s Prayer Apparently Mark Twain had a few occasions to reflect on the LP. He did appeal to the LP to counteract the long-winded prayers he heard from pastors in California: “How would it answer to adopt the simplicity and the beauty and the brevity and the comprehensiveness of the LP as a model?” Twain also recommended that the LP be prayed with proper nuance and reflection; Twain encouraged welltimed pauses to extend to the LP its “grand simplicity and dignity.”

As though your Father were my Father too, As though I found his “welcome home” in you. —Malcolm Guite34

The Lord’s Prayer, A Paraphrase Oh God far above and beyond our grasp, yet close to us like a parent: Let the time come soon when you are recognized by all as God. That is, when you establish your supreme and good and just rule over W. E. Phipps, Mark Twain’s Religion (Macon GA: Mercer your whole creation.
 University Press, 2003) 242. Yes, let the time come soon when your gracious plan for salvation becomes a reality on earth, as it now is in heaven.
 While we wait for that day, let us already now enjoy the foretaste of the messianic banquet as we share in the bread that sustains our bodies.
 In order to make us worthy of that community, forgive us what we have done wrong to our brothers and sisters as we have already forgiven those who did wrong to us; for we know that we are and must be the mutually forgiven community, your community of these end times. And see to it that we are not tested beyond our strength, for we know that Satan can destroy us—unless you rescue us out of his ferocious grip. —Krister Stendahl35

Notes 1. I. H. Marshall, “Jesus-Example and Teacher of Prayer in the Synoptic Gospels,” in Into God’s Presence (ed. R. Longenecker; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001) 113–31, at 129. 2. See C. J. H. Wright, Knowing God the Father through the Old Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2007) 22. 3. See W. Brueggemann, Old Testament Theology (Nashville: Abingdon, 2008) 114. 4. See F. García Martínez, “Divine Sonship at Qumran: Between the Old and the New Testament,” in Qumranica Minora II: Thematic Studies on the Dead Sea Scrolls (ed. E. J. C. Tigchelaar; Boston: Brill, 2007) 261–83, at 261. 5. See J. Charlesworth, “Jewish Prayers in the Time of Jesus,” PSB: Supplemental Issue 2 (1992): 36–55, at 40.

Our Father in Heaven 6. See Marshall, “Jesus,” 113–31. 7. C. F. Evans, The Lord’s Prayer (London: SPCK, 1963) 22. 8. D. A. deSilva, Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2010) 187. 9. See D. Hagner, Matthew 14–28 (WBC; Waco: Word, 1995) 2:621. 10. D. E. Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” RevExp 89 (1992): 215–28, at 218. 11. J. Jeremias, The Prayers of Jesus (London: SCM, 1967) 64. 12. See Marshall, “Jesus,” 128. 13. See J. Ashton, “Abba,” ABD 1.7. J. L. Martyn argues that when Paul refers to the cry of abba from believers, this is linked to a tradition of baptizands who would pray to “abba” as they came out from the water. Martyn notes that this would be a confession of God as liberating master as well as limitless caretaker (see Martyn, Galatians [New York: Doubleday, 1997] 392). 14. C. A. Evans, Mark 8:27–16:20 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001) 2:412. 15. See S. Grenz, Prayer: The Cry for the Kingdom (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1988) 13. 16. See J. Kwon, “Cyprian, Origen and the Lord’s Prayer: Theological Diversities between Latin West and Greek East in the Third Century,” AJT 26/1 (2012): 56–87, at 58; Oratione, 8. 17. Catallus, Poems 34; see Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” 217. 18. Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” 217. 19. J. Jeremias, The Prayers of Jesus, 21. 20. Rowan Williams, Being Christians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014) 66. 21. See Op. imp. Matt. Homily 14. 22. E. Lohmeyer, The Lord’s Prayer (trans. J. Bowden; London: Collins, 1965) 61. 23. Hagner, Matthew 1–13, 1.148. 24. Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer,” 219. 25. N. Dumitrascu, “The Lord’s Prayer in Eastern Spirituality,” Di 52/4 (2013): 349–56, at 351. 26. K. Barth, Prayer (ed. D. E. Saliers; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002) 22. See similarly S. Grenz, Prayer: Cry for the Kingdom, 16. 27. Barth, Prayer, 23. 28. P. Wilson-Kastner, “Pastoral Theology and the Lord’s Prayer: We Dare to Pray,” in The Lord’s Prayer: Perspectives for Reclaiming Christian Prayer (ed. D. Migliore; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993) 1071–24, at 112. 29. Ibid., 112. 30. See L. Boff, The Lord’s Prayer: The Prayer of Integral Liberation (Maryknoll MO: Orbis, 1983) 39. 31. Wilson-Kastner, “Pastoral Theology and the Lord’s Prayer,” 112. 32. Ibid., 114.

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The Lord’s Prayer 33. African Fellowship of Union Church, “The Lord’s Prayer,” Church & Society 85/2 (1994): 37–38, at 37. 34. M. Guite, Parable and Paradox: Sonnets on the Sayings of Jesus and Other Poems (London: Canterbury Press, 2016) 65. 35. K. Stendahl, “Your Kingdom Come,” Cross Currents 32/3 (1982): 257–66, at 266.

Let Your Name Be Sanctified Introduction

I recall, as a young person hearing the Lord’s Prayer for the first few times, that I thought people were saying “hollowed be Thy name.” Why do we want God’s name to be hollow? That reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite childhood TV shows, Perfect Strangers. One cousin, Larry (the uptight American one), had been reciting a soothing mantra whenever he got angry with his Greek cousin Balki: “I am a hollow reed; troubles blow through me like the wind.” On a particular occasion when Larry was getting upset, his sweet Greek cousin reminded Larry of his mantra: “I am a Halloween . . . I am a Halloween . . . .” You can imagine how Larry felt when Balki messed up the mantra! “Not ‘I am a Halloween’ . . . It’s I am a ‘hollow reed’!” I can identify with Balki Bartokomous. He struggled with “hollow reed,” and I struggled with “hallow-ed.” Despite the desires of modern translations to try to make Scripture “accessible” to an everchanging English vocabulary, the word “hallowed” is one that will not go away. It still appears in translations such as the NIV, NRSV, and NASB despite the fact that most people don’t really know what it means. Why do translations continue to use the word “hallowed”? I suspect there is a practical reason: many Christians have memorized the LP using this word. Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, godparents, pastors, priests, and deacons passed on the LP to the next generation using the King James Bible. I wonder, though, if there isn’t another important reason that the word “hallowed” will not go away. There is a sense of mystery and an alien quality that I associate with “hallowed” because I never use the word otherwise. And perhaps that is appropriate; holiness is that “otherness” quality of God, that je ne sais quoi particularity of the Divine. That quality may affect and influence how we talk about God (“hallowed”), recognizing the God who is greater than our minds and even our words. But it should not mean that we do not study further and seek to know better what holiness and sanctification mean in Scripture. Thus, we will examine both the Old Testament background and context and that within the world of Matthew’s Jesus.

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Commentary “Let your name be sanctified” is the translation we will prefer for Matthew 6:9c. Using the word “sanctified” could be problematic because it clearly has a different root word in English than “holy”/“holiness,” but in the Greek text of Matthew the verb used in 6:9c means something more woodenly translated as “let it be holy-ified” (hagiazø), related to the adjective “holy” (hagios). Using the language “sanctified,” however overcomes the challenge of deciding whether to translate the verb in Matthew 6:9c as “Let your name be made holy” or “Let your name be recognized as holy.” In Greek, it is possible for the verb to mean either (see below). In order to best make sense of what this petition means in the LP, we must turn to a Jewish understanding of holiness and the holiness of God. Then we will take a closer look at Matthew. Finally, we will engage with “connections” to Christian life, theology, and prayer today. Canonical Context

In the Old Testament, the characteristic of God that we call “holiness” points to the essence of the unique divine nature. C. F. Evans writes, “To say that God is holy is to say that he is God. . . . The Holy One is sui generis; there is no analogy of him.”1 Walter Brueggemann explains that holiness represents the “separateness of a palpable, material kind and righteousness of a moral kind.”2 When Israelites/Jews turned to the holiness of God, they stood in awe of God’s overwhelming majesty (cf. Isa 6:3). Similarly, John Goldingay compounds several words that express divine holiness: distinctive, transcendent, heavenly, awesome, exalted.3 We will briefly consider here several ways that holiness language is used in the Old Testament. The Holy Name of God in Jewish Tradition Jews today do not speak aloud the divine name. Instead, they refer to God as Adonai (which means “my Lord”). In Scripture, the divine name is written in Hebrew with the four consonants YHWH. YHWH was probably vocalized until the destruction of the Jewish temple in 586 BCE. Eventually, it became proper for people to avoid its vocal use aside from the high priest in the holy of holies on Yom Kippur and perhaps other priests who spoke the priestly blessing in the temples. See E. J. Bickerman, The Jews in the Greek Age (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988) 265.

Holy Name As one even learns from the LP, Israel was taught to treat the Lord’s name as holy (Lev 20:3; 22:2, 32; 1 Chr 16:10; 29:16; Pss 30:4; 33:21). To treat God’s name as holy, to avoid profaning the Lord’s name, meant to respect God and his honor and expectations. For Israel in particular, this was expected with a view towards the covenant God made with them. [The Holy Name of God in Jewish Tradition]

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Holy Space and Communion The language of holiness in the Old Testament is largely concentrated on and around discussions of the tabernacle and temple as holy spaces for communion with God. Because Israel bonded both relationally with a holy God through the covenant and spatially with a holy God through the tabernacle/temple, Israel took on a dimension of holiness (Exod 19:6). We also catch a glimpse of this idea with the design of the Israelite priestly vestments, whereby it shall contain a seal with the message, “Holy to the LORD” (Exod 28:36). When things became “holy” (like objects and vessels used in the temple), they were removed from the “common” sphere and dedicated exclusively to sacred purposes (cf. 1 Sam 21:4). Holy cups were taken from ordinary use and “consecrated.” Once they had been sanctified, they no longer could be employed as common drinking vessels “because they are holy” (see Exod 29–30). The associative holiness idea (things become holy by association with God) entails a kind of radiating of God’s holiness that reaches out and touches other things. This can be “sanctifying,” but it can also be threatening. Moses famously had to remove his sandals when he was in the presence of the Divine for this reason (Exod 3:5). Profaning God and His Name To “profane” is to disregard the holiness of God. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God condemned false prophets in Israel who, by stealing, misleading, and corrupting other people, profaned or desecrated God (Ezek 13:19). Ultimately, whenever Israel sinned against the covenant, they made a mockery of God’s name because they were his holy people (Ezek 20:24). The Name of the Lord Ezekiel demonstrates that this waywardFocusing on Exodus 3 and the story of Moses and the burning bush theophany, John Dominic Crossan ness and sacrilege is tied to the worship observes that when the Lord gives his name as YHWH to of idols, false gods (Ezek 20:16, 24, 39; Moses, it is in fact a non-name. It is similar to saying, “My Jer 19:4).[The Name of the Lord] [Holiness in Early Judaism]

Matthew

In Matthew, the language of holiness is used throughout the Gospel. On several occasions, either the narrator (Matthew) or Jesus (in his teaching) refers to the Holy Spirit. The Gospel is peppered with notes about pernicious, “unclean” spirits

name is the unnamable one.” Crossan explains this as a contradiction in terms: It both gives and does not give a name—it is a bush that both burns and does not burn—at the same time. In other words, it is a warning to Moses and us that we cannot ever fully, adequately, or completely name the Holy One. God is fundamentally unnamable. And yet we must always try—the unnamable name must be named, the unburnable bush must be burned, the sacred ground must be walked on—but unsandaled. John Dominic Crossan, The Greatest Prayer (New York: HarperOne, 2010) 56.

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Holiness in Early Judaism In the era of the Second Temple, holiness intensified in Jewish circles. In particular, there was a tendency to extend the holiness of the temple outward to include all of Jerusalem. Josephus reports that Antiochus III upheld Jerusalem’s claim to purity even in nonfestival periods by forbidding impure animals or their hides from being brought into the city (Ant. 12.145-46). This expansion of holiness in early Judaism is most obvious in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Personnel labeled qôdeš

qodåšîm include all priests, not just the high priest (4Q397 55:6-8; 1QS 8:5-6; 9:2-8; cf. 4Q400 1:19). In the Temple Scroll, qôdeš applies to the entire city of the sanctuary and is enforced by severe purity regulations. The Qumran community referred to itself as a “temple of men” (4Q174) set apart for Torah study in the desert (CD 20:2-7; 1QS 9:20). The group’s holiness was supported by stringent purity laws. Hannah K. Harrington, “Holiness,” EDEJ 749–50, at 750.

(8:16; 10:1; 12:45), but there is only one Holy Spirit who purifies in baptism (3:11) and empowers Jesus’ ministry (12:18). Places are considered “holy” in the First Gospel, such as the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple (cf. 23:17, 19; 24:15). Matthew refers to “holy people” who were raised from their tombs when Jesus died (27:52). Jesus teaches on the problem with the scribes and Pharisees who essentially split hairs over the minutiae (including how to make holy oaths) but neglect the true holy nature of God and his temple and the “weightier” matters of Torah, i.e., “justice, peace, faithfulness” (Matt 23:16-23). One could theoretically be so focused on the minutiae of so-called “holy things” Holiness Words that he or she could profane God by not The most common word for “holy” or “sanctificahaving a heart committed to God’s work tion” in the Greek Bible is the word hagios/ hagiasmos/hagiazø. This word group occurs hundreds of and God’s ways. times in the Bible. There are other words that have a In the LP, Jesus introduces the prayer as similar meaning, such as hieros or agnos. Probably the lanturned towards “Our Father in heaven” guage of Christian “holiness” such as we see in the New (see pg. 37). Then there is a series of seven Testament was directly influenced by the choices made in petitions. Most scholars recognize that the the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word for holiness first three petitions are oriented towards as the Greek word hagios. Outside of the biblical tradition, the hagios word group does not have the same dominance worship and a desire to obey the will of when it comes to language of piety, holiness, and the God and to serve his missional concerns: sacred. What this means is that the New Testament sanctification of the name, the coming of inherits and passes on a distinctly Jewish way of talking the kingdom of God, and the doing of the about the holiness of God. will of the Father. [Holiness Words] Luke

Luke was equally interested in holiness language in his Gospel. Especially in the first two chapters, Luke connected holiness to a variety of features of the life of God’s people in the Old Testament. Not only does he refer to the holiness of God (1:49), but also holy prophets (1:70), the holy covenant (1:72), and later on holy

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“Der Sabbath” (The Sabbath) angels (9:26). When Jesus was brought to the temple after he was born, Luke explains that his parents were obedient to Torah, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord” (Luke 2:23; cf. Exod 13:9). Not only was Luke pointing to the righteous behavior of Mary and Josephus, but also foreshadowing the unique identity of Jesus—“holy” signifying not only the consecration of Jesus the Jew, but previewing his divinity. In chapter four o f L u k e’s G o s p e l , w h e n Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794–1872). Derr Sabbath: And on the seventh day God ended Jesus confronts a demonhis work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had possessed man, the unclean made. Gen. 2:2. Plate 7, from Die Bibel in Bildern [The Bible in Pictures]. [Credit: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Art (PD-old-100)] spirit cries out, “Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us! I know who you are—the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34 NET). By far the vast majority of holiness language in Luke relates to the Holy Spirit. Luke repeatedly emphasizes the dynamic presence and profound impact of the Spirit in inspiring prophecy and wisdom and demonstrating the world-transforming activity of God (1:35, 41, 67; 2:25-26; 3:22; 4:1; 10:21; 11:13). When we take a step back and look at the total shape of Luke’s holiness language, we see how all of this comes together. Toward the beginning of the Gospel, Luke reflects on how God reached out to a people “way back when” with a covenant through angels and Torah and prophets. All of this was superintended by the redemptive Spirit of God. And now, in and through Jesus and the Spirit, God is present and at work again, blessing and sanctifying his world in a people that are connected to Jesus, the Holy One of God. When we consider Luke’s perspective on the first petition of the LP, “Let your name be sanctified,” it is helpful to see how his holiness language points in two directions. First, Luke is interested in how God is at work in a fresh way now, in a time of fulfillment. What was thought to be difficult, or impossible, is now happening. Secondly, the way Luke describes the power of the Holy Spirit in the present time involves a kind of powerful blast from heaven that destroys and shatters prisons and strongholds on earth, just as

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the Holy One of God threatens the very existence of the demonic realm. Praying “Let your name be sanctified,” according to Luke, means, we are ready too, send your Spirit, shine your light, release the captives, let your powerful presence cover and restore all. Does God’s Name Need to Be Made Holy? Many interpreters of the LP throughout the centuries have wondered why this petition uses the language of the sanctification of God’s name (hagiazø). The most common use of this verb (e.g., in the LXX) is the making of something holy. A familiar example from the LXX would be when Genesis recounts that God finished the work he had done on the seventh day of creation and consecrated that seventh day (LXX Gen 2:3; hagiazø). Thus, this day was set apart as a model for the holy day of the Sabbath for Israel. At the same time, Israel is also called to consecrate (hagiazø) the Sabbath day (LXX Exod 20:8). Of course, the repeated command from God to do so leads one to believe that in such cases it does not seem to mean make it holy but rather regard as holy (LXX Deut 5:12,15; Neh 13:22; Jer 17:22, 24, 27; Ezek 20:20). Thus, it appears that there is a kind of formal meaning of hagiazø that refers to “making [something] holy/consecrate” and carries a sense of status change. But there is also a more informal use of hagiazø that refers to regarding or treating as holy (i.e., remembering as holy). Thus, it could certainly mean this in Matthew 5:9c: Let your name be regarded as holy. Again, though, some theologians have acknowledged that there is some awkwardness in the meaning of this petition based on the verb’s formal definition. Origen and Cyril of Alexandria, for example, both attempt to allay any concerns that this petition might imply that God is in any way deficient in holiness such that we might need to pray for its increase.4 Cyril offers a clever analogy to explain, though, how “Let your name be sanctified” does not imply a deficiency in the holiness of God. He asks the reader to imagine that there is a man who is nearly blind, and whose eyes only allow a modest amount of the sun’s light in. When the man prays, “Grant that the light of the sun’s radiance may illuminate me also,” is he praying that the sun be brighter? Cyril interjects, “Of course not—he is praying for himself, not the sun.”5 So too most theologians reason that when we pray, “Let your name be sanctified,” we are desiring for humans to ascribe all holiness and glory to God, as is fitting and right.6 Worship and Reverence: God as All in All To “sanctify” God the Father’s name is to worship him, to honor him alone. Thus, this petition implicitly rejects idol worship, just

Let Your Name Be Sanctified

as we see in Leviticus 18:21: “You shall not give any of your offspring to sacrifice them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.” To “profane” Yahweh’s name is to reject his holiness. To “sanctify” his name is to worship him alone and repudiate idols. Part of the activity of Israel too was public proclamation of the greatness of Yahweh, so that the nations could learn of his holiness and worship him. So we read in 1 Chronicles 16:35 (in the song commissioned by David), “Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us from among the nations so we can give thanks to your holy name and rejoice in your praise” (cf. Ps 106:47). Thus, then, Jesus calls his disciples to learn how to be model worshipers of God. To desire to sanctify God’s name means placing God at the center of life and worship. Tertullian imagines that when one is emboldened to pray the LP, he is to “put on the angelic vesture” and be transported to the throne room of Isaiah 6 where the holy Seraphim sing, “holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa 6:3).7 When one is caught up in this “heavenly song,” as Tertullian puts it, God will be recognized as the One who is above all and through all and in all (Eph 4:6). Covenantal Obedience, Sonship Conformity, and Transformative Theosis The theme of worship is assumed in the petition “Let your name be sanctified.” Perhaps less transparently, Jesus also implies that “hallowing” God can only happen through the publicly lived out obedience of God’s people. So the promise is made by God in Ezekiel 36: “And I will sanctify my great name, which is profaned among the nations, which you [Israel] profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the L ORD, when I am hallowed among you before their eyes” (36:23). Yahweh here condemns Israel for their waywardness, their breach of the covenant in worship and obedience. James Dunn aptly points out the implication of this divine statement: “The point is that God had committed his name to his chosen people, so that their failure redounded to his discredit.”8 When the disciples of Jesus pray, “Let your name be sanctified,” it is as if they pray for the fulfillment of the promise in Ezekiel that God will see to it that the failures of Israel (that have led to the profaning of God’s name) are reversed. This, of course, will require the repentance of God’s people and their walking rightly in the way of the covenant. This is nicely worded in the Heidelberg Catechism:

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The Lord’s Prayer Help us to truly know you, to honor, glorify, and praise you for all your works and for all that shines forth from them: your almighty power, wisdom, kindness, justice, mercy, and truth. And it means, Help us to direct all our living—what we think, say and do—so that your name will never be blasphemed because of us but always honored and praised.9

To summarize what is stated so far here, Israel recognized that their disobedience to the covenant would naturally lead to the profaning of the Lord’s name in the world. Conversely, their obedience and imitative holiness would facilitate the nation’s glorification and sanctification of their God. We catch a sense of this imitative expectation in Jesus’ teaching already in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:48 Jesus commands, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” While the exact language is different, this is clearly reminiscent of the Levitical covenantal expectation: “sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:44; cf. 19:2; 20:7). Why the language of perfection in Matthew (and not holiness)? It appears that Jesus in Matthew transposes the Levitical formula into a kinship key: children ought to be a reflection of the parent’s maturity and moral integrity.10 Thus, again, when we pray “Let your name be sanctified,” we must consider and “hear” the call to conform to the divine standard of holiness, blamelessness, and moral maturity characteristic of “Our Father.” On a similar subject of conforming to the holiness of the Father, we might also observe the Eastern approach to this petition, which involves transformation through association with the Holy One. Cyril makes a connection between sanctifying God’s name and Leviticus 10:3: “I will be hallowed in those who draw near to me.” Modern Eastern Orthodox scholar Nicu Dumitrascu underscores how this sort of drawing near to the Holy One allows the believer to function as a kind of conductor of God’s glory that extends his radiance into the world “through the worship, learning, teaching, and glorifying of faithful and virtuous men and women, so that the words of the Holy Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘in the same way let your light so shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven’ (Mt 5:16).”11 [Aquinas on “Hallowed Be Thy Name”]

Sanctifying the Father of Jesus, the Crucified Son A final thematic note possibly associated with this first petition of the LP is, again, offered by Cyril of Alexandria in his work on prayer. Cyril links the sanctifying of God with the suffering and humiliation of Christ. How could these be put together? For Cyril

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it is prefigured in Isaiah 49:7: “Hallow Him, Who despised Himself ” (Cyril’s Aquinas on “Hallowed Be Thy Name” For who is there so debased, as when he wording). Cyril is working from the Greek sees the pure life of those who believe, does (Septuagint) version of Isaiah, and the not glorify the name invoked in such a life . . . . For as NETS’ (New English Translation of the when a man gazes upon the beauty of the heavens, he Septuagint) full translation of this verse is says, Glory be thee, O God; so likewise when he as follows: “Sanctify him who despises his beholds a man’s virtuous actions, seeing that the own soul, who is abhorred by the nations, virtue of man glorifies God much more than the heavens. the slaves of rulers, kings shall see him, and Commentary on Luke 11.1-5; in Catena Aurea 3.2: The Gospel of St. rulers shall stand up and do obeisance to Luke (trans. J. H. Newman; New York: Cosimo, 2007) 387. him for the Lord’s sake, because the Holy One of Israel is faithful, and I have chosen you.” Cyril applies this to Jesus who “did despise Himself, by deeming His life of no account, and laying it down for our sakes.”12 Cyril, then, seems to be making a point like this: when we dare to call for the sanctification of God’s name, we remember that this is the God of Israel, the One who called for that special agent, the Servant of the Lord, to “despise himself.” Of course the Servant can be identified now with Jesus, God’s unique Son. When we honor God the Father as holy, we can also recognize what he Evelyn Underhill and the Priority of considers holy, here especially the one who sacrificed Holiness his glory on the cross for our sakes. We can clearly see, When we said, “Hallowed be then, the unique dialectic in the LP in the midst of Thy Name!” we acknowledge the priority of holiness. Now we offer Matthew’s whole Gospel, a mystery of transcendence ourselves for the purposes of holiness: and imminence, heavenliness of Father, incarnation of handing ourselves over to God that His Son, holiness of Father, and profanity of crucified Son. purposes, great or small, declared or When others only see profanity in the cross of Christ, secret, natural or spiritual, may be fulwe must dare to see victory and even the holiness of filled through us and in us, and all that is hostile to His kingdom done away. — God. [Evelyn Underhill and the Priority of Holiness] Evelyn Underhill

E. Underhill, Lent with Evelyn Underhill (London: Continuum, 2004) 78.

Connections Christian Life Connections

You Become What You Hallow A handful of years ago, G. K. Beale wrote an important book called We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry.13 Beale develops the biblical idea that we find throughout Scripture that what we worship shapes and forms our own souls and lives, such that we conform to the nature and characteristics of our “god.” This seems eminently relevant to the first petition of the LP because it is equally true in Scripture, I think, that you become what

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you hallow—your heart, mind, and will gravitate towards what you consider holy, whether the one true God or idols. When we pray, “Let your name be sanctified,” we are also making a statement about the one God we hallow and how we want our lives oriented towards conformity to the character of that God. We are then called, I believe, by the LP to be conscious of our own false gods; just as William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas boldly state: “The Lord’s Prayer is like a bomb ticking in church, waiting to explode and demolish our temples to false gods.”14 Idolatry is about finding a god we can control, a god that can serve our desires. Willimon and Hauerwas argue that when we pray “holy be your name,” we confess that we will not “abuse the holiness of God by attempting to put a leash on God, [and then drag] God into our crusades and cruelties.”15 They offer up a poignant example: the image of German soldiers marching into World War 2 with the motto Gott mit uns etched into their helmets—“God with us.” Perhaps our tendencies towards idolatry are not as wanton as those of the German soldiers, but Walter Brueggemann encourages us to consider the Western society of the twenty-first century where we have so many tools and resources at our disposal that we bend towards trying to control everything around us. He urges that a “technological consciousness” desires to master To Hallow and to Glorify “so that thereby what is central to faith is emptied Ernst Lohmeyer argues that, in the of sacramental power and respect.”16 This will to time of Jesus, being “hallowed” dominate everything leads to a kind of “emptying was essentially synonymous with being “glorified.” Thus, we might say in the LP of holiness.” Living in a social media-saturated “may everything be dedicated to God’s world can make us impatient as we do everything glory.” Perhaps, then, Matthew 6:9c has in “instantly” and live in fractions of seconds of time mind the fulfillment of a text like Psalm 86:9: versus allowing sustained attention to big ideas, “All the nations you have made will come deep conversations, and prolonged silence before and bow down before you, and will glorify God. We obsess over certainty and thus we end up your name.” Lohmeyer’s interpretation of the language of “hallowed” is strikingly simimissing the God of Scripture, the One who can be larly to the comment in Luther’s Larger elusive, “capable of coming and going, judging and Catechism (note 46): “to hallow is the same forgiving, speaking and remaining silent—in ways as in our idiom to praise, magnify, and honor that make the next time endlessly uncertain.” 17 both in word and deed.” To “sanctify” God’s name entails, though, waiting on E. Lohmeyer, The Lord’s Prayer (trans. J. Bowden; God. Waiting in prayer and in obedience. Waiting London: Collins, 1965) 69, 74. is, perhaps, the hardest thing for modern people, but waiting for God is what we must do if we believe he is God and we are not. [To Hallow and to Glorify]

Let Your Name Be Sanctified

Holiness—In Other Words? We began the chapter by noting that the traditional use of “hallowed” can be confusing to modern readers. Even using “holy/ holiness” parlance can be awkward in prayer simply because it is distinctively “religious language”; it is hard to ground its meaning in mundane usage (as opposed to, for example, “Father” language). If “holiness” language is so foreign to us, ought we to find ways to approximate the same thing using language more familiar, especially for the sake of the unchurched, where reference to “sanctifying God’s name” is virtually meaningless? Some modern translations have tried to find ways to express the first petition of the LP without using the language of holiness. The (so-called) “Scholars Version” of the Gospels (via the Westar Institute) offers this translation of the LP: Our Father in the heavens, Your name be revered Impose your imperial rule, Enact your will on earth as you have in heaven. Provide us with the bread we need for the day. Forgive our debts To the extent that we have forgiven those in debt to us. And please don’t subject us to test after test, But rescue us from the evil one.

Notice that the Scholars Version above uses “revered” instead of “sanctified” (or some other form of holiness language). Certainly there is overlap and similarity between these meanings. Reverence is about awe and fear; this must be entailed in “hallowing.” The Message (a paraphrase of the Bible by Eugene Peterson) offers this rendering of the LP: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best— As above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.

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J. B. Phillips translates the first petition as “May your name be honoured” (not too far from Scholars Version). Similarly, the Good News Translation has, “May your holy name be honored.” When it comes to paraphrasing the LP and its holiness language, these are all reasonable options. One of the key questions here is whether or not a suitable replacement can be found for the holiness word group. “Glory” and “honor” and “reverence” are related but not exactly the same. When it comes to translation, I am unconvinced that we can do away with holiness language. But one thing we can do is use illustrations, metaphors, and related terms when we preach, teach, sing, and pray such that we continue to invest in making sense of what it means “sanctify” the name of God as Christians. Honoring the Father’s Name through Sabbath When we talk about treating God as holy, this is also a good occasion to consider the Sabbath command and institution. Many American Christians do not observe a Sabbath day of rest; perhaps part of the reason for this is the obsession with “productivity.” A period of rest can seem like leisure and luxury. But Abraham Heschel wrote a helpful little book (The Sabbath) that reminds us how this observance is not primarily about our “rest” but about God’s holiness.18 Heschel talks about how Jews have traditionally considered their religion an observance of “holiness in time.”19 While some religions build temples and churches, Judaism operates according to the architecture of time; the Sabbath is like a cathedral. In our six days of work and labor and toil, bills and driving and chores, we can bury our minds in the busyness of life. Time goes by quickly and we wonder what it was all for. Sabbath offers the precious opportunity to remember the joy of life and purpose of our existence.20 Heschel makes much of the early chapters of Genesis. God took six days to create the world. The seventh day, the day of holiness, was meant not as a turning away from those first days but as a proper stopping point to make sense of the greatness and goodness of this work. Heschel refers to the six days of the week as a pilgrimage to the Sabbath, “the melody sustained throughout all agitations and vicissitudes which menace our conscience; our awareness of God’s presence in the world.”21 Over and over again in Herschel’s book he observes and affirms how time is precious. Devoting ourselves to the Sabbath honors the Holy God. Thus, we Christians can say that Sabbath observance ought to be an important part of what it means to “sanctify”

Let Your Name Be Sanctified

God’s name, though the historic Christian tradition has departed from some elements of the Jewish practice of the Sabbath. Still, if we believe that it is important to honor the holiness of God, we must be willing to find this holiness in time that Heschel describes. Prayer Connections

Honoring God Hallowed be thy name . . . . Hallowed in the memory of Paul of Tarsus, Martin Luther King Jr., Bishop Shanahan in Nigeria, Bishop Lumbuin of Uganda, Pastor Joseph Ayo Babalola in Nigeria, Dr. Ida Scudder of India, Florence Nightingale, David Livingstone of Africa, and our parents and grandparents who taught us our faith. And hallowed in the lives of Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Billy Graham of the U.S., Benson Idahosa of Nigeria, and Mother Teresa of Bombay. —African Fellowship of Union Church22 Hallowed Be Thy Name One Lord there is, all lords above: His name is Truth, his name is Love, His name is Beauty, it is Light, His will is everlasting Right. But ah! to wrong what is his name? This Lord is a consuming Flame To every wrong beneath the sun: He is One Lord, the Holy One. Lord of the everlasting Name, Truth, Beauty, Light, consuming Flame, Shall I not lift my heart to thee, And ask thee, Lord, to rule in me? If I be ruled in other wise, My lot is cast with all that dies, With things that harm, and things that hate, And roam by night, and miss the gate,— The happy gate, which leads to where Love is like sunshine in the air, And Love and Law are both the same, Named with an everlasting Name. —William Brighty Rands23 [Parodying the Lord’s Prayer]

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Parodying the Lord’s Prayer It should probably come as no surprise that there are many different parodies of the LP because it is such a familiar text in English in Western culture. A more recent parody uses the LP as a framework to mention a number of London subway (“tube”) stations: Our father who art in Hendon Harrow Road be thy name Thy Kingston come, thy Wimbledon In Erith as it is in Hendon Give us this day our Berkhamsted And forgive us our Westminsters As we forgive those who Westminster against us Lead us Not into Temple Station But deliver us from Ealing For thine is the Kingston The Purley and the Crawley For Iver and Iver Crouch End. —Harrow-born musician Ian Dury See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_Driver%27s_Prayer.

Hallowed by Thy Name There’s something in the sound of the word hallow; A haunting sense of everything we’ve lost Amidst the trite, the trivial, the shallow, Where nothing lingers, nothing seems to last. But Hallowed summons up our fear and wonder, And summons us to stand on holy ground. To sense the mystery that stands just under Familiar things we’ll never understand. Hallowed be thy name: the name unspoken, The name from which all other names arise, The name that heals the sick and binds the broken, Whose living glory calls the dead to rise. You make this prayer my rising and my rest That I might bless the name by which I’m blessed. —Malcolm Guite24

Notes 1. C. F. Evans, The Lord’s Prayer (London: SPCK, 1963) 27–28. 2. W. Brueggemann, Reverberations of Faith: A Theological Handbook of Old Testament Themes (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002) 98. 3. J. Goldingay, Old Testame nt Theology: Israel’s Faith (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2009) 2:24. 4. Origen, in Tertullian, Cyprian and Origen: On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. A. Stewart-Sykes; New York: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004) 166; Cyril of Alexandria, On the Lord’s Prayer (Diamond Bar CA: Saint Paul Brotherhood Press, 2009) 15. 5. Cyril, On the Lord’s Prayer, 15. 6. See also Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” 220; also J. Y. H. Yieh, “Lord’s Prayer,” NIDB 3:689–94, at 693. 7. Tertullian, On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. Stewart-Sykes) 44. 8. James D. G. Dunn, “The Lord’s Prayer,” DJG 621. 9. “Lord’s Day 47,” Q&A #122. 10. See D. Hagner, Matthew, 1:135.

Let Your Name Be Sanctified 11. N. Dumitrascu, “The Lord’s Prayer in Eastern Spirituality,” Di 52/4 (2013): 349–56, at 352. 12. Cyril of Alexandria, On the Lord’s Prayer, 18. 13. G. K. Beale, We Become What We Worship (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2009). 14. See W. Willimon and S. Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer & the Christian Life (Nashville: Abingdon, 2002) 47. 15. Ibid., Lord, Teach Us, 48. 16. Brueggemann, Reverberations, 100. 17. Brueggemann, Word Militant: Preaching a Decentering Word (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2010) 151. 18. Abraham Heschel, The Sabbath (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005). 19. Ibid., xiii. The words in the introduction actually come from Abraham Heschel’s daughter Susannah, but they are meant to reflect his wisdom passed on to his family. 20. Heschel, The Sabbath, 76. 21. Ibid., 89. 22. African Fellowship of Union Church, “The Lord’s Prayer,” Church & Society 85/2 (1994): 37–38. 23. As cited in A. E. C. Rowan, “In the Study,” ExpTim 55/10 (1944): 268–75. 24. M. Guite, Parable and Paradox (London: Canterbury, 2016) 66.

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Let Your Kingdom Come, Let Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven Introduction

“The kingdom of God is the final victory over sin. It is the reconciliation of the world to God. And here is the consequence of this reconciliation: a new world, a new aeon, a new heaven, and a new earth, which are new because they are surrounded by the peace of God.” —Karl Barth1

Praying “Let your kingdom come” is unnatural to many modern people simply because we are not familiar politically with living in “kingdoms” under ruling “kings.” In monarchal rule, the people at large don’t really have a “say” in the next king. Kings tend to come into power by birthright, or perhaps by dint of force through an uprising. In either case, no one “votes” for a monarch via free elections. Christians such as myself, then, are confronted with a political system in the LP that is quite foreign to our democratic cultural experiences and sensibilities. To acknowledge a “kingdom of God” is to recognize God as “King.” To pray “Let your kingdom come” is to hope and petition for the pervasive dominion of this King across the globe. Again, to most modern Westerners, this idea sounds archaic, even oppressive. We might be more comfortable praying “Let your guidance come” or “Let your wisdom come.” But to pray “Let your kingdom come” makes certain important theological assumptions about God and also about the world and its inhabitants as creatures. While on the level of human politics we can (rightly, I think) say that the will of the adult, educated people at large ought to be heard and a “leader” should follow such a will, we Christians believe that God alone is the Sovereign and needs no consensus, no quorum, no ruling council, no vote. Conversely, humans, as creatures, were never meant to live purely according to self-will; and this is all the more true in a world besieged by sin. To pray “Let your kingdom come” is a bold acknowledgment that we know the folly of following our own way, a way that can only lead to destruction when we are left to our own wills (Prov 14:12).

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Before we can make full sense of what this petition means today in Christian life and prayer, though, it behooves us to look at the biblical witness of divine kingship and kingdom that stand at the heart of the biblical story itself.

Commentary Old Testament Context

If you searched for the phrase “kingdom of God” in the Old Testament, you would end up with little material.2 This may seem strange since it is almost a given that there is some shared Jewish understanding when Jesus comes onto the scene proclaiming “the kingdom of God.” Did he just make this idea up from scratch? Were Jews expecting this “kingdom”? The best place to start is not with the word “kingdom” but with the concept of kingship, particularly the idea of the kingship of Israel’s God. It was rather common for ancient Israel to express worship to God as king; in the Song of Moses it is declared “The LORD rules forever and ever” (Exod 15:18). The psalmist also affirms that “The LORD shall reign for ever” (10:16), and adds that God has committed “to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed” (10:18). Or consider Psalm 45: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A rod of equity is of your rule.” Yahweh, the divine ruler, is particularly recognized as the one who strives to protect Israel: “How long, O God, will the enemy reproach, the opponent utterly provoke your name? Why do you turn away your hand, and your right hand from within your bosom, totally? Yet God is our King from of old; he worked deliverance in the midst of the earth” (Ps 74:10-12).3 The history behind the development of this concept for Israel is debated, but we can identify that Israel recognized Yahweh’s claim to rulership over and against Pharaoh in the exodus deliverance (Exod 4:23; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13). The kingship and “kingdom” of Yahweh, with Israel as loyal subjects, appear to be ratified at Sinai as testified in Deuteronomy (33:5), with a view towards a settled “kingdom” in Canaan.4 Once Israel entered into Canaan, they immediately struggled with the reality of the kingship of Yahweh. Before the establishment of the human monarchy, we see the fragmentation and disintegration of Israel in Joshua and especially in Judges—and those ominous words are repeated: all the people did what was right

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in their own eyes (Judg 17:6; 21:25) and they did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord (Judg 2:11). A rift was pronounced between the divine king and his people. The narrator offers a critical note: “In those days there was no king in Israel” (Judg 17:6, emphasis added). Israel became tired of the judges of Israel and did not want Samuel’s wicked children as leaders, so they said, “appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations” (1 Sam 8:5). We learn later that they wanted a human king—not just to govern the kingdom but also to “go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Sam 8:20); this mimics the same language that was used in Deuteronomy for the promised work of God as they entered Canaan: “The Lord your God, who goes before you, is the one who will fight for you, just as he did in Egypt before your very eyes” (Deut 1:30). The Lord takes this request for a king as the people’s rejection of his rule, yet he allows it (1 Sam 8:7). The people are granted a human monarchy, but Samuel pronounces that this king will be harsh, he will co-opt their sons and daughters for labor, and the life of the community will turn to strengthening the military—you will regret this, but you will be stuck with him (see 1 Sam 8:11-18). We come to learn that the Of Kings and Idols biblical tradition recognizes this request for a They made kings, but not through me; visible, human king as a form of idolatry, just as it they set up princes, but without my knowledge. With their silver and gold they made is in the other nations—they want someone they idols for their own destruction. (Hosea 8:4) can manipulate and control (see Hos 8:4). [Of Kings and Idols]

But God did not give up on his people. While the first king, Saul, proved to be problematic, David served as the prototype of the model king (despite weaknesses and failings). Throughout the history of Israel, the times of “good” rulership are rare, and more often we see idolatrous, wicked kings. The Lord imagined, though, an ideal human kingship where he could rule in and through the human king (Ps 110:1-2). Again, David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), offers a rare glimpse of this coordinated rulership. But that dream quickly became a distant memory. Ezekiel 34 offers a poignant window into the corrupt leadership of Israel and the divine promise for restoration, including righteous leadership through a king. Ezekiel is called by God to prophesy against Israel’s “shepherds.” The image of the shepherd is not the mere caretaker of livestock; it was a common symbolic figure used in ancient Mesopotamia for rulers.5 The Israelite leaders are called to account and face judgment for exploiting the “sheep” (34:2), stealing their resources (34:3a), and starving them (34:3b). Under

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such poor leadership, the sheep have scattered and, thus, lost their direction and safety (34:4-6). Instead of helping the sheep to thrive, the wicked shepherds hunted them as prey (34:8). The judgment declaration is made, then, by the Lord: “I am against the shepherds” (34:10). The Lord vows to stop the corrupt shepherds, rescue the sheep, and reclaim The Shepherd David them—to bring them back together into safety and peace. They will be fed and given proper care (34:10-14). In the remainder of this prophecy, two seemingly contradictory pronouncements are made: the Lord will be the sole shepherd of the sheep (34:15), but also “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them; he shall feed them and be their shepherd” (34:23). So which is it? Will the Lord be the sole “shepherd,” or will “David” be his proxy? Somehow, without explanation, both are affirmed. “And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken” (34:24).6 This is the kind of expectation that Jews had before and in the time of Jesus as they looked for the restoration of the sheep, Israel: hope of a restored kingdom directly under the Lord through his Elizabeth Jane Gardner (American painter, 1837–1922). The Shepherd “David” shepherd-king. [Early Jewish David. c. 1895. Oil on canvas. National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC [Credit: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Art (PD-old-auto-1923)].

Messianism]

Before turning to Jesus and the kingdom of God, let us briefly note the biblical precedent for the language of “good news” in the context of divine kingship promises and Jewish eschatology. Early Jewish Messianism There is a complicated scholarly discussion about “messianic expectations” in the first century CE. Suffice it to say “messianism” developed after the exile, but there was no uniform expectation or profile of a “messiah.” Some Jewish people and groups had an interest in messiah(s) (such as the Qumranists), and others appear not to have given much attention to it. Some believed the messiah would be a priestly figure, others a royal one. Many assumed he would show military strength, simultaneously freeing Israel from oppressors and punishing its foes. For a messiah figure to talk of a new “kingdom of God” would have been

rather natural, given the biblical promises to Israel of restoration and hope as a nation. For the minimalist argument, see Joseph Fitzmyer, The One Who Is to Come (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007). On the more inclusive approach in terms of sources and information consider Michael F. Bird, Are You the One Who Is to Come? The Historical Jesus And the Messianic Question (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009); see also G. S. Oegema, The Anointed and His People: Messianic Expectations from the Maccabees to Bar Kochba (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998).

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Obviously “good news”/”gospel” is central to Matthew’s portrayal of the message, identity, and work of Jesus (e.g., Matt 4:23; 24:14), and we can trace a key influence on Jesus’ language to the Septuagint text of Isaiah. For example, LXX Isaiah 52:7 outlines Zion’s hopes: “I am here . . . like the feet of one bringing glad tidings [i.e., “good news;” euangelizø] of a report of peace, like one bringing glad tidings [i.e., “good news;” euangelizø] of good things, because I will make your salvation heard, saying to [Z]ion, ‘Your God shall reign.’” Ultimately, the “good news” that Jesus announces is not about going to heaven or merely about having one’s personal sins forgiven; rather it was the culmination of Israel’s great hope of complete restoration and shalom—all of this happening not just in one moment but through the (re)establishment of the “God-with-us” divine rule as shepherd of the people. As N. T. Wright explains, Jews set their hope for the return of the true kingship on three things: “Release for captive Israel; the defeat of evil; and the return of YHWH to Zion.”7 Matthew

We turn now to the concept of the “kingdom of God/heaven” in Matthew. Despite popular misunderstandings, the phrase “kingdom of God” does not refer to a place per se; certainly it is not synonymous with “heaven.” The coming of this kingdom is best understood against the backdrop of Ezekiel 34 (as discussed above) as well as Daniel 2 and 7 where a final kingdom takes power and shatters the false kingdoms of the world (see Dan 2:44; 7:26-27). N. T. Wright is correct, then, to explain the “kingdom of God” as “simply a Jewish way of talking about Israel’s god becoming king. And when this god became king, the whole world, the world of space and time, would at last be put to right.”8 “The kingdom of God,” then, can be simply interpreted as the “rule of God.”9 Thus, as Graham Stanton aptly explains, when Understanding “the Kingdom of God” the Evangelists refer to the “kingdom Scholars have long debated whether to underof God” it is a way of “speaking about stand the phrase “kingdom of God” (h∑ basileia the reality of God,” and such a compretou theou) more as a place (the geographic kingdom of God) or an activity (the rulership of God). Ben Witherington hensive reality that “human response is considers it a combination of the two: “God’s saving expected.”10 [Understanding “the Kingdom of God”] activity breaking into our midst and leading us on until ‘thy Matthew frequently refers to the Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven.’” “kingdom of heaven” (30x), and this is Ben Witherington, Imminent Domain (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009) 3. clearly his preferred phrasing over and against Mark’s typical “kingdom of God.” Some have tried to explain Matthew’s use of “kingdom of heaven” as a circumlocution, a Jewish avoidance of naming “God” out of reverence. 11

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I do not find this reasoning convincing. First, Matthew occasionally does use the phrase “kingdom of God” without explanation or apology (e.g., 6:33). Second, most Hellenistic Jewish texts we have from the Second Temple period do not seem to go out of their way not to use the Greek word for God (theos). [Kingdom Language in Matthew] Jonathan Pennington Kingdom Language in Matthew • “kingdom of heaven”—5:10, 19(2x), 20; 7:21; 8:11; 10:7; has written an important book 11:11, 12; 13:11, 24, 31, 33, 44, 45, 47, 52; 16:19; 18:1, 3, on this subject and makes a per4; 18:23; 19:12, 14, 23; 20:1; 22:2; 23:13; 25:1 suasive case that Matthew prefers • “kingdom of God”—6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43 “kingdom of heaven” in order to • “kingdom” (no qualifier)—6:10; 8:12; 9:35; 13:19, 38; 24:14; 25:34 emphasize “the heavenly origins • “kingdom” (other qualifier)—13:41, 45; 16:28; 20:21; 26:29 and nature of the kingdom.” 12 Of course this makes perfect sense in light of the Matthean LP, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Going back to the matter of the interpretation of the language of “kingdom of God/heaven” in the Synoptic Gospels, there is a longstanding debate about Jesus’ proclamation—“the kingdom of God/ heaven has come near” (Matt 3:2; cf. Mk 1:15; Luke 10:11). In the nineteenth and early-middle twentieth century, scholars debated whether the kingdom language of the Gospels reflected a realized kingdom (i.e., the kingdom has come now) or a future kingdom (i.e., the kingdom will arrive soon). Scholarship eventually moved beyond this either-or debate. Note the important comment made in 1988 by Oscar Cullmann: It was now clear to me that it was not one or the other, but both: already realized but yet still future. With Christ, the event that accomplished my salvation has occurred, but the completion of it has yet to occur. Already and not yet. This “tension” determines the situation in which we, along with the New Testament, find ourselves.13

The most common interpretation today of the eschatological kingdom language in the Gospels is referred to as “inaugurated eschatology,” the idea that Jesus launched the new, long-awaited kingdom of God, but his followers still await the final consummation and full presence of that kingdom. The kingdom is now insofar as we catch glimpses of a new world order in which justice is upheld for all, where unity is possible, where the needs of the subjects of the kingdom are met. But the kingdom is still not yet since we have not fully realized this vision. We have a taste of what it can be, but it is not fully experienced, and will not be until the return of King Jesus. [Interpreting the “When” of “Let Your Kingdom Come”]

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William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas offer a helpful description of what it means to pray “Let your kingdom come” in the LP, in light of this now-and-not-yet eschatological perspective of the kingdom. They write that the kingdom of God is here, incipiently, in glimpses, but not in its fullness . . . . The Christian faith is eschatological, always leaning into the future, standing on tiptoes, eager to see what God is bringing to birth among us . . . leaning forward toward that day when all creation shall be fulfilled in one mighty prayer of praise.14

They go on to explain that when we pray the LP, “we are busy becoming as that for which we yearn.” We still await the fullness of the kingdom, but for now we live as an “eschatological people” who “believe that God rules and that we do not have to wait for that rule because God rules in Jesus Christ.”15 Interpreting the “When” of “Let Your Kingdom Come” Scholarship has wrestled over the nature of the eschatological theme in the LP. The wider debate about the use of “kingdom of God” language in the Jesus tradition as a whole has also played itself out in the study of the second petition of the LP. Raymond Brown, for example, has articulated a case for the ultimate eschatology position, urging that this petition is meant to focus on the final coming of God’s kingdom, which entails “the return of Christ, the destruction of the forces of evil, and the definite establishment of God’s rule” (175). In this eschatological (future-oriented) view, Christians are not asking for God’s rule to inspire their present lives per se, but specifically that “God’s universal reign be established—that destiny towards which the whole of time is directed” (Brown, 190). On the opposite end of scholarship we might refer to a “present” interpretation of the kingdom petition in the LP. This would be well represented by the interpretation of the Heidelberg Catechism: “Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you. Preserve your church and make it grow. Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your holy Word. Do this until your kingdom fully comes, when you will be all in all” (Q&A 123). (I would urge that Craig Blomberg’s interpretation is a good example of the “present” interpretation as well: “‘Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ expresses the desire that the acknowledgement of God’s reign and the accomplishment of his purposes take place in this world even as they already do in God’s throne room” (119).

Again, it is probably best to avoid a strict either-or, and most sensible to interpret this petition with a dual focus, present and future. Note how Susan Eastman presses beyond simplistic binaries: To my mind these are false dichotomies . . . the eschatological hope of God’s final kingdom is the basis for a transformed life in the present. Thus the LP expresses and confers a bifocal vision that simultaneously sees both the “near” horizon of present and concrete human experience, and the “far” horizon of the future reign of God. (82) Such a “bifocal” perspective would interpret the second petition in this way; “Let your kingdom come” is a cry for the consummated kingdom, but it is also the affirmation of a set of values that shapes and drives the people of God in Jesus Christ, to live as shepherds and as sheep according to the leadership of the good shepherd, anticipating the final restoration. R. E. Brown, “The Pater Noster as an Eschatological Prayer,” TS 22 (1961); cf. D. Hagner: “This refers to the eschatological rule of God expected and longed for by the Jewish people. It involves consummation of God’s purposes in history, the fulfillment of the prophetic pictures of future bliss (cf. Acts 1:6)”; see Matthew 1–13 (WBC; Waco: Word, 1993) 1:148. Craig Blomberg, Matthew (NAC; Nashville: Broadman, 1992). Susan G. Eastman, “The Lord’s Prayer,” in Prayer: Christian and Muslim Perspectives (ed. D. Marshall and L. Mosher; Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2013) 79–90; see similarly R. Schackenburg, All Things Are Possible: Reflections on the Lord’s Prayer and the Sermon on the Mount (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1995) 80.

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The Lord’s Prayer

Themes of the Kingdom of God in Matthew The Restored Kingdom

The Gospels portray the coming kingdom of God as a war between the kingdom of heaven and the counterfeit “rulership” on earth. According to the Old Testament, once God ceased ruling as king on earth, because of the fallout of human sin, chaos ensued. Scripture portrays both that mortals tried to take over rulership of the earth and that a vacuum was created in the self-eviction of God such that Satan took power over the earth. Regarding the former, we could appeal to Psalm 115. Here the psalmist responds to the pagan mockers who ask, “Where is their God?” (Israel did not have idols, so their deity was not considered by their neighbors to be “real,” since it was not worshiped via a cult statue.) The psalmist responds with a theological answer: God is in heaven, he has given the earth to mortals (115:3, 16). This kind of answer may have been a comfort to Israel as a theological response, but the division between “heaven” and “earth” was never meant to be in God’s plan (see Isa 66:1). Matthew’s Gospel commences with the idealistic kingship of David (1:1, 6, 17) but transitions to the dark reality of the kingship of Herod. The reader is meant to juxtapose Herod with Jesus. But the messiah is portrayed as challenging foremost not Herod or Caesar—we will return to them later—but “King” Satan, as it were. A close look at a text like Matthew 12:26-28 shows that Satan is imagined as the ruler of a kingdom, with demons as his agents and servants. Perhaps the most important text in Matthew that highlights the direct tension between the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God is the temptation narrative (Matt 4:1-11). In the final scene of the temptation story, Satan offers to Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor” in return for Jesus’ obeisance (4:8-9). Presumably he makes an offer on which he could potentially deliver. But Jesus, despite being genuinely tempted, rebukes Satan, knowing that this path to receiving “all authority in heaven and on earth” would be cheap and would cost him his soul; the world could not be truly redeemed through a deal bent on vainglory. Jesus must establish—or reestablish—a righteous model of kingdom, not “lording it over” but graciously and wisely leading.16 Ultimately, the Gospel of Matthew paints a picture of a restored, harmonious world under a humble and good king. In order to see this vision realized, the followers of Jesus must “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” and everything else will become rightly ordered (Matt 6:33).

Let Your Kingdom Come, Let Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven Temptations of Christ

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Scenes from the life of Jesus Christ: Temptations of Christ. 15th century. Chapelle St. Antoine, Bessans, France. (Credit: Scala / Art Resource, NY)

Praying “Let your kingdom come,” as we envision the restored kingdom, requires an imagination shaped by the eschatological hope of new creation. As David Garland explains, the kingdom petition is not a request for a modest improvement of conditions here on earth; it is a plea for a total transformation of everything we know. We are asking God to bring everything to an end and to bring about a whole new world order—Eden restored, a new Jerusalem descending from heaven, and the kingdom of God on earth.17 The Just Kingdom

Ultimately, for Jesus, the true kingdom of God is a kingdom of righteousness, a kingdom of goodness, impartiality, and justice (Matt 5:19-20). Those who long for God’s kingdom do not have to worry about problems of need and deprivation (Matt 6:33). One justice concern that the Synoptic Gospels raise is related

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to wealth and poverty. In the story of the rich young ruler, for example, Jesus challenges this devoted Jew to “sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Matt 19:21). The young man walks away in distress because “he had many possessions” (19:22). Jesus turns to his disciples and gives this hard teaching: “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven” (19:23b). One concern in this story is that the rich man had divided allegiances, unable to part with his wealth (“You cannot serve God and wealth”; 6:24). But implicit in Jesus’ command to him is concern for the poor; he was not simply to get rid of his money (e.g., donating it to family or friends) but to distribute it to the needy. Jesus tips his hat to the spirit of justice that is true of the heavenly kingdom. Keep in mind that the story just before this one in Matthew is Jesus’ blessing of the little children, those people in ancient society who had no status and made no economic contribution to the community; but Jesus dares to privilege them and treat them as the rightful re p re s e n t a t i ve s o f t h e k i n g d o m — A Kingdom of Hope a kingdom where everyone is equally Political theologian Leonardo Boff imagines important. [A Kingdom of Hope] Jesus’ kingdom vision as a theology of hope. Boff describes the world now as “dominated by the diabolic forces that torment our lives and threaten our hopes” (23). Alternatively, God’s kingdom will upend this evil; “out of the heart of darkness bursts a liberating ray of light” (23).

The Humble, Hospitable, and Generous Kingdom

In the ancient world, and through history, the image of a king has often been that To believe in the kingdom of God is to believe in a of a warrior, even a tyrant. You might final and happy meaning for history. It is to affirm that even recall that in 1 Samuel 18:7 we utopia is more real than the weight of facts. It is to are told that the Israelite women sang locate the truth concerning the world and human (merrily!), “Saul has killed his thousands, beings not in the past or completely in the present, and David his ten thousands.” In the but in the future, when it will be revealed in its fullness. To pray “Thy kingdom come” is to activate the Gospel of Matthew itself, “king” Herod most radical hopes of the heart, so that it will not did not hesitate to slaughter the little chilsuccumb to the continual brutality of present absurdren of Bethlehem to protect his throne dities that occur at the personal and social level. (61) from a potential rival (Matt 2:16). Jesus, unexpectedly, proclaimed and embodied L. Boff, The Lord’s Prayer: The Prayer of Integral Liberation (New York: a peaceful, humble kingdom with a Maryknoll, 1983). generous and hospitable king. In the Beatitudes, Jesus announces blessing on the “poor in spirit,” which seems to refer to the lowly. “Theirs,” Jesus teaches, “is the kingdom of heaven” (5:3). Clearly the kingdom of heaven is a different sort of place than we are used to. Our societies tend to reflect a “Might Makes Right” mentality, but Jesus’ kingdom is gracious and deferential.

Let Your Kingdom Come, Let Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven The Peaceable Kingdom

Edward Hicks (1780–1849). Peaceable Kingdom. c. 1834. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. [Credit: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Art (PD-oldauto-1923)].

This painting is inspired by the eschatological vision of Isaiah 11:6-8: “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.”

In Matthew 23, Jesus calls out the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and unrighteous hearts. They act elitist and exclusive: “you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them” (23:13). Alternatively, the way of the heavenly kingdom citizens is feeding the hungry, satiating the thirsty, and welcoming the stranger (25:35). [On Earth as in Heaven] Let Your Will Be Done Several years ago I came across a memorable definition of “kingdom of God” from John Drane. He explains it as “God’s way

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of doing things.”18 This is rather fitting for making sense of the LP—to pray “let your kingdom come” is likewise to pray “let your will be done on earth as in heaven.” The importance of obedience to the Father’s will is underscored several times in Matthew. Jesus comments that whoever does the Father’s will is truly Jesus’ brother, sister, and mother (12:50). Jesus gives the warning that just because someone calls out “Lord, Lord” does not mean he or she is destined for the kingdom of heaven— one must obey God’s will (7:21). A clear illustration is given in Matthew 21, where Jesus tells the story of two sons, one who says he will do the work given by the father but then doesn’t, and one who originally Dean Flemming, Philippians (New Beacon Bible Commentary; Kansas says “no” but actually does the work in the City: Beacon Hill, 2009), 200. end (21:28-32). In many ways this foreMartin Luther, Luther’s Explanatory Notes on the Gospels (York PA: shadows the work given to Jesus, the cup P. Anstadt & Sons, 1899). of suffering that lay ahead for him. In the Garden of Gethsemane he gives his “no”: “let this cup pass me by.” But immediately he turns to trust and obedience: “yet not what I want but what you want” (26:39). If we read this in the NIV, the connection to the LP is clearer: “Yet not as I will, but as you will,” clearly an affirmation of the kingdom petition. We are reminded, again, that in Matthew the LP stands between the living examples of Jesus in the temptation (4:1-11) and the Passion (26:1–27:66). When Christians pray, “Let your kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as in heaven,” we need not guess at what it looks like when this prayer is lived out. It is incarnated and enacted in the person of Jesus, who rejected the offer of kingdoms and glory from Satan (4:9). He refused to claim a kingdom all to himself and deferred to the kingdom of his Father. In the garden he chose to heed the divine will that led to the cross. He humbly prayed, “Your will, not mine.” [The Example of Christ

On Earth as in Heaven For the Matthean Jesus, heaven does not represent a faraway spiritual realm; rather, it is the pure and holy place of divine residence. To pray for earth to be like heaven means to wish for God’s will to be done without the impediment of sin—in heaven God’s will is accomplished in just such a way. This is reminiscent of Paul’s teaching in Philippians where he writes, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). Disciples on earth are citizens of heaven. As Dean Flemming explains, “The commonwealth in heaven rules, shapes, and determines our present life on earth” (200). Similarly, Martin Luther taught regarding the kingdom petition of the LP that we ought not to imagine that heaven is about seeking our own pleasure and self-interest. Rather, “this is the true kingdom of God, that God has possession of us, that he dwells within us, lives in us and rules over us” (36).

according to Cyprian]

On Earth as in Heaven We have already made the point that “heaven,” for Matthew, is not a spiritual realm up in the sky. Rather, as N. T. Wright aptly puts it, it is “God’s space, where God’s writ runs and God’s future purposes are waiting in the wings.”19 There is a sense, in the Gospels that the earth had come under the rulership of Satan de facto

Let Your Kingdom Come, Let Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven The Example of Christ according to Cyprian Now the will of God is that which Christ both did and taught. Humility in conduct, constancy in faith, truth in speech, justice in deeds, mercy in works, restraint in self-discipline, knowing nothing of doing injury yet willing to endure slight, holding to peace with the brothers, devoted wholeheartedly to the Lord, loving him as Father, fearing him as God, preferring nothing whatsoever to Christ because he preferred nothing to ourselves,

clinging inseparably to his love, standing by his cross with courage and faith and, when his name and honor are contested, being a confessor by constancy in the crown by patience under sentence of death. This is the desire to be co-heir with Christ, this is the performance of the command of God, this is the fulfillment of the Father’s will. —Cyprian of Carthage Cyprian in Tertullian, Cyprian and Origen: On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. A. Stewart-Sykes; New York: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004) 75–76.

(cf. John 12:31). While heaven and earth were meant to be united, the link was severed and the earth drifted away from its harmonious operation under the Lord. The LP imagines restored cooperation between the kingship of heaven and life on earth. In Matthew 11:25, Jesus prays to the “Lord of heaven and earth,” but it is clear that his rule is recognized and respected by his creatures in only one of these places. Jesus talks of bringing the sword to the earth (10:34), to start a war—and not a human war with swords and fists but a contest to win back the soul of earth itself and its creatures. He won this war on the cross, and yet in the time-between-the-times we pray the LP, entreating God to send his kingdom and to do his will, to make earth like heaven. C. S. Lewis, in his Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer, describes his vision of heaven as “the sinless world beyond the horrors of animal and human life.” 20 Lewis sees glimpses of the glory of heaven in the “behavior of stars and trees and water, in sunrise and wind.”21 What about “thy will be done”? Lewis sees a bit of heaven in “the best human lives I have known: in all the people who really bear the burdens and ring true, and in the quiet, busy, orderly life of really good families and really good religious houses.”22 What I resonate with in Lewis’s imagination is the idea that the LP longs not for an earth destroyed but for an earth reborn. Luke

Luke’s kingdom petition is much shorter than Matthew’s—simply, “Let your kingdom come” (11:2). The kingdom themes that resonate in Luke overlap with Matthew substantially and do not need to be rehearsed. Luke contains a unique passage where the Pharisees ask Jesus about when the kingdom of God will come; Jesus replies, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed” (Luke 17:20). And yet Jesus teaches, “the kingdom of God is among you” (17:21; cf. 11:20). It had been launched in his own ministry of healing and teaching. The Pharisees were looking

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for the wrong sort of evidence; as John Carroll explains (paraphrasing Jesus’ words and intentions), “God’s realm will not come with advance signs that permit prognostication; on the contrary, God’s reign is among you even now (it is the work in which I am engaged), though you do not perceive it.”23 As a counterbalance, we can look ahead to Jesus’ dialogue with one of the criminals crucified alongside him. He asks of Jesus, “remember me when you come into your kingdom” (23:42). Jesus responds, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (23:43). Here, while the Pharisees have spurned and rejected Jesus’ kingship and the presence of the kingdom of God in him, this lowly criminal has recognized the Messiah on the cross.24

Connections Christian Life Connections

Kingdom Come, A Prayer of Hope and Joy [Sedulius’s Paschal Song] Christians do not simply wish for the kingdom of God; they know that it will come by God’s will and change the world. Indeed, it is already changing the world (as we noted with Luke’s emphasis on the kingdom already planted and growing). Willimon and Hauerwas, in their reading and embodying of the LP, place an emphasis on the role of hope when believers pray for the kingdom. They write, “To be a people of hope means that we are saved from the world’s cynicism. We have been made happy. It means that, in a world as mean and unjust Sedulius’s Paschal Song as ours, we Christians can take the time to Now may “Your Kingdom Come,” namely, that have a party, a party called worship.”25 [kingdom where there is neither] resting in death nor being cut off in the end, where in eternity no time follows, because there time does not have night, but only continuous day: where with Christ the Prince, his head being encircled with a noble eternal crown, the victor like a soldier will rejoice carrying away rich reward. —Sedulius

A Prayer of Love Throughout the generations, when one king claims to take his kingdom somewhere or reclaim a kingdom, this usually Sedulius, Paschale carmen 2.249–54; as cited in R. Hammerling, The Lord’s means war, subjugation, domination. Prayer in the Early Church (New York: Palgrave-MacMillan, 2010) 148. When Jesus brings the kingdom and calls his disciples to pray for the kingdom, it is quite the opposite. N. T. Wright richly explains the central place of love and service for those who pray the LP in the way Jesus intended. With the kingdom petition in view, Wright explains,

Let Your Kingdom Come, Let Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven to pray this means seeing the world in binocular vision. See it with the love of the creator for his spectacularly beautiful creation; and see it with the deep grief of the creator for the battered and battle-scarred state in which the world now finds itself. Put those two together, and bring the binocular picture into focus: the love and the grief join into the Jesus-shape, the kingdom-shape, the shape of the cross—never was Love, dear King, never was Grief like thine! And, with this Jesus before our eyes, pray again, Thy Kingdom Come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven! We are praying, as Jesus was praying and acting, for the redemption of the world; for the radical defeat and uprooting of evil; and for heaven and earth to be married at last, for God to be all in all. And if we pray this way, we must of course be prepared to live this way.26 Prayer Connections

A South African Prayer, by Sol Jacob27 Lord Your Kingdom Come In Africa Your kingdom of pain and human struggles, Of defiance and rebellion, Of powerlessness, Of suffering and death Your kingdom of despair and disillusionment, Of danger and trial, Of repressed feelings, Of stress and strains. Your kingdom of violence, Of turmoil and tension, Of hopelessness, Of dependence and conflict. Your kingdom of confrontation, Of justice and encounter, Of risk, Of holy impatience and insecurity. Your kingdom of daily becomings, Of new opportunities and new tomorrows, Of quiet celebration,

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Of eternal song and hope. Your kingdom of jubilation, Of open spirit and deep fulfillment. Of burning love, Of peace and reconciliation. Lord Your Kingdom Come In Africa Tu Reino (unattributed)28 Tu Reino es Vida Tu Reino es Verdad Tu Reino es Justicia Tu Reino es Paz Tu Reino es Gracia Tu Reino es Amor VENGA A NOSOTROS TU REINO SEÑOR He will free the poor who beseech, The innocent who has no protection, He will have mercy upon the humble and the poor And he will save their lives from violence Because his blood is precious to their eyes. Let the mountains bring peace Let the hills bring justice Let him be a blessing to his people Let the nations proclaim his name Let him defend the humble of the people and defeat the exploiter. Let your justice run over the earth Let your kingdom come, Oh Lord Let the poor see the light of total liberation. The yoke of oppression will be broken and the hungry will be filled with bread.

Let Your Kingdom Come, Let Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven

Thy Kingdom Come, by Malcolm Guite29 Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth. Can we imagine what we’re asking for? When all we know and all we think we’re worth As vanity might vanish, disappear, Fading before the splendours you reveal: The beggars crowned with glory, all the meek Exalted even as the mighty fall, And everywhere the triumph of the weak.

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C. K. Barrett on Thy Will Be Done “Thy will be done”—The phrase as it is commonly used is blasphemy. Some awful possibility lies before us; we do everything in our power to avert it; we fail, and we finally say, having exhausted every other possibility, “thy will be done.” To say this implies at least two horrible presuppositions—first it means that God’s will is a dreadful thing to be avoided at all costs. And second it means we’ve tried everything we know to get our own will, and only when all that has failed we say “Well God, I can’t have my way. I suppose you better have yours.” No, that is not what our Lord taught us to ask for, to come to God as a last resort, and say “alright, have it your own way.” He lived and taught in the spirit of the man in the Psalms who cried out “I delight to do thy will, O my God.” He means that you should say “I know that what you will is the finest and best thing I can possibly do. And for that reason, and because I love you, I want to do it. May it be done!” “Thy will be done” is never a phrase to sit down on, it is a phrase to stand up to. —C. K. Barrett

And we, who have been first, will be last Ben Witherington is in the process of collecting sermons of C. K. Barrett, and this collection, which includes this quote, will be published soon. In the meantime, And queue for mercy like the refugees this particular excerpt can be found on Witherington’s blog: http://www.patheos. Whom only moments earlier we com/blogs/bibleandculture/2016/11/09/quote-of-the-day-on-prayer-from-ckb/. passed By on the other side. For now the seas That separated are no more. The Sun Is risen like justice, and his will is done. [C. K. Barrett on Thy Will Be Done]

Notes 1. Karl Barth, Prayer (ed. D. E. Saliers; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002) 35. 2. We do find a couple of occasions where the phrase “kingdom of the Lord” appears (1 Chr 28:5; 2 Chr 13:8). See G. R. Beasley-Murray, “The Kingdom of God in the Teaching of Jesus,” JETS 35/1 (1992): 19–30, at 19. 3. For a helpful, brief study of the biblical roots of the concept of the “rule of God,” see C. A. Evans, “Inaugurating the Kingdom of God and Defeating the Kingdom of Satan,” BBR 15/1 (2005): 59–75, particularly 50–52. 4. See P. C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976) 394; cf. Marc Zvi Brettler, God Is King: Understanding an Israelite Metaphor (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989) 29–88. 5. See T. Laniak, Shepherds after My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bible (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006) 58–74. 6. Note the important theme of harmony and unification in Ezekiel 34; compare this to the hope prophesied in Zechariah 14:9: “And the LORD will become king over all the earth; on that day, the LORD will be one, and His name will be one.” Observe both

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The Lord’s Prayer the strong resonances with the Shema (“the LORD is one”) as well as with the expectation of the “kingdom of God” in Matthew; see D. Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” RevExp 89 (1992): 215–28, at 219; cf. Ezek 37:22. 7. N. T. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996) 27. 8. N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996) 202–203. 9. See J. D. G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975) 182; cf. G. Stanton, The Gospels and Jesus (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002): “The kingdom of God is God’s kingly rule, the time and place where God’s power and will hold sway” (214). 10. Stanton, The Gospels and Jesus, 214. 11. See the longer discussion in the Introduction (p. 21). 12. I am quoting from Pennington’s short essay on “Kingdom of Heaven” in the DJG (2nd ed.; Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2013) 474, but see for more detail his Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009). 13. O. Cullmann, “Vorwort von Oscar Cullmann,” in “Heil als Geschichte”? Die Frage nach dem heilsgeschichtlichen Denken, dargestellt anhand der Konzeption Oscar Cullmanns (ed. K.-H. Schlaudraff; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1988) xvi, as cited in S. Hafemann, Biblical Theology: Retrospect & Prospect (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2009) 252. 14. W. Willimon and S. Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer & the Christian Life (Nashville: Abingdon, 2002) 57. 15. Ibid. 58. See similarly the comment by G. Beasley-Murray, who argues that in the Beatitudes we see “revelations of the riches of the grace that, experienced in the present, will be known to the full in the unveiling of the glory of the consummated kingdom of God”; see “The Kingdom of God in the Teaching of Jesus,” 24. 16. See Evans, “Inaugurating the Kingdom of God,” 55. 17. D. Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” 220; cf. similarly: “believers should continue to pray for its coming by recognizing God’s lordship and accept God’s reign in their lives. To pray this second petition is, therefore, to commit ourselves to the service of God as the Lord and to anticipate that the whole creation will someday be restored under God’s gracious rule” (J. Yieh, “Lord’s Prayer,” NIDB 3.689–95, at 693); also R. A. Werline, Pray Like This: Understanding Prayer in the Bible (London: Bloomsbury, 2007): “Praying for the kingdom to come is subversive, for it challenges the power of this age” (91). Werline further comments, “Matthew anticipated a punishment of the wicked and a vindication of the righteous. God’s rule would bring peace, justice, and equity for the righteous, especially those that the present imperial system had pushed to the margins” (91). 18. J. Drane, Introducing the New Testament (Oxford: Lion, 1999) 112. 19. N. T. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996) 24; see similarly Witherington, Imminent Domain, 49. 20. C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2017; first published 1964) 25. 21. Ibid. 22. Ibid. 23. J. T. Carroll, Luke (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2012) 346.

Let Your Kingdom Come, Let Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven 24. Ibid., 468. 25. Willimon and Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us, 58 26. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer, 31. 27. See K. Stendahl, “Notes for Bible Study,” International Review of Mission 69 (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1980) 265–351, at 288. 28. See Stendahl, “Notes,” 303. 29. M. Guite, Parable and Paradox: Sonnets on the Sayings of Jesus and Other Poems (London: Canterbury Press, 2016) 67.

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Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread Introduction

This commentary began with the observation that British cinemas refused to play the Church of England’s LP advert because it was potentially offensive or off-putting to the Star Wars viewing public. It could hurt sales. This is an example of where the LP is recognized as a central symbol of Christianity. But we might turn our attention to the 2012 court case of Mullin v. Sussex County (Delaware) where a US District Court had to decide the case in which four residents sued the county council for opening meetings with the LP. The county’s response to the plaintiffs was that it was not a distinctly Christian prayer. This kind of argument has been made before, where it is noted that the prayer does not mention Jesus, hell, or salvation explicitly. But, as with all things, context is king! Praying “Our Father” is praying to the Father of Jesus Christ. Praying for God’s kingdom to come is praying for the kingdom that Jesus brings. The example of Jesus’ submission to God in drinking the cup of suffering (for the sake of bringing forgiveness of life to others) is the model par excellence of what it means to pray “Thy will be done.” So, too, praying daily for “bread” is not a generic prayer but one situated in and saturated in biblical ideas, concepts, and assumptions. Put another way, to ignore the canonical context of the LP could allow it to function in a non-Christian way, but then it ought not to be called the Lord’s Prayer because it becomes merely a prayer. Without its context, it is not the prayer Jesus teaches, since Jesus offers this prayer model as teacher to his disciples. This petition especially requires ears and eyes attuned to the many canonical resonances with the language and imagery of the divine gift of bread.1

Commentary Canonical Context

Throughout the Old Testament, “bread” is standard language for food. For example, in Psalm 42, the psalmist cries out to the Lord

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saying, “My tears have been my food day and night . . . .” The word for food here is lehem, the Hebrew word for bread. Thus, it is unsurprising that bread is mentioned hundreds of times in the OT. Are there occasions where “bread” is especially significant in the Jewish tradition? Certainly: “Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them whether they will walk in my law, or not” (Exod 16:4). The context here is the complaints of Israel as they wander in the desert after leaving Egypt. The people cried out to God, saying, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to Manna in the Desert kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exod 16:3). Despite these petty accusations, the Lord graciously provides bread for his people. He establishes this provision to demonstrate “the glory of the LORD,” namely that he Image Not cares for his people (16:7). Later it Available is explained that this bread is called due to lack of digital manna, because when they found rights. Please view the it they asked, “What is it?” (Manna published commentary or perform an Internet means “what is it?”) search using the According to the pattern of the credit below. giving of this heavenly bread, the Israelites were meant to collect this bread “each day,” except on the sixth day when they must collect double to cover the Sabbath. According to Manna in the Desert. Mirror of Human Salvation. France, 15th C. Ms.139, fol.17 N. T. Wright, the LP’s petition for verso. Photo: René-Gabriel Ojéda. Musée Condé. (Credit: © RMN-Grand Palais / “daily bread” echoes the manna Art Resource, NY) provision. 2 Just as Israel depended on God for the sustaining of their lives in the wilderness, so too Jesus expected his disciples to acknowledge that same reliance. Furthermore, Wright highlights the wandering (and itinerancy) motif: “Manna was not needed in Egypt. Nor would it be needed in the promised land. It is the food of inaugurated eschatology, the food that is needed because the kingdom has already broken in and because it is not yet consummated. The daily provision of manna signals that the Exodus has begun, but also that we are not yet living in the land.”3

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Another important Old Testament passage that informs the LP bread petition is Deuteronomy 8:1-20. Here, after the pronouncement of covenantal blessings for obedience, Deuteronomy reinforces the importance of meticulous and careful observance of the divine commandments. The Israelites are reminded of the generation that was forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years (8:1). We learn that this diversion from their promised land destiny was to humble them and to test their hearts to see if they would trust and obey God (8:2). Hinting at the manna provision, Deuteronomy says that God “humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deut 8:3). The significance of this verse for the LP bread petition is underscored by the fact that Jesus quotes it directly in Matthew’s temptation narrative after Satan tells him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matt 4:3). Despite Jesus’ hunger, he denies Satan’s proposal and reinforces the importance of clinging to the promises of God, even more than the desire to grasp at food to fill the famished stomach.4 The importance of the manna provision as a lesson in trust and leaning on the Lord is reinforced throughout the Old Testament, as in Nehemiah 9:15 (“And you gave them bread from heaven in their famine . . .”) and Psalm 78:24 (“he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven. Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance”). Another important consideration for the study of the LP’s bread petition is the references made in a couple of places in the New Testament to daily provision. In the book of Acts, we learn about some widows in the early church who were being neglected in the “daily distribution of food” (Acts 6:1). This appears to involve a planned ministry of benevolence for the needy, a practice that the church perhaps inherited from Judaism.5 In James 2 we read about the folly of sentimental words (without compassionate action) extended to a “brother or sister [who] is naked and lacks daily food” (2:15-16). Again, the phrase “daily food” carries that sense of the “daily ration,” what the poorest of poor can expect, depending on the generosity of others and living one day (or one meal) at a time.6

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“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” Postcard

Matthew

As noted above, Deuteronomy 8:3 is cited by Jesus to rebuke the temptations of Satan. Rather than give in to the desire to fill his stomach with bread, Jesus appeals to the word of God as his real sustenance. In each case with the temptations, Jesus is enticed with some “shortcut” to alleviation or Image Not glory, to satisfy one or another impulse. By appealing to Deuteronomy, Jesus reinforces Available the foundational concept of the covenant, due to lack of digital rights. Please view the that Israel must put complete trust in published commentary God’s hands—any equivocation will lead to or perform an Internet disaster (as we see played out all too often search using the in Joshua and Judges, for example).7 What credit below. the temptation story shows us is a messianic representative of Israel who is called to re-walk the desert path of Israel, making right their wandering wrongs. Jesus faces legitimate temptations: he is really hungry, and he is really weakened by the desert deprivations. Still, he is able to resist the “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread.” c. 1880–1920. Postcard. Lake devil and bring new hope to God’s people County Museum, Lakeview, Oregon. (Credit: Universal Images Group / Art Resource, NY) for true obedience. It is possible, even likely, that this event is still meant to be This postcard, showing a woman distributing bread to fresh in Matthew’s readers’ minds as they poor children, was inspired by the LP. hear “give us this day our daily bread.” Before giving attention directly to the bread petition in the LP, we may briefly mention Matthew 7:9 where Jesus asks, “Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?” That is to say, parents are universally gracious and compassionate towards their children. Correspondingly, as the LP begins with “Our Father,” once we get to the request for bread, God’s children can rejoice in the generosity of the Father, the One who all the more takes immediate interest in and has concern for his sons and daughters. We have noted in this book how Luke’s LP does not contain several features found in Matthew’s LP. However, it does have the bread petition. • “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt 6:11) • “Give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3)

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

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These petitions are nearly identical and both contain a perplexing Greek word: epiousios. This word is not found anywhere else in the New Testament aside from these two places. Indeed, it is not found anywhere else in all extant ancient Greek literature (a fact pointed out as early as Origen).8 C. F. Evans identifies the extraordinary reality that at the center of the LP we find such ambiguity “in what appears to be its simplest petition.”9 Colin Hemer conducted a thorough study of this matter, especially looking for clues that might help us ascertain this word’s meaning. Hemer observes that another occurrence of the word epiousios was in fact attested from the ancient world—in a list of household expenses—but even then we could not figure out its precise meaning.10 To make matters worse, we no longer have that additional text, and the person who originally recorded it was not necessarily a reliable source.11 The reason our translations say “daily” is more than a shot in the dark, though. First, both Matthew and Luke refer to “daily” in the verse, though each in a slightly different way. Second, scholars have tried to make some educated guesses about the meaning of epiousios based on similar words or potentially different forms of this word in Greek. Finally, we have discussions of this word (a subject of great interest!) in the church fathers. We will break down the discussion with six possible interpretive options. [“Daily Bread” and the Power of Tradition]

Essential. One theory reasons that epiousios comes from a form of epieimi and means “being” or “substance.”12 Therefore, epiousios means something like essential bread; this “Daily Bread” and the Power of Tradition would communicate the idea that we petition [T]he word “daily” is perhaps so God only for what we need, the basic necesembedded in the English tradition that no sities. 13 We can find a parallel for this in matter how strongly one might propose an alternative to it as linguistically or exegetically superior, it Proverbs: “give me neither poverty nor riches; 14 is likely to stay. —Arland Hultgren feed me with the bread I need” (Prov 30:8). A. Hultgren, “The Bread Petition of the Lord’s Prayer,” AThR 11 One possible concern with this view is that (1990): 41–54, at 53. some scholars believe that if this word were to come from epieimi, it ought to look like epousios, not epiousios.15 Today. Another possibility is that epiousios means something like “being” in a more temporal sense, as that which is current, i.e., “today.” That is how most of our modern English translations actually take this word where what is underscored is “the continuous and repeated, day-by-day, dependence of the pray-ers on God’s provision.”16 Ulrich Luz, though, observes that there are far easier ways to say “today” (e.g., ephemera) than the unusual word

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epiousios.17 At the same time, both Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3 mention “daily” or “today” in one way or another, which could strengthen the case for this reading of epiousios. Coming (Tomorrow). It is possible that epiousios comes from the verb epeimi, which means “I come upon.” Origen recognized this possibility but did not prefer it. Those like Craig Blomberg who find this interpretation convincing envision the bread petition asking God to set up provision for the next day “as [Christians] recognize that all sustenance for one’s life comes from God and that he makes no long-term future guarantees.”18 There is an ancient witness to this kind of interpretation. In the second century CE, in the Gospel of the Nazarenes we see this language: “our bread of tomorrow give us this day” (NT Apoc 1.16019). Coming (at the Eschalon). A related interpretation to the previous one also builds on the possible link to epeimi (“come upon”) but envisions this as the eschatological “tomorrow.” As James Dunn explains, this interpretation is favored by scholars who read the entire LP as eschaton-oriented (such as Jeremias and Brown). Dunn depicts their interpretation in this way: “What sustains the disciples now are resources from beyond the constraints of the present, from the future which God will bring about and has already achieved in raising Christ from the dead.”20 Similarly, C. F. Evans integrates the “eschatological” interpretation of the bread petition into the larger LP as follows: If the petition in the LP were for the bread of to-morrow to-day, that is, for the heavenly sabbath bread of the kingdom which had already drawn near, then it would fit the design of the Prayer as a whole if that prayer is for the final things of God, and would explain why prayer concerning the name, the kingdom, and the will should be immediately followed by prayer for bread. The same level would be maintained throughout. To pray that God will hallow his name and bring his kingdom is the prayer of men whose appetites are whetted thereby, so that nothing short of divine nourishment will suffice.21

The argument in favor of the eschaton reading of the bread petition sometimes marshals as evidence the link between “bread” and the messianic banquet (cf. Luke 14:15). So Rodney Werline explains: “The kingdom of God is depicted as a huge banquet in several Jewish and gospel texts, and several parables compare features of life in the kingdom to banquet scenes. The many scenes in which Jesus is at table are typically understood as foreshadowing the endtime feast. Perhaps this petition in the LP expresses longing for that event.”22

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Supersubstantial (Spiritual). Many early Christian theologians favored a reading of epiousios that understood it not just as substantial (essential, from epiousia) but supersubstantial, the bread the gives divine life and salvation in communion with God.23 Origen, for example, refers to this bread as that “which has come down from heaven” and “is received into the mind and the soul.”24 Origen goes on to describe this bread as “that which corresponds most closely to the rational nature, and is related to its essence, bringing about health and well-being and strength in the soul and, since the word of God is immortal, communicating its own immortality to anyone who eats it.”25 Jerome refers to it as spiritual bread that “is above all substances and surpasses all creatures.”26 Coming (from God). One possible reading of epiousios is unique to the interpretation of Arland Hultgren. Hultgren considers that epiousios might indeed come from epeimi (“come upon”), but instead of this referring to time (coming tomorrow) he wonders whether perhaps it more refers to whom it comes from and to whom it is going. The point here would be that epiousios might acknowledge that God is the supplier of our needs, thus it might be glossed as “Give us today, Father, our bread which comes upon us from you.”27 This might align with such biblical teaching as comes from Psalm 104, “You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart” (104:14-15).28 These options are difficult to adjudicate. I am least convinced by the eschaton view that reads the bread petition as primarily about the bread of the messianic banquet. I find more persuasive the essential or the today views though realistically we must live with that tension of not really knowing the meaning of epiousios with confidence. While epiousios is a mystery, the overall concern of the LP in Matthew and the bread petition within the LP communicates two important themes: dependence and simplicity. To these themes we now turn. Dependence As Tertullian reminds us, the LP falls rather closely in the Sermon on the Mount to Jesus’ teachings about trusting God with our daily needs (Matt 6:25-34).29 Jesus teaches his disciples that they should devote themselves exclusively to only one master—God— and that everything else will fall into place. So Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink”

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(6:25). He remarks that the Gentiles obsess over such matters, stressing out about making ends meet (6:31-32). But God’s people ought to be content knowing that “your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (6:32). So the prayer for “daily bread” is the will to accept God as sole master and to recognize our reliance on him, knowing we are needy people. Cyprian notes the example of Elijah who “in his solitary flight was fed by ministering ravens and was nourished amidst persecution by birds who brought him food (2 Kings 17.6).”30 Augustine states, “Daily we live, and daily rise, and are daily fed, and daily hunger. May He then give us daily Ancient Roman loaf of bread found at Pomepii. (Credit: Beatrice / bread.” 31 Donald Hagner explains that, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA-2.0-IT) from this perspective, the LP is clearly not a magical prayer. It is not about a verbal This simple cake of bread was preserved as a result of the ancient eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii. formula, or coercing God to do things for us. The petitions of the LP are concise and gritty, intended to be sincere cries from the heart.32 Lohfink helps us to contextualize this bread petition in the ministry of Jesus by observing that Jesus and his disciples were itinerant; that is, they did not remain in one place but traveled from place to place. Thus, they often did not know where, when, or how they would have their next meal. This gives even more urgency to the prayer for daily sustenance: “Therefore they have to pray to their Father in heaven—since they have left their earthly fathers—for their bread for the next day. They cannot undertake to plan or set aside for the future. They have no time for it. But they may and should pray for bread for one day.”33 Simply Bread

Simplicity When Jesus encourages prayer for daily bread, it is rather clear that this refers to sustenance that meets basic needs. Of course we already observed how the Father loves to spoil his children, but the disciples ought to know that simplicity is good for the soul and for society. Chrysostom observes how Jesus does not encourage prayer for wealth or luxurious living—rather for simple bread.34 [Physical Bread or Spiritual Bread?] Put another way (cleverly, from Craig Blomberg), “the prayer makes request for our needs and not our

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread Physical Bread or Spiritual Bread? Because of the many important passages throughout Scripture that refer to “bread,” the LP bread petition could have a number of resonances with a wide range of concepts and themes. This raises the question, is the “bread” we ask for physical bread (i.e., prayer for biological sustenance) or is it metaphorical or spiritual bread (i.e., spiritual nourishment)? On face value, it appears to refer to God’s provision for our physical needs (as in Prov 30:8). However, Matt 4:4, where Jesus cites Deut 8:3, reinforces that mortals live not on bread alone but depend on God’s word. Furthermore, in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to himself as the “bread from heaven” of superior quality to the heavenly manna. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). And, of course, in the Synoptic Gospels Jesus uses bread as an analogy for his broken body that he shares with his disciples at the Last Supper (Matt 26:26): “Take, eat; this is my body.” When Jesus first gave the LP to his disciples, they could not have immediately thought of it in Eucharistic terms because there was no “bread and cup” practice yet. After the institution of the Eucharist, as the Church came to regularly eat the bread of Christ, and after assimilating teachings like John 6 where Jesus refers to a deeper bread-nourishment of faith and salvation, we cannot help but recall these images as we pray “give us daily bread.” (So note this comment from Luz: “The sacramental interpretation was so much taken for granted that one was able to draw concrete

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conclusions from it such as the demand for daily communion or the rejection of the cup for the laity” [320].) For Cyprian, we are meant to think of both “simple” bread and spiritual bread because both are gifts of God. Jeremias also offers a healthy integrative perspective on the bread petition: For Jesus, there was no opposition between earthly bread and the bread of life, for in the realm of the basileia all earthly things are hallowed. The bread that Jesus broke when he invited publicans and sinners to his table, the bread that he gave to his disciples at the Last Supper, was earthly bread and yet at the same time the bread of life. For the disciples of Jesus, every meal, and not only the last one, had deep eschatological significance. Every meal with Jesus was a salvation meal, an anticipation of the final feast. At each meal he was the host, as he would be at the consummation. (200) U. Luz, Matthew 1–7: A Commentary (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007); see Cyprian Dom or. 18. Augustine pushed toward multiple meanings that did not discount natural physical needs for bread Augustine Serm. Dom. 2.7. Cyprian, as cited in M. Simonetti, ed., Matthew 1–13 (ACCS; Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001) 135. J. Jeremias, New Testament Theology (London: SCM, 1971), as cited in W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison, Matthew 1–7 (ICC; London: T & T Clark, 1988) 1:610.

greed (cf. James 4:3).”35 And consider also the instruction on the bread petition given in Luther’s Shorter Catechism: “Here, now, we consider the poor bread basket, the necessaries of our body and of the temporal life.”36 Luke

As we have noted above, Luke’s LP, while more concise, does include a bread petition similar to Matthew’s: “Give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3). No doubt the same two themes are equally applicable to Luke’s theological interests as Matthew’s, namely, dependence on God and a call to humble simplicity. Still, we may add here a few textual resonances of the bread petition that relate to passages found exclusively in Luke or that are related in a special way to Luke. In Luke 14, we find Jesus at a dinner party talking about hospitality; he explicitly notes the value of inviting “the poor, the

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crippled, the lame, and the blind,” and not just one’s closest friends (14:13-14). With zeal, another dinner guest blurts out, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Image Not Available (14:15). This guest probably sees due to lack of digital rights. Please view the published an opportunity here to imagine commentary or perform an the eschatological banquet— Internet search using the but apparently misses Jesus’ credit below. point about loving the unloved. Jesus goes on to give a parable about a “great dinner” where the invited guests end up taking little José Vela Zanetti. La Ultima Cena. 1977. Private Collection, Madrid, Spain. interest. The rejection the host © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VEGAP, Madrid (Credit: Album / Art Resource, NY) of the parable faces makes him angry, and he erases the original guest list and opens the party up to the least of the least from the streets. The parable ends with the host desiring to fill his house with excited guests, most of whom are the poor, crippled, blind, and lame (14:21). When we pray for “daily bread,” in Luke’s imagination, then, we might just recognize the graciousness of the host and our own neediness like the “least of these” in the “great dinner” parable. Another unique Lukan story is the unusual tale of Jesus appearing to two disciples after his resurrection as they walked on the road to Emmaus (24:13ff ). Luke informs us that their eyes were kept from recognizing him (24:16). They express to this stranger (Jesus) their disappointment that Jesus did not redeem Israel and instead was executed. Jesus (still disguised) teaches them about what the Messiah must suffer according to the Scriptures. Then he goes along with them to dinner. We are told that “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight” (24:30-31). This is an unusual story that leaves a lot to the imagination, but scholars agree that the table scene echoes the Lord’s Supper (22:14-23), the bread perhaps symbolizing Jesus’ true identity found in his broken body on the cross—that this was how he planned to redeem Israel, by breaking the curse of sin through his life given in death for the sake of love. La Ultima Cena [The Last Supper]

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Connections

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Supper at Emmaus

Christian Life Connections

Humble Bread Just today I went to one of those warehouse-club stores and bought four loaves of bread that I will store in my fridge and freezer. They will serve my family’s needs for several weeks. Practically speaking, I am a long way from asking for “daily bread.” Willimon and Hauerwas take an opportunity to remind people like me that many in the world do not have the supply luxuries that I do. They offer this example.

Image Not Available

due to lack of digital rights. Please view the published commentary or perform an Internet search using the credit below.

A woman in a little village in Honduras trudges up the mountain each day to gather and then carry down the mountain the sticks for her cooking the food. Then she Jacopo da Pontormo (1494–1597). Supper at Emmaus. 1525. Oil on grinds the corn her husband has raised, canvas. Uffizi, Florence, Italy. (Credit: Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY) cherishing every kernel, hoping that this season’s corn will last through the winter. The tortillas are made in the palm of her hand. She drops them in the pan, cooks them and feeds them one-by-one to her children, the only food they will have that day to fill their aching stomachs. That woman undoubtedly prays, “Give us this day our daily bread” different from the way we pray that petition.37

Willimon and Hauerwas remind us here that the mechanization of food production and the storage technology we are privileged to have can give us a superficial sense of security, telling us that we are “fed” by grocery stores and not by God. The lesson of the Honduran woman ought to teach us that we all “are fleshly people who live by bread.”38 I am reminded of the parable of the rich fool from Luke 12:13-21. He is fortunate to have abundant produce from his land. He discerns that his storage facilities are insufficient, so he decides to wreck his current barns and construct larger ones for his grain and goods. The problem here is not his planning but rather his attitude, for he says to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:20). Immediately God interrupts his daydream and tells him he is set to die “this very night”—and those barn houses with all

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the stored food, “whose will they be?” Again, this is reminiscent of the manna provision from Exodus. The idea was that manna could not be hoarded, except on the sixth day to save up for the Sabbath. The logic was that each one lived simply on “enough” food; they should not take too little, but they should not take not so much that there would not be any left for the others. Praying for “daily bread” means that we recognize what our bodies need from God, no more and no less. Even if, today, we ask the grocery store for bread, we ought to thank God for each Cyprian’s Prayer for Humble Bread day’s provisions for us, and we ought to “. . . we, [who] have renounced the world and its pray for those who do not know when or wealth and its pomp, abandoning them through faith in his spiritual grace, are asking for as much food and how they will obtain a meal—and we are sustenance as needful.” called to share with them from our abunCyprian, On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. Stewart-Sykes) 79. dance. [Cyprian’s Prayer for Humble Bread] Learning Daily Contentment The rich industrialist from the North was horrified to find the Southern fisherman lying lazily beside his boat, smoking a pipe. “Why aren’t you out fishing?” said the industrialist. “Because I have caught enough fish for the day,” said the fisherman. “Why don’t you catch some more?” “What would I do with it?” “You could earn more money” was the reply. “With that you could have a motor fixed to your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more fish. Then you would make enough to buy nylon nets. These would bring you more fish and more money. Soon you would have enough money to own two boats . . . maybe even a fleet of boats. The you would be a rich man like me.” “What would I do then?” “Then you could really enjoy life.” “What do you think I am doing right now?”39 When we learn how to ask for daily bread, we learn how to live day by day. I am one of those people who struggles with enjoying and thanking God for today. I always have these unrealistic expectations that if I overwork myself today, then there will be a magical day when I will have no more work to do and I can just relax. Rest is often an illusion—something always just out of reach because I have this anxious compulsion to be “productive.” And inevitably I miss out. I miss out on self-care. I miss out on enjoying the beauty all around me. I miss out on enjoying a moment of quiet prayer and rest in God. I miss out sometimes on frivolous playtime with my kids. I miss out on necessary sleep. If we live by

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

years, we will lose years on exhausted overproductivity that actually adds little to our lives. If we learn to live daily we will find daily rewards—in peace, prayer, and presence with family and friends. Remember: in the same chapter of Matthew as “Give us this day our daily bread ” Jesus says “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for me.” Probably, if we think about the story above, we could say the same thing about leisure. “Do not put off leisure until tomorrow, for tomorrow is not today and may never come. Today’s leisure is enough for today!”40 Ode to Bread Bread, you rise from flour, water and fire. Dense or light, flattened or round, you duplicate the mother’s rounded womb, and earth’s twice-yearly swelling. How simple you are, bread, and how profound! You line up on the baker’s powdered trays like silverware or plates or pieces of paper and suddenly life washes over you, there’s the joining of seed and fire, and you’re growing, growing all at once like hips, mouths, breasts, mounds of earth,

The Bread of Moscow

Image Not Available due to lack of digital rights. Please view the published commentary or perform an Internet search using the credit below.

Ilya Mashkov (1881–1944). The Bread of Moscow. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia. (Credit: Scala / Art Resource, NY)

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or people’s lives. The temperature rises, you’re overwhelmed by fullness, the roar of fertility, and suddenly your golden color is fixed. And when your little wombs were seeded, a brown scar laid its burn the length of your two halves’ toasted juncture. Now, whole, you are mankind’s energy, a miracle often admired, the will to live itself. O bread familiar to every mouth, we will not kneel before you: men do not implore unclear gods or obscure angels: we will make our own bread out of sea and soil, we will plant wheat on our earth and the planets, bread for every mouth, for every person, our daily bread. Because we plant its seed and grow it not for one man but for all, there will be enough: there will be bread for all the peoples of the earth. And we will also share with one another whatever has

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

the shape and the flavor of bread: the earth itself, beauty and love— all taste like bread and have its shape, the germination of wheat. Everything exists to be shared, to be freely given, to multiply. This is why, bread, if you flee from mankind’s houses, if they hide you away or deny you, if the greedy man pimps for you or the rich man takes you over, if the wheat does not yearn for the furrow and the soil: then, bread, we will refuse to pray: bread we will refuse to beg. We will fight for you instead, side by side with the others, with everyone who knows hunger. We will go after you in every river and in the air. We will divide the entire earth among ourselves so that you may germinate, and the earth will go forward with us: water, fire, and mankind fighting at our side. Crowned with sheafs of wheat, we will win earth and bread for everyone.

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Then life itself will have the shape of bread, deep and simple, immeasurable and pure. Every living thing will have its share of soil and life, and the bread we eat each morning, everyone’s daily bread, will be hallowed and sacred, because it will have been won by the longest and costliest of human struggles. This earthly Victory does not have wings: she wears bread on her shoulders instead. Courageously she soars, setting the world free, like a baker born aloft on the wind. —Pablo Neruda41 Prayer Connections

Bread of Life Somewhere a miracle occurs, a seed is sown in fertile ground, germinates, grows, ripens and in due season will be harvested. Somewhere a miracle occurs, from the simplest of ingredients, flour and water, salt and yeast, kneaded and formed. Daily bread.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Somewhere a miracle occurs, your word is sown in fertile ground, germinates, grows, fruits and in due season will be harvested. Somewhere a miracle occurs, as the purest of ingredients, love, hope and joy make broken lives whole. Bread of Life. God of miracle, provider of daily bread, word of life and love, we offer you our thanks. Bread of Life, you feed us through word and sacrament. The bread we share a remembrance of your presence with us. Strengthen us for service, that seeds we sow in fertile places might grow and flourish, that food we share in fellowship might nourish and revive, that words we share in our daily walk might glorify your name. Bread of Life, you feed us through word and sacrament that we might feed others. Blessed be your name! When the journey is long and we hunger and thirst,

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Bread of Life, you sustain us. When the road is hard and our bodies weak Bread of Life, you heal us. When our spirits are low and we can’t carry on Bread of Life, you revive us. When we offer our hand in love and in service Bread of life, you bless us. When the challenge is great and the workers are few Bread of Life, you empower us. When the victory is won and we see your face Bread of Life, you will rejoice with us! We bless you, God of Seed and Harvest Provider of our daily bread And we bless each other That the beauty of this world And the love that created it Might be expressed through our lives And be a blessing to others Now and always42 —John Birch We Plough the Fields and Scatter This hymn is associated with the farmer’s praise for the harvest (from the German hymn by Matthias St. Basil the Great on Sharing Bread Claudius, “wir pflügen und wir streuen,” “The bread that is spoiling in your house belongs 1782).43 Notice in the second verse the to the hungry. The shoes that are mildewing reference to “our daily bread.” [St. Basil the under your bed belong to those who have none. The clothes stored away in your trunk belong to those who are naked. The money that depreciates in your treasury belongs to the poor!”

Great on Sharing Bread]

We plough the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land; But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand: He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain, The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.44 All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above,45 Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love.

St. Basil the Great, as cited in W. H. Willimon and S. Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer and the Christian Life (Nashville: Abingdon, 1996) 76; also see L. Boff, Praying with Jesus and Mary (New York: Orbis, 1983) 86.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

He only is the maker of all things near and far; He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star; The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;46 Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread. All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above, Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love. We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good, The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food; No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts, But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts. All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above, Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love.

Notes 1. This wider point is underscored well by G. Lohfink, Jesus of Nazareth, What He Wanted, Who He Was (trans. L. Maloney; Collegeville: Liturgical, 2012) 76f. 2. N. T. Wright, “The Lord’s Prayer as a Paradigm of Christian Prayer,” in Into God’s Presence (ed. R. Longenecker; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002) 132–54, at 142. 3. Ibid., 143. See also D. T. Olson, Numbers (IBC; Louisville: Westminster Knox, 1996) 65. 4. So P. D. Miller, Deuteronomy (IBC; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2011): “The issue is . . . trust in the Lord’s provision and obedience versus reliance upon self” (116). 5. See Luke Timothy Johnson, The Acts of the Apostles (SP; Collegeville: Liturgical, 2008) 105. 6. See Edwin Yamauchi, “The ‘Daily Bread’ Motif in Antiquity,” WTJ 28 (1966): 145–56. Yamauchi concludes about the LP, “Our ‘daily bread’ is not simply something which we earn by the sweat of our brow, but is something which is granted to us by a gracious God, much as David apportioned food to a helpless and undeserving Mephibosheth” (154). Later Yamauchi concludes that asking for “daily bread” “teaches the lessons of dependence upon a Father who provides for his children their basic needs, of confidence that day by day without fail he will provide, and of contentment with all that he does provide” (156). 7. See R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002): “Jesus’ use of the OT text shows that he understood his experience of hunger as God’s will for him at the time, and therefore not to be evaded by a self-indulgent use of his undoubted power as the Son of God” (131).

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The Lord’s Prayer 8. Origen: this word “is not employed by any of the Greek writers, nor by philosophers, nor by individuals in common usage, but seems to have been formed by the evangelists,” in Tertullian, Cyprian and Origen: On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. A. StewartSykes; New York: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004) 179; see also E. Lohmeyer, The Lord’s Prayer (London: Collins, 1965) 141. 9. C. F. Evans, The Lord’s Prayer (London: SPCK, 1963) 51; also C. J. Hemer, “ jEpiousio~,” JSNT 22 (1984): 81–94, at 81. 10. Hemer, “ jEpiousio~,” 82. 11. Ibid. Raymond Brown shrewdly comments about this recorder, A. H. Sayce, that he “was not a particularly meticulous workman” (New Testament Essays [Milwaukee: Bruce, 1965] 306n. 88). Edwin Yamauchi notes that the document in question is the Hawara papyri once in possession of the University College, London, but it has now disappeared (see Yamauchi, “‘Daily Bread’ Motif,” 145). 12. For a detailed discussion of the possible Greek roots, see F. Bovon, Luke 2: A Commentary on the Gospel of Luke 9:51–19:27 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013) 90. 13. See Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke (Collegeville: Liturgical, 1991) 177–78. 14. See J. D. G. Dunn, “The Lord’s Prayer,” DJG 622. 15. As cited in U. Luz, Matthew 1–7: A Commentary (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007) 320. 16. Dunn, “Prayer,” 622. 17. Luz, Matthew 1–7, 321. 18. C. Blomberg, Matthew (NAC; Nashville: Broadman, 1992) 119; cf. C. Blomberg, Neither Poverty nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2015) 131n. 37. Similarly see Hemer, “faithful believers pray each day for enough to sustain them for the day to come” (“ jEpiousio~,” 80); also D. Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” RevExp 89/2 (1992): 215–28; Hultgren, “The Bread Petition,” 41–54, at 45; and Lohfink: “Then Jesus’ disciples would be praying in the Our Father solely for bread for that evening and the next day. (In Israel the ‘following’ day begins in the evening, when it grows dark)” (Jesus of Nazareth, 77). Lohfink argues that this is practical for the disciples because they are itinerant and “they do not yet know whether anyone will take them in that evening and give them something to eat!” (77). 19. See Luz, Matthew 1–7, 321. 20. Dunn, “Lord’s Prayer,” DJG 622; see also D. Hagner, Matthew 1–13 (WBC; Waco: Word, 1993) 1:148–50. 21. Evans, Lord’s Prayer, 55. 22. R. Werline, Pray Like This (London: T & T Clark, 2007) 92. 23. See Scott Cutler Shershow, Bread (London: Bloomsbury, 2016) 127–31. 24. Origen, On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. A. Stewart-Sykes) 180–81. 25. Ibid., 181. 26. See B. Pitre, Jesus and the Last Supper (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015) 95. 27. See Hultgren, “Bread Petition,” 48–50. 28. As noted in H. French, “The Lord’s Prayer: A Primer on Mission in the Way of Jesus,” Word & World 22/1 (2002): 18–26.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread 29. Tertullian, On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. A. Stewart-Sykes) 47. 30. Cyprian, On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. A. Stewart-Sykes) 81. 31. Augustine, Sermon 8.5. 32. Hagner, Matthew, 1:152. 33. Lohfink, Jesus of Nazareth, 77. 34. See Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” 222. 35. Blomberg, Matthew, 120. 36. Fourth petition, #72. As M. Felde notes, Luther understood “bread” here to be a metaphor for those basic needs such as “food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, farm, fields, livestock”; see Felde, “The Lord’s Prayer: Who Could Ask for Anything More?” Word & World 35/1 (2015): 65–72, at 68. 37. W. H. Willimon and S. Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer and the Christian Life (Nashville: Abingdon, 1996) 75. 38. Ibid., 70. 39. This story is found in many places in print and on the Internet. See, e.g., http:// anthony-de-mello.blogspot.com/2007/09/contented-fisherman.html. 40. If you are looking for a scriptural warrant for this idea, you could always turn to Solomon’s famous “I recommend the enjoyment of life, for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God gives him on earth” (Eccl 8:15, NET). 41. P. Neruda, All the Odes (ed. Ilan Stavans; New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2013). 42. Find this poem at John Birch’s website, http://www.faithandworship.com/ Jesus_bread_of_life.htm#ixzz4aeoywtuE. 43. Fun fact: a shorter form appears in the musical Godspell (“All Good Gifts”). 44. Acts 14:17. 45. James 1:17. 46. Pss 65:7; 147:9; Matt 6:26.

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Forgive Us Our Sins Introduction

Forgiveness and mercy lie at the very heart of Christianity. To be Christian is to receive the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ by faith. The year 2016 was a presidential election year in the United States with a tight race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Throughout his campaign, Trump claimed to represent and defend Christianity, yet he repeated publicly that he never asks God for forgiveness. “I like to be good,” he said. “I don’t like to ask for forgiveness. And I am good. I don’t do a lot of things that are bad.”1 When asked about what he does when he makes a bad choice, Trump responded, “I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don’t Seneca’s On Clemency think [I have ever asked God for forThe early Christians were not the only giveness]. If I think I do something ancient people to value mercy and forgiveness. The Roman Seneca wrote an essay in 55–56 CE wrong, I think, I just try and make titled On Clemency. This text was written to the young it right. I don’t bring God into that emperor Nero to help guide him in his leadership. picture. I don’t.”2 Seneca defines clemency as “the mind’s inclination Trump’s attitude seems to be at toward mildness (lenitas) in exacting punishment.” odds with the prayer that Jesus gave Seneca does not expect forgiveness to be dispensed to his disciples: “And forgive us our too liberally such that “chaos follows and vices erupt.” It requires discernment to know those who can learn debts, as we also have forgiven our and grow from the mercy and those who cannot (2.2). debtors” (Matt 6:12; Luke 11:2: At one point Seneca appeals to something akin “And forgive us our sins, for we ourto the golden rule and the parable of the unforgiving selves forgive everyone indebted to servant: “let [a prince] wish to treat his fellow-citizens us”). The LP presumes and confesses as he wishes the gods to treat him” (7.1). sin; it acknowledges ongoing “debt” before God—as Luther explained, simul iustus et peccator—believers in Image Not Available this life are “at the same time righdue to lack of digital rights. teous and sinner,” forgiven but not Please view the published perfect, and thus in regular need of commentary or perform an the compassion and grace of God. Internet search using the [Seneca’s On Clemency]

In the LP according to both Matthew and Luke, the forgiveness petition comes directly after the bread petition. Both of these

credit below.

Head of Seneca. Rubens House, Antwerp, Belgium. (Scala / Art Resource, NY)

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New Testament Terms for Forgiveness and Mercy While it is commonly preached and assumed that the biblical message of salvation focuses on “forgiveness,” the Greek word for forgiveness (aph∑sis) only occurs sixteen times in the New Testament, more than half of these occurrences appearing in Luke-Acts. Nevertheless, the New Testament contains numerous words that relate to forgiveness, whether as synonyms, correlative concepts (e.g., reconciliation), or similar images. Below are some examples of Greek words used in the NT associated with forgiveness. Aphi∑mi/aphesis—forgive, forgiveness (Luke 24:47) Hilaskomai—propitiate (Heb 2:17) Charizomai—graciously forgive (2 Cor 2:10; Eph 4:32) Epikalyptø—atone (Rom 4:7) Katallassø—reconcile (Rom 5:10) Eir∑nopoieø—make peace (Col 1:20)

recognize human creatureliness, mortals dependent on the graciousness of God. The forgiveness petition is a testimony to the fact that God is not done forgiving, and, correspondingly, we are not (yet) done sinning. [New Testament Terms for Forgiveness and Mercy]

Commentary Canonical Context

Sometimes there is the perception that the “God of the Old Testament” is rather cold and cruel, irascible and grumpy. This For more on this subject see B. D. Colijn, Images of Salvation in the New tends to be contrasted with the mild and Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2010) 144–74; cf. J. B. Green, Why Salvation? (Nashville: Abingdon, 2013) 59–88. warm Jesus. This portrayal is an unfortunate caricature of Israel’s God.3 I have often told students that if you were to ask ancient Israelites how to describe their God (and I would expect many Jews today would think this way as well), they would immediately refer to Exodus 34:6-7: The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilt, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.4

Indeed, Israel was given the sacrificial system to facilitate atonement and forgiveness when wrongdoing occurred (see Leviticus 4).5 The Psalter regularly testifies to the clemency of God: “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Ps 32:1-2; cf. Pss 40; 51; 57; 65; 103; 111).6 In the book of Jonah, the reader is privy to an interesting case study in the wondrously strange mercy of God. Jonah, God’s prophet, is sent to Nineveh to warn the (pagan) Ninevites of God’s wrath such that they might repent and be spared. As the story goes, Jonah disobeys God and heads in the opposite direction

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Jonah under the Gourd Vine to Tarshish. After a somewhat humorous series of providential events that leads Jonah to Nineveh, the reluctant prophet delivers God’s message and the Ninevites repent and are spared. Jo n a h b e c o m e s a n g r y a t God’s graciousness towards these non-Israelites, and he pouts: “O L ORD ! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are Jonah under the Gourd Vine. AD 280–290. Stone. Originally from Anatolia, most of which is today known as Turkey. Photo by Glenn Marsch. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. a gracious God and merciful, From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. (Credit: diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55974: [retrieved September 27, slow to anger, and abounding 2017]) in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing” (Jonah “And Jehovah God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over 4:2). Note the echoes of Exodus Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his 34:6-7 here. We will never really evil case.“ (Jonah 4:6, ASV) know if Jonah changed his mind about the Ninevites, but the book of Jonah ends their conversation with this question from God: “Should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?” (4:11). This cliffhanger was meant to push Israel (some no doubt sympathetic with Jonah) in the direction of sharing divine compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. This, indeed, is the perfect backdrop for looking at the LP. [Forgiveness in Early Judaism]

Matthew

In Matthew’s LP, the forgiveness petition (and forgiveness-related themes) are especially highlighted. In the Sermon on the Mount, before the section on prayer that includes the LP, Matthew’s Jesus instructs his disciples on the matter of loving the other. You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even

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Forgiveness in Early Judaism Regarding their understanding of godly forgiveness, the New Testament writers were influenced not only by the Old Testament and Jesus’ teaching but also by the significant emphasis on forgiveness in early Jewish literature. For example, Ben Sira offers this wisdom: “Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray” (Sir 28:2). One can even detect here similarities to the forgiveness petition in the LP. In terms of the expectation of divine pardon, note the Prayer of Manasseh: [F]or you are the Lord Most High, of great compassion, long-suffering, and very merciful, and relent over the evils of men. You, O Lord, according to your great goodness have promised repentance and forgiveness to those who have sinned against you; and in the

multitude of your mercies you have appointed repentance for sinners, that they may be saved. (Pr Man 1.7) When it comes to Jewish emphasis on forgiving others, we might supply as an example counsel from the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs: “Therefore love one another from the heart; and if a man sin against you, speak peacefully to him, and in your soul hold no bitterness; and if he repent and confess, forgive him” (T. Gad 6:3). Furthermore, Gad explains, “And if he is shameless and persists in his evil, even so forgive him from the heart, and leave the avenging to God” (T. Gad 6.7). On this subject see M. L. Morgan, “Mercy, Repentance, and Forgiveness in Ancient Judaism,” in Ancient Forgiveness (ed. C. L. Griswold and D. Konstan; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011) 137–57.

the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt 5:43-48)7

Immediately after saying the LP, Jesus follows up exclusively on the subject of forgiveness: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:14-15). What is forgiveness? Stephen Westerholm succinctly defines biblical forgiveness as “the act by which an An Eye for an Eye . . . offended party removes an offense from “An eye for an eye only ends up making the further consideration, thereby establishing whole world blind.” This pithy quote—one of my favorite on the subject a basis for harmonious relations with the of grace and forgiveness—is popularly attributed to offender.”8 The Greek noun aph∑sis and Mahatma Gandhi. According to Ralph Keyes (The Quote verb aphi∑mi represent the most common Verifier), these words were uttered by Ben Kingsley in ways that “forgiveness” appears in the the 1982 film Gandhi, but there is no direct evidence New Testament. This word group carries that Gandhi himself said it. Keyes notes that something the idea of letting go or releasing from remarkably similar is put on the lips of the character Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (film, 1971). Also, Martin Luther King some constraint; in the case of “forgiveJr. is recorded as saying, “The old law of an eye for an eye ness” it means releasing from a debt or leaves everybody blind” (Stride toward Freedom, 1958). obligation. Notice the way aph∑sis is used While it is sad not to know exactly who first coined this in the famous Luke 4:18-19 “Nazareth observation, it aptly captures the heart of a merciful comManifesto” where Jesus proclaims munity. (quoting Isaiah), “The Spirit of the Lord R. Keyes, The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2006) 74–75. is upon me, because he has anointed me M. L. King, Jr. Stride toward Freedom (New York: Harper & Row, 1958). to bring good news to the poor. He has [An Eye for an Eye . . . ]

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sent me to proclaim release (aph∑sis) to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Orthodox theologian Metropolitan Kallistos Ware uses similar captivity/freedom imagery to describe Christian forgiveness: “Forgiveness means release from a prison in which all doors are locked on the inside.”9 Those who are unforgiving, Ware explains, “grasp, retain, and hold fast.” Alternatively “the forgiving let go.”10 Forgive Us Our Debts (Matt 6:12a) In the first part of the forgiveness petition of the LP in Matthew, we are confronted with two challenges. First, why does Matthew refer to sin as “debt”? Second, if Christians are already forgiven by God in Jesus Christ, why did Jesus instruct his disciples to ask regularly for divine forgiveness? We will start with the matter of sin as “debt.” Gary Anderson has studied this issue at length and explains that in the Old Testament we do not see financial imagery commonly used in reference to sin. In the period just before and during the emergence of early Christianity, Jews began to think and write about sin in this commercial way. 11 Anderson notes how Luke uses “sins” and not “debts” in his version of the LP, probably because Gentile readers of his Gospel would not have readily understood the financial metaphor. Knowing a little of this background about sin as “debt” helps to explain why the most important Matthean parable on the subject of forgiveness happens to be about the willingness to be patient with the repayment of a loan (see the parable of the unforgiving servant, Matt 18:23-35; also see [Forgiving Financial Debts?] below). What about the matter of why we must ask for forgiveness at all? In the book of Acts, when Peter addresses the crowd of Jews who witnessed the receiving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he proclaims, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him” (Acts 2:38-39). This seems to imply a once-for-all-time turn to God in repentance and a once-for-all-time forgiveness from God. So then, would not a repeated prayer for forgiveness lead a believer to some sense of insecurity about their salvation? (If I miss a day of praying the LP, am I not forgiven that day?)

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One of the best explanations of this matter comes from the Venerable Bede in reference to the foot-washing scene in the Gospel of John (John 13:1-20). When Jesus approaches Peter to wash his feet, Peter refuses. Peter thinks he is showing proper respect for his teacher by not letting Jesus wash his feet. But, as Jesus explains, this is a lesson in which all disciples must partake, or else they cannot properly carry out his humble mission. Realizing his foolishness, Peter asks not just for foot washing but for a headto-toe bath. Jesus responds, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean” (John 13:10). Bede sees this as a teaching directed towards sin in one’s life. 12 When Jesus says that Peter has bathed, he is probably referring to the cleansing salvation he has received through Jesus (cf. John 15:3). When people are clean from bathing, they must not view themselves as dirty (i.e., they are forgiven). But Jesus explains that the feet will naturally pick up dirt throughout the day and need washing. Analogously, the Christian does not need to seek forgiveness each day for salvation, but rather as a kind of “cleansing of the feet.” Each day, we accumulate a buildup of muck and dirt on our hearts and souls from sins we commit Forgiving Financial Debts? (or the good we do not do). We must There is some discussion in scholarship about whether the LP in Matthew is referring to the forconfess these sins before God, knowing giveness of literal (financial) debts. There is strong his forgiving heart and knowing that daily evidence that many Jews suffered with debt problems we need to see what is in our hearts and and virtually unrepayable loans. (Josephus explains that where we might need to ask forgiveness Jewish rebels burnt debt records in Jerusalem during of those whom we hurt. From this perrevolt against Rome [Wars 2.427.9].) Also, around the spective, the need to ask for forgiveness time of Jesus a legal feature (called the Prosbul) was introduced into Jewish society that allowed creditors to is not about renewing our eternal salvacircumvent biblical laws that expected private debts to be tion; it is about purifying our daily lives canceled every seventh year (i.e., the Sabbatical Year; see to strengthen our relationship with God Adams and Drake). It is unlikely that the forgiveness petiand with others (and this would include tion is focused exclusively on forgiving financial debts, sins against animals and against the envithough, especially in view of the subsequent emphasis on ronment) so that we might serve as holy forgiveness in Matt 6:14-15 (see Nel and Fiensy). Of course, given the parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus’ vessels to do God’s work in the world. teaching on forgiveness certainly would have included showing mercy when it comes to patience in loan repayment, but there is little reason to believe this was its focus.

See S. L. Adams, Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2014) 113–14. For someone who supports the view that Jesus was opposing the Prosbul, see L. Drake, “Did Jesus Oppose the Prosbul in the Forgiveness Petition of the Lord’s Prayer?” NovT 56 (2014): 233–44. M. J. Nel, “The Forgiveness of Debt in Matthew 6:12, 14-15,” Neot 47/1 (2013): 87–106. David Fiensy adds too that Luke’s choice not to refer to “debts” must be factored into the discussion (“Jesus and Debts: Did He Pray about Them?” Restoration Quarterly 44/4 [2002]: 233–39, at 235).

[Forgiving Financial Debts?]

. . . As We Forgive Our Debtors In the previous chapter of this book (pertaining to Matt 6:11), we spent significant time on the enigma involving a single word, epiousios. While not quite as exercising, the forgiveness petition has perplexed scholars, and here the

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concerns revolve around the single word “as” or, more accurately, the Greek word høs. While we can make sense of the expectation that Christians ask God for forgiveness and that Christians ought to forgive others, exactly how Jesus connects these according to Matthew’s LP is a bit of a puzzle. Put another way, when we pray “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” how do we understand the use of the word “as” here? As scholars debate this matter, there appear to be four possible meanings of høs (“as”).13 Purpose: Forgive us our debts so that we may forgive our debtors.

This would be a somewhat satisfying way to read the petition because it implies that divine forgiveness towards us mortals inspires or spurs on our forgiveness towards one another. This would align with a passage like Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderheartedly, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” Karl Barth, while not explicitly endorsing this approach, tips his hat in this direction: The Burden of Forgiving “we are not faced with an exhortation, In the ancient work called Incomplete Work on ‘Go, forgive,’ but we are confronted by Matthew, the writer explains the forgiveness a simple recognition of grace: When the petition as such. pardon of God is received, it enables us to With what assurance does that person pray who forgive.”14 Unfortunately there is no real harbors animosity toward someone who has syntactical reason to favor this reading offended him? Even as he lies when he prays and of the forgiveness petition in the LP; høs says, “I forgive” and does not forgive, so too he doesn’t tend to carry that meaning of seeks pardon from God, but he will not be pardoned. purpose. [The Burden of Forgiving] Therefore, if that person who has been offended Cause: Forgive us our debts because we forgive our debtors.

This seems close to the most natural way of reading the Greek conjunction in the forgiveness petition—and the most common way it was interpreted by patristic theologians (see [The Burden of Forgiving]). We might say today “I gave her the reward, as she was a great help to me.” By this we mean, “I gave her the reward because she was a great help to me.” The causal link is not quite as overt when we use “as,” and the same goes for høs. Despite the fact that this interpretation of høs is syntactically most sensible, it is the ostensible theological implications that

prays to God without assurance unless he pardons the very person who offended him, how do you think that person prays who not only has been offended by another but himself offends and oppresses others through injustice? But many people who are unwilling to forgive those who sin against them avoid saying this prayer. They are ill-advised, first, because the one who does not pray as Christ taught is not Christ’s disciple; second, because the Father does not graciously hear a prayer that the Son has not recommended. For the Father knows the words and meaning of his Son, and he does not accept what the human mind has devised but what the wisdom of Christ has expressed. Therefore you may indeed say a prayer, but you may not outsmart and deceive God. And you will not receive forgiveness unless you yourself have first forgiven. Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 14, as cited in M. Simonetti, Matthew 1–13 (ACCS; Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001) 137.

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are troubling. Could it be possible that divine forgiveness is dependent on our forgiving of others? What is initiating God’s grace? Is not a causal formula one that militates against the finished work of Christ in Christian theology?15 In view of such questions, the causal interpretation has largely been rejected today, though we will revisit this below. Manner: Forgive us our debts in the same way that we forgive our debtors.

The core way that høs functions as a grammatical connective is as a comparative—“just like, as, similar to.” It might carry this sense here: we wish for divine forgiveness towards us to look like what human-to-human forgiveness looks like.16 Performative Utterance: Forgive us our debts, and let us forgive our debtors.

This view is rather unique to Arland Hultgren. He sees the second part of the forgiveness petition not so much as a turning of divine attention towards human action (look, Father God, we are forgiving, so forgive us) as it is a roundabout way of encouraging each other to forgive, and to ask God to help us to forgive. It would not be unlike when the Markan character cries out, “I believe; help my unbelief ” (Mark 9:24). Here it would be, “I try to forgive, heal my unforgiving heart, move me to forgive others!” Hultgren refers to the forgiveness petition as more rhetorical, that it should not be pressed for accuracy in terms of salvific obligations. When Hultgren reads the forgiveness petition, he hears Jesus offering a teaching prayer with these overtones: “You want to be forgiven by God? Well, how can you possibly expect to be forgiven when you are so unforgiving yourself? No way can you possibly expect God to forgive you as you are! First you must forgive your brother and sister!” Again, for Hultgren, “Such statements are hortatory, calling upon the hearer to action, rather than dogmatic statements about God.”17 How does one decide among these options? There are no easy answers, but perhaps Kallistos Ware offers the most sensible way forward. He presents a modified version of the causal view, referring to the language of conditional. While the forgiveness of God is unmerited (our forgiving of others does not earn God’s forgiveness), still Christians are obligated to live properly in and from the forgiveness we so graciously receive from God. So, Ware writes,

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It is not that God is unwilling to forgive us. But if, despite God’s unfailing eagerness to forgive, we on our side harden our hearts and refuse forgiveness to others, then quite simply we render ourselves incapable of receiving the divine forgiveness. Closing our hearts to others, we close them also to God; rejecting others, we reject Him. If we are unforgiving, then by our own act we place ourselves outside the interchange of healing love. God does not exclude us; it is we who exclude ourselves.18

In the end, this interpretation is not unlike the purpose approach and the performative utterance approach. Still, Ware’s conditional reading carries the strong responsibility that we see communicated in the parable of the unforgiving servant: the loaner (slave) would not show leniency to the debtor (slave), To Forgive Is Divine so the master who just forgave the debt “If we think carefully about it, we realize that Christ of the loaner punished him severely. The is commanding us to pray for our own damnation if last words of the parable are fittingly we do not forgive all the sins of all who sin against us. It’s not that God arbitrarily decided to make our forgiving others haunting: “so my heavenly Father will the prerequisite for his forgiving us. Rather, it is intrinsically also do to every one of you, if you do impossible for us to receive God’s forgiveness if we do not not forgive your brother or sister from forgive others, just as it is impossible for someone with a your heart” (Matt 18:35). closed fist to receive a gift.” —Peter Kreeft To include our forgiveness of others in P. Kreeft, The Lord’s Prayer (New Haven: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2001) 18–19. the forgiveness petition is to acknowledge that forgiveness is a gift with expectation; it is a divine investment with a challenge to carry out a ministry of forgiveness. This is no doubt reminiscent of the commissioning of the apostles in John 20:22-23 where they received the Spirit and were given the The Parable of the power to forgive sins and to Pharisee and the hold people in their sins. The Publican forgiveness of God towards This mosaic from the sixth century CE is based on Luke mortals is precious, costly, a 18:10-13 and depicts the deposit and investment. We are Image Not kind of prayer commended meant not to bury that deposit Available by Jesus, the prayer of the but to put it to work in a mindue to lack of digital humble tax collector who istry of clemency. [To Forgive Is rights. Please view the dared not boast before Divine]

Luke

As noted above, Luke’s forgiveness petition is worded a bit differently than Matthew’s: “And forgive us our sins, for we

God but cried out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (18:13). Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:10-13), detail of Pharisee asking God for forgiveness. Early Christian mosaic, 6th CE. S. Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy. (Credit: Alfredo Dagli Orti / Art Resource, NY)

published commentary or perform an Internet search using the credit below.

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ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us” (11:4a-b). First, Luke connects both clauses of this petition with “for also” or “for we ourselves” rather than Matthew’s “as.” Still, the interpretive challenges are virtually the same and will not be rehearsed here (see above, pp. 119–20). A second observation: Luke uses the language of “sin” (hamartia) in the first clause but debt (opheilø) in the second clause. Above we attempted to contextualize Matthew’s LP forgiveness petition especially in light of the parable of the unforgiving servant, which only occurs in Matthew. As for Luke, it is important and instructive to note that his Gospel places a special emphasis on the theme of forgiveness, usually divine forgiveness. Running parallel to the LP forgiveness petition, the Lukan Jesus teaches, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (6:37). Here we will comment on the passages in Luke that focus on the extravagance of divine forgiveness. Sinful Woman Forgiven While the relationship between this passage and other “anointing” accounts in the Gospels is unclear (see Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8), it should still be noted how Luke’s story is unique; his is the only one that includes a teaching from Jesus on forgiveness and love. As the story goes, this woman, whom Luke calls a “sinner” (hamartølos), interrupts a meal at the house of a Pharisee. She washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and anoints his feet with oil. As the Pharisees scoff at this, Jesus talks about the proper response to being forgiven. Naturally, the one whose canceled debt is greater is more appreciative of the act of generosity. Jesus applies this to the sinner: Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little. (7:45-47).

The Parable of the Prodigal Son This famous parable also highlights and models the theme of forgiveness. We are not sure what it meant for the son to ask of his

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Jesus Speaks about Forgiveness Vie de Jesus Mafa Project. Jesus Speaks about Forgiveness. 1973. Cameroon. Vie de Jesus Mafa is collection of paintings created to help teach the gospel in Northern Cameroon. French Catholic missionary François Vidil worked with Mafa Christian communities in Cameroon, Africa, to select and adapt Lectionary readings for dramatic interpretation by community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings. The goal was to create an enormous catalogue of paintings depicting the life of Jesus as an African man that would be a resource to help Mafa people teach from the Bible in a way that connects with their community. This image comes from the Jesus Mafa series out of Cameroon. It depicts the anointing of Jesus’ feet by the sinner (Luke 7:36-50).

Vie de Jésus Mafa — Jesus and the Penitent Sinner (Lk 7,36) ©Editions de l’Emmanuel-Paris https://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr/cartes-jesus-mafa-c-11295

father his share of the estate, but it is clear that this was unusual and selfish; the son later acknowledges it as sinful (15:18). After he has wasted all of his money, he attempts to return home and accept—even beg for—the most meager of provisions, knowing that what he has done is deserving of major punishment and retribution. As the story goes, the father meets him, not with malice but with deep love and joy, accepting him home and even showering him with celebrations and blessings. The word “forgiveness” does not appear anywhere in this passage, but clearly the father embraces his son with conciliatory love and concern. Part of the reason this parable has been so memorable throughout history is because of the lavish affection of the father, which is meant to mirror the deep love of God the Father.

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“Father, Forgive Them” The final forgiveness passage we will consider from Luke is the cry from the cross that is only found in the Third Gospel: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (23:34a). As Image Not Howard Marshall points out, a criminal on the cross in the Roman Empire Available might confess his sins, but Jesus knows due to lack of digital rights. Please view the his own innocence.19 A criminal might published commentary curse and spit on his executors as one or perform an Internet final act of rebellion, but Jesus does somesearch using the thing rather opposite. His heart goes credit below. out to these enemies and he prays to the Father for grace upon them because of their ignorance. What Jesus models here is radical compassion; though he was utterly wronged, his heart was turned to his crucifiers in love. Ary Scheffer (1795–1858). The Return of the Prodigal Son. 1857. Oil on mahogany panel. Wallace Collection, London, Great Britain. (Credit: By Walter Brueggemann offers a profound kind permission of the Trustees of the Wallace Collection, London / Art reflection on these words from the cross Resource, NY) that captures well Luke’s theology of forgiveness. Brueggemann explains how the executors are busy at work in the way of violence, but Jesus quietly exercises a ministry of “suffering love.”20 He notes that there is no immediate answer from heaven when Jesus asks the Father to forgive. The Return of the Prodigal Son

The answer that leaps to forgiveness is at Easter. God’s forgiveness at Easter makes it the decisive moment in the history of the world. In Easter God has no vengeance, no grudge, no retaliation, only a reach into the hate and death of the world to make all things new. We live in the wake of that sweeping action. So when you hear in the liturgy, “Christ is risen; he is risen indeed,” mark that as an answer to this prayer, as forgiveness. The world is forgiven. The men of hate and violence are forgiven. The greedy, cruel executioners are forgiven. The pattern of death is broken. This is not a Friday moment, but it is a Sunday answer to the Friday prayer.21

Forgive Us Our Sins

Connections Christian Life Connections

The Subversiveness of Christian Forgiveness Forgiveness does not come easy for anyone in any culture. Still, the power of Christian forgiveness in the earliest church is rather striking when we consider the competitive nature of the firstcentury world. Because honor and public recognition were such central values in Jesus’ world (among Jews as well as Gentiles), letting go of being wronged was not especially prized. In fact, according to Greek and Roman cultural standards, retaliation and retribution were promoted. Aristotle, for example, comments, “It is noble to avenge oneself on one’s enemies and not to come to terms with them: for retaliation is just . . . and not to put up with defeat is courage” (Rhet. 1367a).22 The rationale behind this is aptly explicated by David Cohen: “vengeance is positively valued and triply motivated. Men take vengeance because they fear shame and desire to preserve and enhance their honor as well as because of the pleasure which its contemplation and exaction bring. They also take vengeance because in such societies it is the only way to deter others from harming them.”23 It is in such a world that Jesus promoted forgiveness and a gracious response to wrongdoing. In the words of David Aune, “the forgiveness petition goes on the offensive by proposing preemptive forgiveness, no matter what the offense.”24 Along these lines— of forgiveness and clemency standing in the face of competition and revenge—I cannot help remembering the stirring words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Why should we love our enemies? The first reason is fairly obvious. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says, “Love your enemies” [Matt 5:44], he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies—or else? The chain reaction of evil—hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars—must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.25

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Forgive and Forget? It was Shakespeare’s King Lear who said “Forget and forgive,” but most people think that this phrase is inspired by the Bible. Perhaps there is a connection to Jeremiah 31:34, where the Lord says about Israel in view of a promised new covenant, “I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.” But does God really forget? Can anyone “forget” a wrong? And should they? Metropolitan Kallistos Ware offers wise counsel on the tricky matter of forgiveness. When it comes to small squabbles, trivial matters, Ware says, “allow them to slip quietly away into oblivion.” 26 Don’t hold on to bitterness for such things. But what about those weightier matters? Ware says that one cannot forget such wrongs, and indeed we should not forget them, at the very least because we wish for these Martin Luther King (1929–1968). American clergyman, activist and promwrongs not to happen again to ourinent leader in the African-American civil rights movement born in Atlanta selves and to others. So, Ware says, we (USA). March 1964. (Credit: Marion S. Trikosko / Wikimedia Commons, LOC-image) must remember, but the trick is how we remember: “We are not to remember in Chewing a spirit of hatred and recrimination, or for the sake of I chew revenge.” We must learn to heal our memories, recall I chew about this. with mourning, and remember with love. [Chewing] I chew about that. Martin Luther King Jr.

I chew about them. All that chewing, I’m still not satisfied. I’m still not full. I chew some more. I chew about what they do. I chew about that they don’t do. I masticate. In the end I discover I have eaten away the best part of my life. —Anne Fleming

[Enduring the Burden of Daily Forbearance]

Practicing Corporate Repentance We often think of asking for forgiveness as an individual affair—and often it is. If I sin against my neighbor, I am responsible for confessing that sin, asking for forgiveness, and making things right. This is sometimes practiced in the church, but what is too often neglected is the need for corporate repentance, America Magazine, 17 September 2007, a group publicly confessing their sins and seeking forhttp://americamagazine.org/issue/625/poem/chewing giveness from another group. Why do we not seek corporate confession and repentance among Western Christians? In Soong-Chan Rah’s book Prophetic Lament, he links this to American hyper-individualism. Rah argues that Americans find

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it difficult to associate themselves indiEnduring the Burden of Daily Forbearance vidually with how a culture as a whole “It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a great has hurt a vulnerable group. Rah points injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations to a text like Lamentations 2:1-22 for a of daily life—to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, biblical example of corporate lament and 27 the selfish daughter, the deceitful son—how can we do repentance. As an example of this, one might it?” —C. S. Lewis S. Lewis, Fern-Seed and Elephants, and Other Essays on Christianity consider the statement issued by the C.(London: Fount, 1978) 43. Seventh-day Adventists as part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in relation to the sins of apartheid in South Africa (1948–1991). The Adventists offered this public and corporate statement: As Seventh-day Adventists we confess our faith in the Coming God who as such calls for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus. In the face of the heresy of apartheid, we confess that we have failed by our sins of omission and commission to properly evidence the endurance of the saints, keep the commandments of God, or hold fast to the faith of Jesus, thereby misrepresenting the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ. This has been hurtful to our society, to the identity and mission of our corporate church, and to the lives of its individual members. Therefore, in deep repentance we seek for forgiveness from God and our fellow citizens, and commit ourselves to reformation, justice and reconciliation.28 Prayer Connections

Jubilee Year of Mercy Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved. Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: “If you knew the gift of God!” You are the visible face of the invisible Father,

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of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God. Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace Winter’s Paraphrase of the Forgiveness Petition from the Lord, Yes, pardon, Lord, we crave of Thee, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may Thou holy, just, Almighty three! bring good news to the poor, Our sins are dark in deepest dye, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, For mercy, Lord, we kneel, we cry. and restore sight to the blind. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Ah! Let me ask my soul at night, Do I grant pardon with delight Mother of Mercy, To those who wound my soul by day; you who live and reign with the Father and the Do I for their salvation pray? Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen. —Pope Francis29 M. Winter, A Paraphrase on the Lord’s Prayer: Miscellaneous Poems; Fables in Verse (London: J. Mitchell, 1852).

[Winter’s Paraphrase of the Forgiveness Petition]

A Classic Confession from the Book of Common Prayer Most merciful God, We confess that we have sinned against thee In thought, word, and deed, By what we have done, And by what we have left undone. We have not loved thee with our whole heart; We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we earnestly St. Ambrose: Proclaiming Forgiveness in the repent. Eucharist For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, “For as often as we eat this bread and drink this Have mercy on us and forgive us; cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord. If we proclaim the Lord’s death, we proclaim the forgiveness of That we may delight in thy will, sins. If, as often as his blood is poured out, it is poured out And walk in thy ways, for the forgiveness of sins, I should always receive it, so To the glory of thy Name. Amen.30 that it may always forgive my sins. Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy.”—Sacr. 4, 6, 28.

[St. Ambrose: Proclaiming Forgiveness in the Eucharist]

God’s Mercy Merciful Lord, it does not surprise me that you forget completely the sins of those who repent. I am not surprised that you remain

Forgive Us Our Sins

faithful to those who hate and revile you. The mercy which pours forth from you fills the whole world. It was by your mercy that we were created, and by your mercy that you redeemed us by sending your Son. Your mercy is the light in which sinners find you and good people come back to you. Your mercy is everywhere, even in the depths of hell where you offer to forgive the tortured souls. Your justice is constantly tempered with mercy, so you refuse to punish us as we deserve. O mad Lover! It was not enough for you to take on our humanity; you had to die for us as well. —Saint Catherine of Siena (1347–1380)31

Notes 1. Michelle Boorstein, “Trump on God,” Washington Post, 8 June 2016, https:// www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/06/08/trump-on-god-hopefully-i-wont-have-to-be-asking-for-much-forgiveness/?utm_term=.0d78e1596fbd. 2. Maxwell Tani, “Trump on God,” Business Insider, 17 January 2016, http:// www.businessinsider.com/trump-on-god-i-dont-like-to-have-to-ask-for-forgiveness-2016-1; see also Eugene Scott, “Trump Believes in God, but Hasn’t Sought Forgiveness,” CNN, 18 July 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/18/politics/trumphas-never-sought-forgiveness/. 3. See D. Lamb, God Behaving Badly (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2011); I. Provan, Seriously Dangerous Religion (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2014). 4. Cf. Exod 33:19; also Num 14:18. Moses could appeal to these qualities of God when interceding for Israel; God forgives based on this, but there are still consequences for sin; cf. Ps 86:15. 5. See M. Boda, A Severe Mercy: Sin and Its Remedy in the Old Testament (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2009). 6. See also K. Ware, “‘Forgive Us . . . As We Forgive’: Forgiveness in the Psalms and the Lord’s Prayer,” in Meditations of the Heart: The Psalms in Early Christian Thought and Practice: Essays in Honour of Andrew Louth (ed. A. Andreopoulos, A. Casiday, and C. Harrison; Turnhout: Bepols, 2011) 53–76. 7. See S. Westerholm, “Forgiveness,” NIDB 2:480–84, at 483; D. E. Aune, “The Forgiveness Petition in the Lord’s Prayer: First Century Literary, Liturgical and Cultural Contexts,” in Jesus, Gospel Tradition and Paul in the Context of Jewish and GrecoRoman Antiquity Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2013) 57–74. 8. S. Westerholm, “Forgiveness,” 2:480. 9. Ware, “Forgive Us,” 54. 10. Ibid., 62-63. 11. See G. Anderson, Sin: A History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009); for a shorter discussion of just the LP see Anderson’s essay titled “Forgive Us Our Debts,” in Biblical Essays in Honor of Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, and Richard J. Clifford, SJ: Opportunity for No Little Instruction (ed. Christopher G. Frechette, Christopher R. Matthews, and Thomas G. Stegman; Mahwah NJ: Paulist Press, 2014) 56–67.

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The Lord’s Prayer 12. Bede writes, “The person who has been cleansed in the baptismal font and has received pardon for all his sins has no need to be cleansed again. . . . He finds it necessary only to have the daily defilements of this worldly life wiped away by the daily forgiveness of the Redeemer. His whole body, together with its actions, is lean, with the exception merely of those things that cling to the mind because of the necessities of temporal cares. For their daily polluting and cleansing we say daily in prayer, ‘And forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors.’” See Homilies on the Gospels 2.5, as cited in John 11–21 (ed. J. C. Elowsky; Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2007) 93–94. 13. For a helpful overview of the discussion, see Aune, “The Forgiveness Petition,” 57–74. 14. Karl Barth, Prayer (ed. D. E. Saliers; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002) 55. 15. Arland Hultgren goes as far as to label this view “theologically repugnant”; “Forgive Us, As We Forgive (Matthew 6:12),” Word & World 16/3 (1996): 284–90, at 286. He adds, “That anyone could serve as a model for God—particularly in the act of praying coram deo itself—is most unlikely” (286). 16. So Robert Gundry argues that here we see human forgiveness as a “paradigm of forgiveness rather than a reason for forgiveness” (Matthew: A Commentary His Literary and Theological Art [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982] 108). See also B. Newman and P. C. Stine, A Translator’s Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew (New York: United Bible Society, 1988) 171. 17. Hultgren, “Forgive Us, As We Forgive,” 289. 18. Ware, “Forgive Us . . . As We Forgive,” 71. Similarly, D. Garland, “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew,” RevExp 89 (1992): 215–28: “Forgiveness is not dependent on our having forgiven others first. But persons should not expect to receive from God what they are not prepared to bestow on others. The axiom at the conclusion to the Lord’s Prayer, if you are not forgiving, you will not be forgiven (6:14-15), underscores this point. A forgiving spirit is the outstretched hand by which we grasp God’s forgiveness (5:7). When we close that hand tightly into a fist, we give nothing but also can receive nothing” (223–24). 19. I. H. Marshall, The Gospel of Luke (NIGTC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992) 868. 20. W. Brueggemann, Into Your Hands: The Seven Last Words of Christ (Eugene OR: Wipf & Stock, 2014) 4. 21. Brueggemann, Into Your Hands, 4–5. 22. As cited in D. Aune, “The Forgiveness Petition in the Lord’s Prayer,” 72. 23. D. Cohen, Law, Violence, and Community in Classical Athens (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997) 67. For a critical and incisive perspective on what factors contributed to whether a Greek male might take revenge, see F. McHardy, Revenge in Athenian Culture (London: Bloomsbury, 2013) esp. 119–20. 24. Aune, “The Forgiveness Petition in the Lord’s Prayer,” 74. 25. Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love (New York: Harper & Row, 1963) 37. 26. See https://incommunion.org/tag/kallistos-ware/. 27. See Soong-Chan Rah, Prophetic Lament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2015).

Forgive Us Our Sins 28. See http://www.religion.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/image_tool/ images/113/Institutes/Archives/submissions/DOCUMENT_TO_THE_TRUTH_AND_ RECONCILIATION_COMMISSION.pdf. 29. “Pope Francis’s Jubilee Year of Mercy Prayer,” http://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/Prayers-for-Mecry.cfm. 30. Penitential Order I, p. 320, http://www.bcponline.org/HE/penord1.html. 31. “God’s Mercy,” http://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/ Prayers-for-Mercy.cfm.

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Lead Us Not into Temptation, Deliver Us from Evil Introduction

I recall, as a young child, having a number of superstitious assumptions. I remember being afraid of the dark, and at night, as I stood in my doorway, I believed that when I turned off the light switch I had to jump to my bed (for some reason thinking that I would be gobbled up by evil if my feet touched the ground in the darkness). Over time, though, I became less concerned about the dark and also about “evil.” Even today, as an adult, I do not think much about evil powers or spirits. I may make a one-off comment about having an “unlucky day,” but even then I tend to assume most aspects of life are under my control. Of course, throughout history most peoples around the world have had a vivid sense of the power of evil, and they have found various ways to ward off evil and invoke blessings—whether by means of magic or religion. Christians have long prayed, “Deliver us from evil.” I am not sure what most American Christians think as they utter these words; probably, like me, they don’t put much thought into it at all. But for most ancient people (Christian or not), entreating a higher power to ward off evil would have been a common, daily concern. Among archaeological finds from ancient Egypt, we have today significant evidence that the last line of the LP, “deliver us from evil,” was treated as a mantra or holy prayer for protection against malevolent spirits.1 Some of the Greek papyri scraps from ancient Egypt bear evidence of being folded so as to fit into a pocket, probably indicating that it was carried as a kind of amulet.2 Christians believed that their God was the God who safeguards his people. There is a question about whether Matthew 6:13 should be treated as two separate petitions or as one petition (“lead us not to temptation”) with a reinforcement (“but deliver us from evil”). It is most likely the latter, serving as a comprehensive prayer that God would protect and not expose to danger.3 [Christian Magical Amulets]

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Christian Magical Amulets Many ancient peoples—Jews, Christians, and pagans—believed that objects and words could be used to ward off evil. We have many extant papyri that appeared to serve as amulets. One fragment from Oxyrhynchus (no. 1077) contains several crosses and the title “Curative gospel according to Matthew” along with the words in Greek of Matthew 4:2324: “Jesus went through Galilee . . . curing every disease . . . . St. Matthew’s Gospel, iv. Oxyrhynchus papyri P. Oxy. 1077, (verso). 6 x 11 cm. c. 501–600 CE. Robert C. Horn Papyri Collection.(Credit: Image Courtesy of Muhlenberg College)

This ancient amulet depicts, on one side (top image), Christ on a throne encircled by four angelic creatures. On the other side (bottom image), there is a hunter representing God and an inscription: “One God who conquers evil.” Words from the first verse of Psalm 91 also appear: “He who dwells in the help of the Most High will abide in the shelter of the God of heaven.” The hunter in the picture is attacking a lioness. On the amulet there are also pictures of a lion and snakes. Note that Psalm 91 makes reference to a lion, an asp, and a cobra, creatures that God’s people ought not to fear.

(Credit: Magical amulet (front and back), #26119, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Commentary Canonical Context

The notion that the God of Israel can be trusted to protect his people and lead them on a good path is a pervasive theme in the Old Testament. The question of God’s goodness and his providential plan was raised by Israel as they went into exile in Babylon.

Lead Us Not into Temptation, Deliver Us from Evil

The prophet Jeremiah is called to bring a word of encouragement to the exiles. Despite the bleak appearance of the circumstances, the Lord tells Israel to settle into life in Babylon (“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce”; Jer 29:5). Then he foretells his plans for complete restoration that include returning to their land. As a note of reassurance, he proclaims, “For surely I know the plans I have for you . . . plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope . . . I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you” (Jer 29:11, 14). In terms of specific protection from evil, we might turn to Psalm 91; it should be noted that on some of those Christian amulets described above, alongside the LP (esp Matt 6:13) there was also the text of this psalm, apparently a favorite text for recognizing the evil-conquering power of Israel’s God. 1 You

who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; 4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, 6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, 10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. 14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.

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When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. 16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.

This is a fascinating psalm to study in view of the LP and the context of Jesus’ ministry. First of all, Psalm 91:11 is quoted by the devil in one of his Temptation of Christ enticements for Jesus to sin in the temptation narrative (Matt 4:6; “For he will command his angels . . .”). Second, the LXX version of this psalm (LXX Ps 90) contains some small but insightful differences compared to the language of the Hebrew psalm. For example, the LXX text of verse 6 mentions that the one who trusts in God will not fear a “noonday Sandro Botticelli (1444–1510). Temptation of Christ (detail 6). Fresco. Sistine Chapel, Vatican Palace, demon.” Overall, this Vatican State. (Credit: Italiamonderna, Wikimedia Commons, PD-Self) psalm serves to remind the believer that the God of Israel is stronger than the worst evil forces that lurk around us. Matthew

Lead Us Not Into Temptation All along as we have examined the LP in this commentary, it has been observed how—despite the simple length of the prayer—it contains a number of perplexing features, including the epiousios conundrum (“daily”?) and the relationship between the two parts of the forgiveness petition. Similarly, when we turn to Matthew 6:13a we are immediately confronted with a dilemma: does God tempt his people such that one must pray that he not? Early on in the Christian reflection and instruction on the LP, this petition seemed to imply that God might do something that—according to the book of James—he would never do: “No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be

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tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one” (Jas 1:13). Thus, there was a bit of a panic to explain this ostensible conundrum in the LP. For example, some early (pre-Vulgate) Latin manuscripts of Matthew have this reading: “Do not permit us to be led into temptation.”4 As Eugene Boring explains, this modification of the Greek text appears to be a scribe’s editorial work to enable this petition to be more theologically palatable—reasoning that God himself would never tempt but rather he might let believers be tempted.5 Cyprian also seems to follow this kind of reading as he cites Matthew 6:13a as “do not allow us to be led into temptation.”6 Tertullian cites the traditional Matthean version (i.e., “lead Temptation in the Babylonian Talmud us not into temptation”) but immediately “Bring me not into the power of sin, temptation follows up with his own gloss or interor contempt; and let the good impulse have pretation: “That is, do not allow us to be dominion over me but not the evil impulse.” —Babylonian Talmud, b. Ber. 60b led by the one that tempts.” 7 Similarly, As cited in J. L. Houlden, “Lord’s Prayer,” ABD 4:356–62, at 359; cf. E. Augustine explains the meaning of “lead Lohmeyer, The Lord’s Prayer (trans. J. Bowden; London: Collins, 1965) us not into temptation” as “suffer us not 193–94, W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison, Matthew (London: T & T Clark, 1988) 1:612. to be led into temptation.”8 [Temptation in the Babylonian Talmud]

One way to explain this LP petition is to say that it is more of a rhetorical expression that reinforces the notion that one is dependent on divine protection, and it should not be taken as a scenario that is possible. Thus, R. T. France gives the example of when a husband might say to his wife, “Don’t ever leave me!” In such a case, it is not so much that the husband is worried about his wife leaving. Rather, he is simply communicating that he deeply appreciates her.9 This is, of course, a possible reading, but many scholars and translators have considered another explanation. What if the LP is not referring to tempting but rather to testing? The Greek word in 6:13a that is traditionally translated as “temptation” is peirasmos. This word can in fact mean temptation, for example as it appears in 1 Timothy 6:9: “But those who want to be rich fall into temptation (peirasmos) and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” The same Greek word, peirasmos (and the related verb peirazø), can also carry the meaning of testing. For example, Paul tells the Corinthians, “Put yourselves to the test (peirazø) to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” While the notion that God would willingly tempt his people can be theologically offensive, the idea that he might test his people proves more comprehensible. Consider Proverbs 17:3: “The crucible for refining silver and the furnace is for gold, likewise the Lord tests hearts.” Similarly, the Jewish sage Ben Sira wrote, “My child, when you come to serve

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the Lord, prepare yourself for testing” (Sir 2:1). And, of course, you have the famous examples from the OT where God tests his people: in Genesis we learn about the difficult test (LXX peirazø; Gen 22:1) put to Abraham regarding whether he would be willing to sacrifice his own son. Tertullian explains that God had no evil intention of harming Isaac, but rather of pressing Abraham to demonstrate his trust, thus serving as an example such that “one should not hold even one’s children more precious than God.”10 [Is God Testing Us or Are We Testing God?]

And there is the example of the divine testing of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. In Exodus we are told that the manna provision was given to test Israel, “whether they will follow my instruction or not” (Exod 16:4). In Deuteronomy it is explained Is God Testing Us or Are We Testing God? The typical way that the temptation petition of the LP has been read presumes that peirasmos refers to a request that God not lead us into being tempted or tested. However, Jeffrey Gibson has recently argued that peirasmos can be taken in another way, not humans as the recipients of (divine) testing but as the subjects—humans testing God (135–60). While this reading is technically possible, I find it unlikely. (A small textual observation: if the object of peirasmos were ambiguous enough to entertain two options, one might expect clarifications to appear as variants in the textual history, such as the addition of an objective genitive [e.g., tou theou], but we find no early or prominent variant additions. An argument from silence is not very convincing, but it is still worthy of note.) The prepositional phrase eis peirasmon (“into temptation/ testing”) is found once in the Septuagint and seven times in the New Testament. In the LXX, it appears in Sirach where the saying is given, “If you come to be subject to the Lord, prepare yourself for testing” (2:1 NRSV). Here it clearly means that the Lord will do the testing. In Matthew, this phrase is found twice, once in 6:13 (cf. Luke 11:4) and again in 26:41 where Jesus warns his disciples, “Stay awake and pray that you may not come eis peirasmon: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (cf. Mark 14:38; Luke 22:40, 46). Again, here it makes the most sense that the command to stay sober implies that otherwise they will succumb to temptation because the flesh is weak. Who is doing the tempting in not clear, but it is probably Satan; after all, in the Lukan account Jesus specifically warns Simon (Peter) that “Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail” (22:31b-32a). The only other occurrence of eis peirasmos in the NT outside of the Gospels is 1 Tim 6:9: “But those who want to

be rich fall into temptation (eis peirasmon) and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Here again, it clearly implies humans being tempted. Now, it is possible that in Matt 6:13 (and Luke 11:4) eis peirasmos means “testing God,” but the case, in my opinion, would have to be made with compelling evidence. In fact, the weight against such a reading is strong. First, it is difficult to see how the translation of the full clause would make sense: “lead us not into testing [you].” (Gibson glosses this as “prevent us, God, from testing your faithfulness” [146], but this seems to require creative interpretation of “lead” [eispherø]; see D. Crump, Knocking on Heaven’s Door [Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006] 153.) The uses of periasmos in Matthew and Luke focus on the Satan and divine testing/tempting of Israel, including Jesus (Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13) and the disciples (Matt 26:41; Luke 22:40, 46). In the LP, we seem to see a continuation of this pattern of enduring and resisting temptations and tests. What settles the matter for me in favor of the humansbeing-tempted reading is simply the consistency of tradition—from the very earliest interpreters of the LP, we see this phrase (eis peirasmos) taken as humans being tempted and no discussion of the possibility that this refers to humans testing God (e.g., Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Cyril of Alexandria, Augustine). One might presume that if this phrasing were ambiguous, at least the Greek Fathers (e.g., Chrysostom, Gregory the Great) would have considered such an option, but they did not. In the end, if peirasmos here did include the problem of testing God, the overall meaning is not substantially altered, and thus there does not seem to be a reason to modify the traditional reading. J. Gibson, The Disciples’ Prayer (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2015).

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that the forty years of wandering served The Sacrifice of Isaac to test their hearts and to do them good (8:2-3, 16; cf. 13:3). Similarly, when Israel entered and settled into Canaan, the book of Judges records that God did not drive out all of the former inhabitants of the land so Israel would be tested regarding whether they would “take care to walk in the way of the LORD as Image Not their ancestors did” (Judg 2:22-23). The Available psalmist yearns for testing: “Prove me, due to lack of digital O LORD, and try me; test my heart and rights. Please view the mind” (Ps 26:2; cf. 66:10; 139:23). published commentary or perform an Internet The early Christians believed that search using the there would be trials and tribulacredit below. tions associated with the end (cf. Matt 24:2-13), and the true faith and fidelity of believers would be tested. Given the interest from some scholars in reading the LP as an eschatologically oriented prayer, it is unsurprising to see that perspective connected to Matthew Sacrifice of Isaac. Ipogeo di Via Latina, Rome, Italy. (Credit: Scala / Art Resource, NY) 6:13. Thus, some translations support the reading, “And do not bring us to the time of trial” (NRSV; NAB: “do not subject us to the final test”). Donald Hagner endorses this translation while being open to the testing as either present (generic) tests or the great (eschatological) test—if it were in reference to the latter, it would concern “a time of severe testing [that] would necessarily precede the dawning of the messianic age.”11 According to Ceslas Spicq, this interpretation of Matthew 6:13 fits well with the biblical use of peirazø/peirasmos overall. He explains its meaning as “a trial of virtue by means of affliction or adversity, or even by Satan’s intervention.”12 Of course, when it comes to testing Israel, God is the “Tester,” the one who puts his people to the test for their own good—as Spicq sums up, per molestias eruditio (“teaching through inconveniences,” a phrase associated with Augustine).13 Thus, God puts his people through a process of refinement for the sake of their growth and maturity. Such testing demonstrates not only the sincerity and the moral resources of the believer, but is also for the believer a means of perfection because he has to suffer in order to remain faithful to his resolves and his

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The Lord’s Prayer decision for God; he emerges from the trial purified and more convinced than ever to serve his Lord, whose sovereignty over him he thus confesses to be total.14

As far as Spicq is concerned, then, Matthew 6:13a involves not the possibility of a “wicked solicitation” but rather “a difficult or painful trial.”15 While this re-envisioning of Matthew 6:13a and peirasmos as “testing” could serve to alleviate concerns that God might tempt his creatures, it also creates another conundrum: if divine testing is good (Ps 26:2), why would Jesus tell us to pray that we not be tested? Note how 2 Peter 4:12-19 encourages believers to see the benefit of trials (especially persecution): “rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed” (4:13; cf. 4:16, 19). The apostle Paul helped the Romans to reconceive of the role of affliction and adversity in life. In chapter 5 of his letter, he explains to them that suffering can serve an important end: “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us” (Rom 5:3b-5a). Origen comments this way about the problematic idea of praying against God testing us: “If the apostles did not obtain what they sought when they prayed, what hope is there for their inferiors to be heard by God when they pray?” By this he meant that the apostles were subject to numerous trials and afflictions including beatings, imprisonment, and public disgrace.16 So then we are back where we began with Matthew 6:13a—are believers meant to pray that God not lead into tempting or into testing? To help address this question, we might appeal to the classic situation of Job. When it comes to the trials and tribulations of poor Job, who is responsible? We can clearly affirm in that situation a kind of dual agency; Satan had a desire to break Job’s spirit, but God commended Job (Job 1:8). Satan is the one who puts forward a challenge regarding Job, but notice how Satan tells God to afflict Job: “But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face” (1:11). The Lord agrees to the proposal to afflict Job’s life, but then presumes that Satan will do the cursing: (The Lord says) “very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!” (Job 1:12). Here it is unclear who actually enacts the afflicting; both are involved, but Satan obviously defers to the higher power of God. In a similar interaction between God and Job in chapter 2, again Satan has to ask permission to afflict Job (2:6). Here it is clear that Satan is the one who “inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the

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Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils

William Blake (1757–1827). Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils. c. 1826. Pen and ink and tempera on mahogany wood. [Credit: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Art (PD-old100)]

sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (2:7). After this verse, though, for the next forty chapters Satan is not mentioned again, and at no point does Job blame Satan for his afflictions. A similar phenomenon seems to be at work in 2 Corinthians when it comes to Paul’s notorious “thorn in the flesh.” In chapter 12 Paul explains how he had the privilege of experiencing amazing spiritual visions where he was caught up into the glorious heavenly planes. But in order to prevent him from becoming prideful, a “thorn was given me in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7). The language here is one of the divine passive, a roundabout way of communicating that God gave him this thorn to humble him. Nevertheless, Paul immediately calls it a “messenger of Satan to torment me” (12:7). So which is it? Did God send the thorn, or was it Satan? Paradoxically, it was apparently both. A third example could be given, one that hits closer to home on the issue of temptation/ testing. In Revelation’s “Letter to Smyrna,” the Smyrnian church learns that they will face severe persecution. The writer tells them,

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“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested (peirazø), and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10). These believers are expected to persevere amid the devil’s temptations such that they will prove their faith and be rewarded by God. Joseph Fitzmyer has written a helpful essay reflecting on the conundrum regarding the source, agency, and ethics of temptation and testing. Fitzmyer refers to the “protological” work of God that is often commented on in the Old Testament. We have cases where God is responsible for initiating something that looks like it could do harm towards the recipient, though God himself is not the one doing the tempting or tormenting. For example, Fitzmyer offers the case of Judges 9:22-24 where God sends an evil spirit to divide Abimelech and the men of Shechem (9:23).17 Similarly, God sent an evil spirit to Saul, which incited him to attack David (1 Sam 18:10-11).18 This idea that God could be “behind” affliction is disturbing, but Fitzmyer draws attention to a text like Isaiah 45 that seems to state this (in “protological” terms) quite baldly: “I am the LORD, I form light and create darkness, the one who brings about peace and creates calamity, I am the LORD who accomplished all these things” (45:6-7). Fitzmyer cites Old Testament theologian Carroll Stuhlmueller to drive home the relevant point from this Isaiah text: “Evil is no giant staggering through the world at his own whim; somehow, it accomplishes God’s will for purifying and disciplining his chosen ones.”19 As Fitzmyer explains, this “protological” way of viewing the work of God “ascribes to God or his Spirit a causality the effect of which could be to the detriment of the persons concerned. God is thought to be somehow the cause of it, even if the temptation or testing does not come from God himself.”20 Cyprian seems to have taken a stance on the matter that is similar to what Fitzmyer has argued. He says that Scripture teaches how the “adversary” can accomplish nothing without God’s permission: “Thus all our fear and our devotion and our heedfulness should be directed toward God, so that when we are in temptation he allows no power to the evil one apart from that which he grants.”21 Could there be a noble end to God’s permitting of evil to tempt us? Cyprian finds two reasons: chastisement in sin and glory in faithfulness.22 Using an athletic image, Cyprian explains, For certainly it is not inactivity, an unprofitable delay, or a thankless sloth which render those trained for gymnastic contestants

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successful, worthy of honors, and the clapping of hands; but, on the contrary, severe toil. Moreover, it is not in time of peace that one sees the man who is well acquainted with the tactics of war, bold and tried in battle, but he must have shown himself a hardy combatant against the enemy.23

This leads us inevitably back to the matter of interpreting Matthew 6:13a. While the idea of divine “testing” is found in Scripture, peirasmos here does seem to blur into the notion of “temptation,” particularly as the word is used in Matthew. Here it behooves us to consider two Ben Sira on Evil and Free Will Jews around the time of Jesus took key texts related to “temptation” in Matthew— interest in questions related to the the temptation narrative (Matt 4:1-11) and the origins of evil and causation when it came to warning against temptation (peirasmos) in the failure. Ben Sira wrote, “Do not say, ‘It was the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:41). Lord’s doing that I fell away’; for he does not In the former, we see that Jesus is “led up by the do what he hates. Do not say, ‘It was he who Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (peirazø) led me astray’; for he has no need of the sinful. The Lord hates all abominations; such things by the devil” (4:1). He famously faces three tests are not loved by those who fear him. It was he and succeeds, repelling Satan (4:10). The vulwho created humankind in the beginning, and nerability, weakness, and loneliness of Jesus in he left them in the power of their own free those forty days in the desert are apparent in 4:11 choice.” (Sir 15:11-14) when—after the devil disappears—the angels swoop in and care for the weary Messiah. In Matthew 26:36f., Jesus goes to Gethsemane to pray just before he is arrested. Again, in a moment of grief and weakness, he asks his disciples to stay alert (26:38). Jesus goes off to pray and when he returns he finds his disciples sleeping. He warns them, “Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (26:41). These two passages serve almost as bookends to the Lord’s Prayer in regard to the challenge of temptation. Just as Jesus faced tests and temptations, so were the disciples tested and tempted (cf. Luke 22:31: “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat!”). God cannot be imagined to be aloof to these temptations. Calvin recognized that God and Satan could agree on the fact of temptation while wishing for divergent outcomes: “for God tempts the godly for good, but Satan, the flesh, and the world, tempt them for evil.”24 The prayer that we not be led into temptation is not a desire to circumvent the trials set up by God. Rather, it is to register awareness of our own frailty and weakness; that we are far more like reticent Israel than intrepid Jesus. So Dunn writes, “It is a prayer of conscious and confessed human weakness; it makes no pretense of [Ben Sira on Evil and Free Will]

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confidence in its own strength and commitment; rather it expresses an unconditional abandonment to the will and grace of God.”25 I am particularly partial to Craig Blomberg’s reading of this petition; it is not so much about asking God not to lead us into temptation as it is about God not leaving us. Thus Blomberg glosses it as “Don’t abandon us to temptation.”26 Similarly, Origen exhorts, “Let us pray, therefore, that we be delivCyril of Alexandria on Temptation ered from testing, not so that we should not be “No one should be overconfident or tested (for this is impossible, in particular for those rash in encountering temptations, who are on earth), but so that we should not be even though he is brave in mind. But rather, let us reflect upon the infirmity of our mind, overcome when we are tested.” 27 Bruce Chilton and fear with soberness, lest perhaps we explains that this petition is not intended to make prove a cause of ridicule to our tempters, by us lax or lazy in our faith; rather it marks the not being able to bear the brunt of the battle.” “appeal of trusting children to remain with their Cyril of Alexandria, On the Lord’s Prayer (Los Angeles: Saint father whatever might come.”28 [Cyril of Alexandria on Paul Brotherhood, 2009) 49. Temptation]

Deliver Us from Evil We can turn now more briefly to the second part of Matthew 6:13: “but deliver us from evil/the evil one.” As noted in the discussion of amulets above, most ancient people had a vivid sense of the power of evil to bring trouble to one’s life. One of the key exegetical concerns pertaining to 6:13b involves the meaning of tou pon∑rou. Most of us have learned the wording of the KJV: “deliver us from evil.” However, a quick glance at most modern translations will show that they view the reference here not to “evil” as a generic entity but rather as a person: “deliver us from the evil one” (so NIV, NET, NRSV). From a syntactical standpoint, the Greek text leaves this matter unclear, as both the definite article and the ending of the noun could be taken as neuter (generic evil) or masculine (“the evil one”). W. D. Davies and Dale Allison cogently argue that the masculine (personal) interpretation fits the overall use of “evil” language in Matthew.29 In Matthew’s parable of the sower (Matt 13:1-23), Jesus explains that when the seed falls on the path “the evil one (ho pon∑ros) comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart” (13:19). Here the reference is clearly Satan. Similarly, in the parable of the weeds (13:36-43), Jesus divulges that “the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one (hoi huioi tou pon∑rou).” Outside of Matthew’s Gospel, the “evil one” is obviously a reference to Satan (John 17:5; Eph 6:16). Notice even how similar 2 Thessalonians 3:3 is to the

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overall concept of Matthew 6:13b: “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” Praying that God would rescue us from the evil one ought not to plunge the believer into fear and hopelessness about the power and hegemony of evil. After all, Jesus proclaims after his resurrection, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18). Rather, to ask for divine rescue from evil is a reflection again of the reality that we all too Jewish Prayer and Teaching on Evil often become “sleepy” like the disciples “Let not Satan rule over me nor an unclean spirit; let neither pain nor the evil inclination possess in Gethsemane. Krister Stendahl says it my bones” —Dead Sea Scrolls, 11QS xix 15-16 perfectly: “we know that if Satan tightens the screws we have no chance. The spirit “And let not satan have power over me, to make me stray is willing, but the flesh is weak.”30 [Jewish Prayer and Teaching on Evil]

Luke

from your path” —Greek Prayer of Levi, line 10

“No evil will befall the one who fears the Lord, but in trials such a one will be rescued again and again” —Sir 33:1

See these cited in B. Wold, “Apotropaic Prayer and the Matthean Lord’s In the last line of Luke’s LP, we find the Prayer,” in Das Böse, der Teufel und Dämonen—Evil, the Devil, and Demons prayer about temptation but no mention (ed. J. Dochorn; S. Rudnig-Zelt, and B. Wold; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014) 103, 104, 110. of deliverance from the evil one. The wording is identical to Matthew 6:13a: “And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:4). Luke, like Matthew, includes the temptation narrative, though Luke’s arrangement of the confrontations between Jesus and Satan are not perfectly aligned. Still, Luke also refers to this as temptations for Jesus—in particular temptations at the hands of the devil (Luke 4:2; cf. 4:13). In Luke, Jesus also refers to the danger of temptations in his explanation of the parable of the sower. Regarding the seed that falls on the rocks, Jesus teaches that because they have no root, “they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation” (Luke 8:13). For the sake of comparison, in Matthew Jesus explains that these fall away “when trouble or persecution” arise (Matt 13:21). Luke includes another key explanatory word in chapter 22 as Jesus faces his final hours before his arrest. He commends his closest disciples by noting that “You are those who stood by me in my trials (en tois peirasmois mou)” (Luke 22:28). Thus, Jesus pronounces that he bestows upon them a kingdom, just as his Father entrusted him. Peter is called out in particular: “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32). Again, we are reminded in Luke, as in Matthew, that trials and even temptations are not something one can

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Jewish Prayers against Evil [Noah] prayed in the presence of God his Lord and he said: “Lord of the spirits which are in all flesh, You, who have shown me mercy and saved me and my sons from the water of the Flood and did not make me perish (as You did to the children of destruction) since Your kindness toward me has been great, and great has been Your mercy to my soul. May your kindness be raised high over Your children’s children, and may the evil spirits not rule over them lest they destroy them from the earth. Now bless me and my sons so we might increase and grow numerous and fill the earth. And you know how Your Watchers acted—the fathers of these spirits—during my days. Now these spirits who are still alive—lock them up and keep them captive in the place of judgment, so they may not cause corruption among the children of Your servant, my Lord, since they are vicious and were created for corrupting. Do not let them rule over the spirits of the living since You alone know their judgment. Let them have no power over the children of the just from now on and for evermore.” —Jubilees 10.3-6 J. C. Endres, “Prayer of Noah,” in Prayer from Alexander to Constantine: A Critical Anthology (ed. M. Kiley et al.; London: Routledge, 1997) 53–56, at 55–56.

avoid, and indeed courage, faith, and righteousness in the face of them make one stronger. [Jewish Prayers against Evil]

Connections Christian Life Connections

What Kind of Threat Does Evil Pose to Us Today? As noted in the introduction to this chapter, most Western Christians today think very little about evil, evil forces, or evil spirits. Yet the LP compels believers to take evil seriously—but how seriously? Karl Barth proposes utmost sobriety when it comes to this. Here is Barth’s interpretation of this petition:

We pray thee, our Father, to lead us in such a way that it may be given us to avoid this limit on the left, this pernicious boundary. Lead us, for we are thy children, saved through Jesus Christ. Spare us not from the struggle (which we must accept), not from sufferings (which we must endure), but spare us from the encounter with this enemy, who is stronger than all our strength, more clever than our intelligence (including the intelligence we put into our theology), more dangerously sentimental—for the Devil is also sentimental— than we ourselves are capable of being. He is more pious (yes, the Devil is pious too) than all our Christian piety, both ancient and modern, or theological. Shield us from all possibility of evil from which we know not how to preserve ourselves, since it would utterly and irrevocably degrade us to the level of brutes.31

Barth is right to warn believers not to underestimate the danger of evils. We are frail creatures, easily led astray. Thus, we pray, “deliver us from evil.” Still, it is helpful to acknowledge the perspective of Hauerwas and Willimon, who emphasize that the LP reminds us of the One to whom we pray, knowing that he is stronger than any foe. [C. S. Lewis on Evil] The power of evil must be admitted and taken seriously, yet not too seriously. Perhaps that is why, though the Lord’s Prayer

Lead Us Not into Temptation, Deliver Us from Evil honestly focuses upon trial, temptation and evil, it never mentions Satan by name. Evil is a threatening power, though a defeated one. Though the battle rages, we know who has won the war.32

In light of these perspectives, we might approach the problem of evil with these considerations in mind. First, believers should recognize that they are part of an ongoing spiritual battle. As St. Paul instructs, believers are children of light who must have their wits about them because the children of darkness are clever and dangerous (see 1 Thess 5:8; Eph 6:1-10). Second, believers should recognize that evil forces can be very clever—again, Paul warned the Corinthians that Satan himself can be disguised as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:4). Third, the assumption behind the LP is that believers can only withstand temptations and the forces of evil by staying connected to God, relying on his power and mercy. Believers should not fear evil as a power superior to the Triune God, but neither should they dismiss evil as trivial or innocuous.

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C. S. Lewis on Evil In his classic The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis imagines instruction between a senior demon (Screwtape) and his apprentice (Wormwood). In the preface of the book, Lewis offers his own thoughts on the nature of evil and its relationship to our lives. He gives this insight: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: Collier, 1982) 3

Prayer Connections

Juvencus’s Poetic Version of the LP Gaius Vettius Aquilinus Juvencus was a C. S. Lewis, 1947 (b/w photo, Arthur Strong [1908-2004]). (Credit: Private Collection / Bridgeman Images) Roman-Spanish priest and Christian poet of the fourth century. He penned this poem inspired by the LP.33 [Tertullian on Vigilant Prayer] O Creator, who dwells among the stars in the highest heaven, O Most High Father, we pray that our veneration of your name may be made holy in us; May the peaceful and bountiful light of your kingdom come and shine forth in the world.

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The Lord’s Prayer and dens looking to heaven, giving movement to the spirit after their fashion with animated mouths. And even now the birds arise, lifting themselves to heaven, spreading out their wings like a cross whilst uttering what appears to be a prayer. What more might be said on the duty of prayer? Even the Lord himself prayed, and to him be honor and might for ever and ever.”

Tertullian on Vigilant Prayer “Prayer is the buttress of faith, our armor and weaponry against the enemy that watches us from every side. So never let us set out unarmed—let us remember the station by day and the vigil by night. Let us guard the standard of our emperor armed with prayer, awaiting the trumpet of the angel while we pray. Indeed, every angel prays, every creature. The herds and the wild beasts pray and bend their knees, coming forth from byres

Tertullian, On the Lord’s Prayer (trans., Stewart-Sykes) 64.

May your manifest will be done on earth as in heaven. May the sustenance of holy life-giving bread be provided for us today and may your forgiving largess release us soon from the innumerable debts of our evil misdeeds. It is right for us likewise to forgive the debts of others. Remove far away from us the fierce temptation of the vile demon, and may your right hand lift us up into the light away from all evil. Lead Us Not into Temptation—Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 127 “By ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. And our sworn enemies—the devil, the world, and our own flesh— never stop attacking us. And so, Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit, so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle, but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory.” See https://www.ccel.org/creeds/heidelberg-cat.html.

[Lead Us Not into Temptation—Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 127]

Saint Michael Prayer As legend has it, Pope Leo XIII experienced a terrifying vision in 1884, one where he saw wicked spirits attacking the church. In this vision he witnessed the glorious power of St. Michael driving the evil forces back. Inspired by that vision, he wrote this prayer:

Saint Michael the Archangel, Defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host— By the Divine Power of God— Cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits, Who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.34 [Augustine and Honest Prayer]

Lead Us Not into Temptation, Deliver Us from Evil Augustine and Honest Prayer Famously Augustine prayed as a young Christian “Lord grant me chastity—but not yet!” While this is indeed humorous, Anthony Bloom offers a helpful reflection on the importance of honest prayer. Bloom asks, “How much does my prayer, or the words I use when I turn to God, express my whole being? Or, how much effort am I making to pray for the right thing, while I still long for the wrong thing?” See A. Bloom, “The Life of Prayer,” ThTo 61 (2004): 26–40, at 33.

Ary Scheffer (1795–1858). St. Augustine and his Mother St. Monica. [Credit: Wikimedia Commons, PD-Art (PD-old-100)]

Notes 1. See B. Wold, “Apotropaic Prayer and the Matthean Lord’s Prayer,” in Das Böse, der Teufel und Dämonen—Evil, the Devil, and Demons (ed. J. Dochorn; S. Rudnig-Zelt, and B. Wold; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014) 101–12; cf. A. Papthomas, “A Greek Papyrus Amulet from the Duke Collection with Biblical Excerpts,” BASP 41 (2014): 93–113; J. E. Sanzo, Scriptural Incipits on Amulets from Late Antique Egypt (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014). Key evidence comes from P.Schoyen 16; P.Oxy.LX 4010; P.Oxy. XVI (208); BGU III 954 (no. 15); P.Duk.Inv.778; PGM 2:235n.04; P.Koln IV 171; P. Koln VIII 336; P.Ant. II 54; P.Vindob. L. 91; Princ II 107; P.Iand. I 6. Most of these come from the 4th–6th centuries CE. 2. See E. de Bruyn, “Papyri, Parchments, Ostraca, and Tablets Written with Biblical Texts in Greek and Used as Amulets: A Preliminary List,” in Early Christian Manuscripts (ed. T. J. Kraus and T. Nicklas; Boston: Brill, 2010) 145–90, at 153. 3. So Calvin writes, “Some people have split this petition into two. This is wrong: for the nature of the subject makes it manifest, that it is one and the same petition” (Commentary on Matthew; https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom31.html). 4. As noted in M. Eugene Boring, “The Gospel of Matthew,” NIB (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995) 87–505, at 205. 5. Boring, “The Gospel of Matthew,” 205; see also E. Lohmeyer, The Lord’s Prayer (trans. J. Bowden; London: Collins, 1965) 192. 6. Cyprian, in Tertullian, Cyprian and Origen: On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. A. Stewart-Sykes; New York: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004) 84.

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The Lord’s Prayer 7. Tertullian, in On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. Stewart-Sykes), 48. 8. “On the Sermon on the Mount, Book II,” New Advent, http://www.newadvent. org/fathers/16012.htm. 9. R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002) 251. 10. Tertullian, On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. Stewart-Sykes), 48. 11. Hagner, Matthew, 151. 12. C. Spicq, “peirazø,” TLNT 3:82. 13. Ibid., 3:83. 14. Ibid. 15. Ibid., 3:86. 16. See Origen, in On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. Stewart-Sykes), 419. 17. See J. Fitzmyer, “And Lead Us Not into Temptation,” Bib 84/2 (2003): 259–73, at 262. 18. Fitzmyer offers several more examples; see 1 Chr 21:1; Dan 1:1-2 (p. 262). 19. C. Stuhlmueller, “Deutero-Isaiah,” in Jerome Bible Commentary (ed. R. E. Brown; Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1968) 366–86, at 373, as cited in Fitzmyer, “Lead Us Not into Temptation,” 263. 20. Fitzmyer, “Lead Us Not into Temptation,” 263; see similarly U. Luz, Matthew 1–7: A Commentary (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007) 323. 21. Cyprian, On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. Stewart-Sykes) 84. Note the similarities here with Calvin: “God not only gives us up to the will of Satan, to kindle the flame of lust, but employs him as the agent of his wrath, when he chooses to drive men headlong to destruction, he may be also said, in a way peculiar to himself, to lead them into temptation” (https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/comment3/comm_vol31/htm/ix.liv. htm). 22. Cyprian, in On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. Stewart-Sykes), 85. 23. Ibid., 48. And again, “Does the Savior and Lord of all wish His friends to be cowardly? Are they to be lazy and abject, and in earnest rather in avoiding the contest than in winning renown?” (47). 24. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1863) 62. 25. Dunn, “Prayer,” DJG 619–25, at 623; cf. J. Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005) 292; Fitzmyer, “Lead Us Not into Temptation,” 272; Hagner, Matthew 151–52. Cf. Cyprian (#26), 85. 26. C. Blomberg, Matthew (NAC; Nashville: Broadman, 1992) 120. 27. Origen, On the Lord’s Prayer (trans. Stewart-Sykes), 196. Later he refers to being “engulfed by testing” (197). Augustine explains that the prayer does not mean that we should not be touched by the fire of examination; only that this fire not consume us (Sermon on the Mount, 2.9.32). 28. B. Chilton, “Jesus’ Prayer and the War of the Worlds,” Living Pulpit 1/4 (1992): 38. 29. See Davies and Allison, Matthew, 1:615.

Lead Us Not into Temptation, Deliver Us from Evil 30. K. Stendahl, “Your Kingdom Come,” Cross Currents 32/3 (1982): 257–66, at 265. About Matt 6:13, Stendahl also offers this paraphrase: “And see to it that we are not tested beyond our strength, for we know that Satan can destroy us—unless you rescue us out of his ferocious grip” (266). 31. Barth, Prayer, 62. 32. W. Willimon and S. Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer & the Christian Life (Nashville: Abingdon, 2002) 94. 33. See R. Hammerling, The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church (New York: Palgrave-MacMillan, 2010) 47–48. 34. “Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel,” https://www.ccel.org/node/4502.

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Bibliography Garland, D. E. “The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew.” RevExp 89 (1992): 215–28. Gibson, J. The Disciples’ Prayer. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015. Goldingay, J. Old Testament Theology: Israel’s Faith. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009. Green, J. B. Why Salvation? Nashville: Abingdon, 2013. Grenz, S. J. Prayer: The Cry for the Kingdom. Peabody MA: Hendrickson, 1988. Guite, M. Parable and Paradox: Sonnets on the Sayings of Jesus and Other Poems. London: Canterbury Press, 2016. Gundry, R. H. Matthew: A Commentary His Literary and Theological Art. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 1982. Haemig, M. J. “Practical Advice on Prayer from Martin Luther.” Word & World 35/1 (2015): 22–30. Hafemann, S. Biblical Theology: Retrospect & Prospect. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009. Hagner, D. A. Matthew 1–13 and 14–28. WBC 33A & B. Waco TX: Word, 1995. Hammerling, R. The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church. New York: PalgraveMacMillan, 2010. Hartin, P. J. Exploring the Spirituality of the Gospels. Collegeville MN: Liturgical Press, 2011. Hemer, C. J. “ E j piousio~.” JSNT 22 (1984): 81–94. Heschel, A. The Sabbath. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2005. Hultgren, A. “Forgive Us, As We Forgive (Matthew 6:12).” Word & World 16/3 (1996): 284–29. Instone-Brewer, D. “The Eighteen Benedictions and the Minim before 70 CE.” JTS 54 (2003): 25–44. Janzen, G. “The Claim of the Shema.” Enc 59 (1998): 243–57. Jeremias, J. New Testament Theology. London: SCM, 1971. ———. The Prayers of Jesus. London: SCM, 1967. Johnson, L. T. The Acts of the Apostles. SP. Collegeville MN: Liturgical, 2008. ———. The Gospel of Luke. SP. Collegeville MN: Liturgical Press, 1991. Jonquiere, T. M. Prayer in Josephus. Boston: Brill, 2007. Keener, C. S. The Historical Jesus of the Gospels. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2009. Kessler, R. “The Unity of Malachi.” Pages 223–36 in Perspectives on the Formation of the Book of the Twelve. Edited by R. Albertz, J. Nogalski, and J. Woehrle. New York: De Gruyter, 2012. Keyes, R. The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2006. King, Jr., M. L. Strength to Love. New York: Harper & Row, 1963. Kreeft, P. The Lord’s Prayer. New Haven CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2001. Kwon, J. “Cyprian, Origen and the Lord’s Prayer: Theological Diversities between Latin West and Greek East in the Third Century.” AJT 26/1 (2012): 56–87.

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Bibliography Sanzo, J. E. Scriptural Incipits on Amulets from Late Antique Egypt. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014. Schiffmann, L. “Hallels, Midrash, Canon, and Loss.” Pages 33–57 in Psalms in Community. Edited by H. W. Attridge and M. E. Fassler. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003. Schackenburg, R. All Things Are Possible: Reflections on the Lord’s Prayer and the Sermon on the Mount. Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox, 1995. Seitz, C. “Prayer in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible.” Pages 3–22 in Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament. Edited by R. N. Longenecker. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2001. Shershow, S. C. Bread. London: Bloomsbury, 2016. Simonetti, M., ed. Matthew 1–13. ACCS. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001. Stanton, G. The Gospels and Jesus. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Stendahl, S. “Notes for Bible Study.” International Review of Mission 69 (1980): 265–351. ———. “Your Kingdom Come.” Cross Currents 32/3 (1982): 257–66. Stewart-Sykes, A., trans. Tertullian, Cyprian and Origen: On the Lord’s Prayer. New York: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004. Stubbs, D. L. Numbers. Brazos Theological Commentary. Grand Rapids MI: Brazos, 2009. Stuhlmueller, C. “Deutero-Isaiah.” Pages 366–86 in Jerome Bible Commentary. Edited by R. E. Brown. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1968. Underhill, E. Lent with Evelyn Underhill. London: Continuum, 2004. Vriezen, T. C., and A. S. van der Woude. Ancient Israelite and Early Jewish Literature. Translated by B. Doyle. Boston: Brill, 2005. Ware, K. “‘Forgive Us . . . As We Forgive’: Forgiveness in the Psalms and the Lord’s Prayer.” Pages 53–76 in Meditations of the Heart: The Psalms in Early Christian Thought and Practice: Essays in Honour of Andrew Louth. Edited by A. Andreopoulos, A. Casiday, and C. Harrison. Turnhout: Bepols, 2011. Waltke, B. K., and J. M. Houston, with E. Moore. The Psalms as Christian Worship. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2010. Wenham, D. “The Sevenfold Form of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s Gospel.” ExpTim (2010): 377–82. Weinfeld, M. Deuteronomy 1–11. AB. New York: Doubleday, 1991. Werline, R. A. Pray Like This: Understanding Prayer in the Bible. London: Bloomsbury, 2007. Wilkinson, D. When I Pray, What Does God Do? Oxford: Monarch, 2015. Williams, R. Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2014. Willimon, W., and S. Hauerwas. Lord, Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer & the Christian Life. Nashville: Abingdon, 2002. Wilson-Kastner, P. “Pastoral Theology and the Lord’s Prayer: We Dare to Pray.” Pages 107–24 in The Lord’s Prayer: Perspectives for Reclaiming Christian Prayer. Edited by D. Migliore. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 1993.

Bibliography Winter, M. A Paraphrase on the Lord’s Prayer: Miscellaneous Poems; Fables in Verse. London: J. Mitchell, 1852. Witherington III, B. Imminent Domain. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2009. Wold, B. “Apotropaic Prayer and the Matthean Lord’s Prayer.” Pages 101–12 in Das Böse, der Teufel und Dämonen—Evil, the Devil, and Demons. Edited by J. Dochorn, S. Rudnig-Zelt, and B. Wold. WUNT II.412. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014. Wright, C. J. H. Knowing God the Father through the Old Testament. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007. Wright, N. T. A Case for the Psalms. New York: HarperOne, 2013. ———. Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996. ———. The Lord and His Prayer. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 1996. ———. “The Lord’s Prayer as a Paradigm of Christian Prayer.” Pages 132–54 in Into God’s Presence. Edited by R. Longenecker. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2002. Yamauchi, E. “The ‘Daily Bread’ Motif in Antiquity.” WTJ 28 (1966): 145–56.

161

index of modern authors

A Abrahams, Israel 481 Allison, Dale 16, 19, 26, 144 Anderson, Gary 117 Aune, David 125

B Balentine, Samuel 4

E Evans, C. F. 56, 95–96

F Fitzmyer, Joseph 142 France, R. T. 137

G

Barth, Karl 29–30, 49, 71, 119, 146

Garland, David 43, 45–46, 47, 79

Beale, G. K. 63

Goldingay, John 56

Birch, John 106

Guite, Malcolm 52, 68, 86

Blomberg, Craig 96, 98–99, 144 Boff, Leonardo 29

H

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich 2, 29

Hagner, Donald 47, 98, 139

Boring, Eugene 137

Hammerling, Roy 25, 28

Brueggemann, Walter 9–10, 56, 64, 124

Hauerwas, Stanley 64, 77, 84, 101, 146–47

Bruner, F. Dale 21

Hemer, Colin 95

C Calvin, John 28, 29 Chase, F. H. 29

Heschel, Abraham 66–67 Hultgren, Arlen 97, 120

J

Childton, Bruce 144

Jacob, Sol 85–86

Cohen, David 125

Janzen, Gerald 6

Cohen, S. J. 5

Jeremias, Joachim 29, 43

Cullman, Oscar 76

D Davies, W. D. 16, 19, 144 deSilva, David 41–42

K King, Martin Luther Jr. 125

L

Drane, John 81–82

Latimer, Hugh 29

Dumitrascu, Nicu 47, 62

Lewis, C. S. 83

Dunn, James 13, 61, 96, 143–44

Lohfink, G. 98 Lohmeyer, Ernst 46–47

164

Index of Modern Authors

Luther, Martin 28, 30, 99 Luz, Ulrich 95

M Marshall, Howard 124 Metzger, B. M. 25 Moberly, Walter 6 Morris, Leon 26

N Neruda, Pablo 106

O Osborne, Grant 12

P Pennington, Jonathan 21, 76 Peterson, Eugene 10, 65 Pope Francis 128 Powell, Mark Allen 19

R Rah, Soong-Chan 126–27 Rands, William Brighty 67

S Spicq, Ceslas 139–40 Stendahl, Krister 52, 145

W Ware, M. K. 117, 120–21, 126 Weinfeld, Moshe 6 Werline, Rodney 96 Wesley, John 28 Westerholm, Stephen 116 Williams, Rowen 20, 30, 46 Willimon, William 64, 77, 84, 101, 146–47 Wilson-Kastner, Patricia 49–50 Wright, C. J. H. 38 Wright, N. T. 75, 82, 84–85, 92

index of scriptures

Old Testament

11:44 62

JUDGES

JOB

18:21 61

2:11 73

1:8 140

GENESIS

19:2 62

2:22-23 139

1:11 140

20:3 56

9:1 38

1:12 140

20:7 62

9:22-24 142

2:6 140

28:13 3

22:2, 32

17:6 73

2:7 141

EXODUS

NUMBERS

2:3 60 22:1 138

2:24 4 3

57

3:5 57 3:6 3 3:14 3 4:22-23 39 4:23 72 7:16 72 8:1, 20

72

9:1, 13

72

56

21:25 73 PSALMS

6:22-27 7

1 SAMUEL

2 39, 40

6:23-27 5

8:5 73

10:16 72

8:7 73

10:18 72

DEUTERONOMY

8:11-18 73

22 9

1:30 73

8:20 73

26:2

5:1-21 7

9:1 38

30 8

5:6 7

18:7 80

30:4 56

5:12, 15

18:10-11 142

32:1-2 114

21:4 57

33:21 56

60

6:4-9 5

139, 140

40 114

6:4 6

13:1-10, 11-16 8

6:5 6

2 SAMUEL

45 72

6:6-9 7

7:14 39

51 114

13:9 59

6:8 8

8:16 38

57 114

15:18 72

6:10 7

16:3 92

6:24 7

2 KINGS

66:10 139

16:4

6:25 7

17:6 98

68:5 10

92, 138

65 114

74:10-12 72

16:7 92

8:1-20 93

19:6 57

8:2-3, 16

139

1 CHRONICLES

78:24 93

20:8 60

8:3

94, 99

16:10 56

84 9

28:36 57

11:12-21 8

16:35 61

86:9 64

29–30 57

13:3 139

29:16 56

89

34:6-7

26:6-7 4

114, 115

33:5 72 LEVITICUS 4

114

10, 39

89:33 11 NEHEMIAH

90 136

9:15 93

91

13:22 60

91:11 136

134, 135

166

Index of Scriptures 20:16, 24, 39 57

5:9c 60

6:22-23 19

104:14-15 97

5:10, 19, 20 76

106:47 61

20:20 60

5:16

6:24 19, 80, 98

110:1-2 73

20:24 57

5:17-47 19

6:25-34

111 114

34

5:17 17

6:26 42

115 78

34:4-6, 8, 10-15 74

5:19-20 79

6:31-32 98

5:23 45

6:32 98

5:25-27 45

6:33

5:43-48 116

7:7-8 46

5:44-45 42

7:7 22

5:44 13, 18, 125

7:9 94

2:44 75

5:45 47

7:21

7:26-27 75

5:48

8:11 76

103

39, 114

118:23 9 120–134 9 135:6 46 139:23 139

14:12 72 15:8 4 15:29 4 17:3 137 30:8

95, 99

SONG OF SONGS 6:9 6 ISAIAH 6:3

36 61 DANIEL 75

45 142 49:7 63 52:7 75 64:5-7 39 64:8-9 39 66:1 78 66:13 50 JEREMIAH 17:22, 24, 27 60 19:4 57 29:5 135 135

31:34 126 LAMENTATIONS 2:1-22 127 EZEKIEL 1:10 17 13:19 57

7, 42

19, 97

76, 78

7:11 42 76, 82

6:1-15 44

8:12 76

HOSEA

6:1-4

19, 41

8:16 58

8:4 73

6:5

13, 20

8:20 19

11:1 39

6:5-15 19

9:35 76

6:6-13 20

10:1 58

JONAH

6:7

11, 20

10:7 76

4:2 115

6:8

20, 42

10:32-33 41

4:11 115

6:9-13

1, 19

10:34 83

56, 61

29:13 4

29:11, 14

34:23-24 74

2, 7

PROVERBS

73, 75

41, 62

New Testament

6:9a 26

11:11, 12

6:9b-13

11:25 83

20, 22

76

6:9b-10 21

11:27 41

6:9b 38, 44, 47

12:18 58

78

6:9c

56, 64

12:28 76

1:23 17

6:10

47, 76

12:45 58

2:16 80

6:11-13 21

12:50

3:2 76

6:11 16, 94, 96, 118

13:1-23 144

MATTHEW

1:1, 6, 17

3:11 58 4:1-11 78, 82, 138, 143

6:12 113

4:3 93

6:13 133, 135, 138, 139

4:4 99 4:6 136

6:12a 117

12:26-28 78

41, 82

13:11, 24, 31, 33, 44, 45, 47, 52 76 13:19 144 13:19, 38

76

13:21 145

4:18-22 19

6:13a 136, 137, 140, 143, 144

4:23-24 134

6:13b 145

16:19 76

4:23 75

6:14-15 21, 45, 116, 118

16:28 76

5:3–7:27 19 5:3-16 19

6:16-18 19

17:20 18

5:3 80

6:18 41

18 17

5:9, 45

6:19-21 19

18:1, 3, 4

4:9 82 4:17 19

47

13:41, 45

76

14:23 13 16 17

17:1-8 24

76

Index of Scriptures

167

18:14 42

26:42 43

2:37 23

14 99

18:15-22 18

26:44

14, 43

3:21 24

14:13-14 100

18:19 41

27:46

9, 15

3:22 59

14:15

18:21-35 21

27:52 58

4:1-13 138

14:21 100

18:21-22 21

28:18 145

4:1

15:11-32 48

18:23-35 117

28:20 17

4:2 145

15:11-12 48

4:3, 9

15:18 123

18:23 76

23, 59 48

96, 100

18:35 121

MARK

4:13 145

15:22 48

19:12, 14, 23 76

1:15 76

4:14 23

15:31 48

19:13-15 18

1:35 13

4:18-19 116

17:6 18

19:13

5:41 44

4:21 23

17:15-17 18

19:15 18

6:1-18 19

4:34 59

17:16 23

19:21-35 22

6:19–7:12 19

5:16

13, 24

17:20 83

19:21-23b 80

6:46 13

6:12

14, 24

17:21 83

19:24 76

7:13-27 19

6:17-49 24

18:1-9 14

24:14 76

9:2-8 24

6:27 18

18:1-8 24

20:1 76

9:24 120

6:36 48

18:9-14

20:21 76

9:29 14

6:37 122

18:10-13 121

21:22

13, 18

14, 24

10:13-16 18

7:45-47 122

19:9 23

21:28-32 82

10:16 18

8:13 145

20:17 9

21:31, 43

12:10 9

9:18 24

21:36 14

21:33-46 42

14:3-9 122

9:26 59

22:14-23 100

21:37 42

14:36 13

9:28 13

22:28 145

21:42 9

14:36 43

9:29 24

22:31-32 145

22:2 76

14:36 44

10:11 76

22:31 143

23 81

14:36 44

10:21

22:31b-32a 138

23:13 76

14:38 138

10:30-37 23

22:32 13

23:16-23 58

15:34 15

10:38-42 24

22:40, 46

23:17, 19

15:34 9

11:1

22:42 48

14, 19 76

58

23, 59

13, 24

138

11:2-4 1

22:44 14

24:14 75

LUKE

11:2

22:70 48

24:15 58

1:1 23

11:2b-4 24

23:34

25:1 76

1:13 23

11:2b 38

23:34a 124

25:34 76

1:15 23

11:2d 25

23:42-43 84

25:35 81

1:35

1:35, 41, 67 59

11:3 16, 94, 96, 99

23:46 15

26:1–27:66 82

1:48 23

11:4

24:16 100

26:26 99

1:49 58

11:4a-b 122

24:30-31 100

26:29 76

1:52 23

11:5-13 25

24:44-46 23

26:36-46 43

1:67 23

11:11-13 26

24:47 114

26:36, 38, 41 143

1:70 58

11:13

24:49

26:38 43

1:72 58

11:20 83

26:39

2:23 59

12:13-21 101

2:25-26 59

12:20 101

JOHN

2:28 23

12:32

4:24 47

24:2-13 139

26:13 20

14, 82

26:39a 43 26:41

138, 143

23, 48

83, 113

138, 145

48, 59

23, 48

15, 48

24:13 100

24, 48

24:51-53 24

168 6

Index of Scriptures 99

6:35 99

1 THESSALONIANS 5:8 147

11:41-42 15 12:1-8 122

2 THESSALONIANS

12:31 83

3:3 144

13:1-20 118 13:10 118

1 TIMOTHY

15:3 118

6:9

137, 138

17:5 144 20:22-23 121

HEBREWS 2:17 114

ACTS 2:38-39 117

JAMES

6:1 93

1:13 137

11:24 23

2 93

13:22 73

2:15-16 93 4:3 99

ROMANS 4:7 114

2 PETER

5:10 114

4:12-19 140

5:3b-5a 140 8:15

13, 44

REVELATION

8:29 41

2:10 142

12:2 7

4:7 17

2 CORINTHIANS 1:3 49 2:10 114 11:4 147 12:7 141 GALATIANS 4:6

13, 44

EPHESIANS 3:14-19 50 4:6 61 4:32 114 6:1-10 147 6:16 144 COLOSSIANS 1:20 114

index of sidebars and illustrations

Sidebars Aquinas on “Hallowed Be Thy Name”63 Attending to the Lord’s Prayer

1

Augustine and Honest Prayer 149 Ben Sira on Evil and Free Will 143 The Bread of Moscow103 The Burden of Forgiving C. K. Barrett on Thy Will Be Done C. S. Lewis on Evil

118 87 147

Chewing126 Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane15 Christian Magical Amulets

134

Christian Reverence for the Lord’s Prayer

29

Cyprian’s Prayer for Humble Bread102 Cyril of Alexandria on Temptation144 “Daily Bread” and the Power of Tradition

95

Depictions of God the Father

37

“Der Sabbath” (The Sabbath)

59

Finger-Ring Set with the Lord’s Prayer Forgiveness in Early Judaism Forgiving Financial Debts?

116

A Liturgical Adaptation of the Priestly Blessing in the Dead Sea Scrolls

118

The Lord’s Prayer

29

“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” Postcard

94

The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s Gospel22

God as Father and Master

43

The Lord’s Prayer in Real Life

A Greek Orthodox Perspective on the Lord’s Prayer

30

The Lord’s Prayer, by Chris Taylor3

Heaven or Heavens?

47

Manna in the Desert

Holiness in Early Judaism

58

Holiness Words

58

Mark Twain and the Lord’s Prayer52

The Holy Name of God in Jewish Tradition

56

73 82

The Orante

27

P.Oxy. LX 4010 Pater Noster

49

Is God Testing Us or Are We Testing God?

138

Jesus Speaks about Forgiveness 123

An Eye for an Eye . . .

116

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican

114

121

Jewish Prayer and Teaching on Evil

145

Parable of the Wicked Tenants 42

Jewish Prayers against Evil

146

Parodying the Lord’s Prayer

68

The Paternoster Lift

40

The Peaceable Kingdom

81

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Peter Chrysologus on the Fatherly God

51

John Cassian on “Our Father”

28

Kingdom Language in Matthew76

83

57

On Earth as in Heaven

21

The Example of Christ according to Cyprian

126

The Name of the Lord

Of Kings and Idols 77

The Elegance and Intention of the LP’s Structure

63

Martin Luther King Jr.

Interpreting the “When” of “Let Your Kingdom Come”

74

Evelyn Underhill and the Priority of Holiness

92

New Testament Terms for Forgiveness and Mercy

Early Jewish Messianism

127

16

The Holy Trinity with God the Father Holding His Son50

Jonah under the Gourd Vine115

Enduring the Burden of Daily Forbearance

9 17

A Kingdom of Hope

26

80

Physical Bread or Spiritual Bread?99

La Ultima Cena [The Last Supper]100

The Power of the Psalter

10

Prayers for Real Life

30

Lead Us Not into Temptation—Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 127

Praying to Our Abba44 148

The Prodigal Son48

170

Index of Sidebars and Illustrations Schaeufelein, oil on pine wood15

The Lord’s Prayer, Giandomenico Tiepolo, photograph 17

The Return of the Prodigal Son124

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane15

Lupton, Portrait of Peter Chrysologus51

The Sacrifice of Isaac139

Christian Magical Amulets

134

Magical amulet

Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils

141

da Pontormo, Supper at Emmaus, oil on canvas

101

Manna in the Desert. Mirror of Human Salvation.92

Sedulius’s Paschal Song

84

Recommended Reading on the Gospels, Matthew, Luke, and the Lord’s Prayer 31

Seneca’s On Clemency113 The Shepherd David74 Simply Bread

98

Someone Else’s Words?

11

St. Ambrose: Proclaiming Forgiveness in the Eucharist 128

de Coter, The Holy Trinity with God the Father Holding His Son, oil on wood de Coter, The Throne of Mercy, oil on wood

Mashkov, The Bread of Moscow103 50

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, mosaic

121

50

Parable of the Wicked Tenants, Anonymous, woodcut

42

Peaceable Kingdom, Edward Hicks, oil on canvas

81 27 98

de Grebber, God Inviting Christ to Sit on the Throne at His Right Hand, oil on canvas 37 Depictions of God the Father

37

Photograph, “Lunette with orante” fresco

Supper at Emmaus101

Der Sabbath, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

59

Tefillin and the Shema

Photograph, bread preserved under ashes

“Der Sabbath” (The Sabbath)

59

Photograph, C. S. Lewis

St. Basil the Great on Sharing Bread108 8

Temptation in the Babylonian Talmud137 Temptation of Christ136 Temptations of Christ

79

Tertullian on Vigilant Prayer

148

To Forgive Is Divine

121

To Hallow and to Glorify Understanding “the Kingdom of God” Winter’s Paraphrase of the Forgiveness Petition

Finger-Ring Set with the Lord’s Prayer, calligraphy on paper, rock crystal, champlevé enamel work 29 Gardner, The Shepherd David, oil on canvas

Photograph, Martin Luther King Jr.

126 51

74

64

“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread,” postcard

94 43

48

75

God as Father and Master

The Prodigal Son, Rembrandt, oil on canvas Rembrandt, The Prodigal Son, oil on canvas

48

128

Anonymous, Parable of the Wicked Tenants, woodcut

42

Blake, Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils, pen and ink and tempera on mahogany

141

Botticelli, Temptation of Christ, fresco detail 136

God Inviting Christ to Sit on the Throne at His Right Hand, Pieter de Grebber, oil on canvas37 Head of Seneca, photograph of statue

113

Helfmann, schematic representation of a paternoster40 Hicks, Peaceable Kingdom, oil on canvas

81

The Bread of Moscow, Ilya Mashkov103

The Holy Trinity with God the Father Holding His Son, Colijn de Coter, oil on wood 50

Lewis, C. S., photograph

147

Jesus Speaks about Forgiveness 123

Catacomb of Priscilla, photograph of “Lunette with orante” fresco 27

Jonah under the Gourd Vine, stone115

Christ in the Garden at Gethsemane, Hans Leonard

147

Photograph, head of Seneca statue113

Portrait of Peter Chrysologus, Donald Lupton

Illustrations

Catacomb of San Callisto, photograph of fresco

134

27

King, Martin Luther Jr., photograph126 La Ultima Cena, José Vela Zanetti100 The Lord’s Prayer

17

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Ary Scheffer, oil on mahogany panel 124 The Sacrifice of Isaac139 Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils, William Blake, pen and ink and tempera on mahogany141 Scenes from the life of Jesus Christ: Temptations of Christ79 Schaeufelein, Christ in the Garden at Gethsemane, oil on pine wood 15 Scheffer, St. Augustine and his Mother St. Monica, oil on canvas149 Scheffer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, oil on mahogany panel Schematic representation of a paternoster, Helfmann

124 40

Index of Sidebars and Illustrations The Shepherd David, Elizabeth Jane Gardner, oil on canvas

74

Simply Bread, photograph

98

St. Augustine and his Mother St. Monica, Ary Scheffer, oil on canvas

149

Supper at Emmaus, Jacopo da Pontormo, oil on canvas

101

Temptation of Christ, Botticelli, fresco detail 136 Temptations of Christ

79

Tertullian portrait, André Thevet, engraving

43

Thevet, Tertullian portrait, engraving43 The Throne of Mercy, Colijn de Coter, oil on wood

50

Tiepolo, The Lord’s Prayer, photograph17 Vie de Jésus Mafa — Jesus and the penitent Sinner123 von Carolsfeld, Der Sabbath59 Zanetti, La Ultima Cena100

171

index of topics

A Aaronic blessing 7 Abba 13, 34, 43–44, 50, 53 amulet(s) (see also magic) 26, 32, 133–35, 144, 149, 156, 159, 160

B bread vi, ix, 20, 22, 24–25, 45, 48–49, 52, 65, 86, 91–111, 113, 128, 148, 160–61

D David 1, 10–13, 17, 21–22, 26, 33, 39–41, 43, 45, 47, 61, 67, 73–74, 78–80, 109, 118, 125, 142 debt(s) vii, 20, 22, 34, 49, 65, 113, 116–20, 121–22, 129–30, 148, 153, 156, 159

E earth ix, 1, 12, 18, 20, 22, 34, 39, 46–47, 49, 52, 59, 61, 65, 71–73, 75–79, 81–83, 85–89, 97, 103– 105, 111, 144–46, 148, 159 Eighteen Benedictions 11–12, 33, 157 epiousios 16, 95–97, 118, 136 evil (see also Satan) ix, 9, 20, 22, 29, 45, 49, 65, 73, 75, 77, 80, 85, 115–16, 125, 133–39, 141–49, 151, 161

F father vi, ix, xiii, 3, 7, 9–10, 12–18, 20–22, 24–26, 28–30, 34–35, 37–53, 58, 60, 62–63,

K

65–66, 68, 82–83, 91, 94–95, 97–98, 109–110, 115–16, 119–21, 123–24, 127–28, 138, 144–47, 150, 161

Kaddish 11–12

forgive (see also mercy) ix, 12–13, 15, 18, 20–22, 24–25, 45, 48–49, 52, 65, 68, 113–31, 148, 153, 157, 160

kingdom of heaven 21–22, 47, 75–76, 78, 80–82, 88

forgiveness 16, 21–22, 25, 35, 45, 91, 113–30, 136, 153, 156, 159–60

G Gethsemane, Garden of 14–15, 43, 82, 143 Gethsemane prayers 43

kingdom of God 21, 58, 71–72, 74–84, 87–88, 96, 100, 154, 156

L love xvii, 2–3, 5–8, 11, 18, 26, 30, 32, 39, 42–43, 46–47, 51, 67, 83–87, 98, 100, 105, 107–109, 114–16, 121–26, 130, 135, 157–58

M

good news 66, 74–75, 116, 128

magic 4, 133

gospel/Gospel vi–vii, 1, 9–10, 12, 14–15, 17–19, 21–25, 28, 30–31, 33–35, 38–40, 43–44, 47–48, 50–53, 57–59, 63, 65, 68, 75–76, 78–80, 82, 87–88, 96, 99, 109–11, 117–18, 122–24, 127, 129–30, 134, 138, 144, 149–50, 153–54, 156–60

magical 26, 98, 102, 133–34 manna 92–93, 99, 102, 138 mercy 9–11, 21, 23, 43, 49–50, 62, 83, 86–87, 113–16, 118, 127–29, 131, 146–47, 154, 159

P priestly blessing 5, 7–9, 56

H hallowed 20, 22, 24–25, 45, 49, 55, 61–65, 67–68, 99, 106 heaven ix, 12, 14, 18, 20–22, 24, 26, 34, 37–49, 51–53, 58–59, 62–63, 65, 71, 73, 75–83, 85, 87–89, 92–93, 97–99, 108–109, 115, 124, 134, 138, 145, 147–48, 155–56, 159 holiness 28, 55–67

Psalms/psalms xi, 8–12, 29, 33, 40, 44, 87, 129, 155, 158, 160–61 Psalter 5, 10, 114

R reception of the LP, 27

S sanctification 55, 58, 60, 62–63 Satan 9, 52, 78, 82, 87, 93–94,

174

Index of Topics

138–41, 143–45, 147–48, 150–51, 156 Sermon on the Mount 1, 17–19, 21–22, 24, 28, 31, 34–35, 38, 41, 44, 46–47, 62, 77, 97, 115, 150, 153, 160 Shema 5–8, 12, 30–32, 37, 87, 157 shepherd 43, 73–75, 77, 87, 158

T temptation ix, 20, 22, 24–25, 34, 45, 49, 78–79, 82, 93–94, 133, 135–39, 141–45, 147–51, 156 testing 137–44, 150