Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary
Today’s Gospel text (Luke 11:1-13) includes Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer. It is quite brief; when Jesus’ disciples request that he teach them to pray, he offers just four concise petitions. Phrasing found in Matthew’s version is missing here (“Our;” “who art in heaven,” “Thy will be done on earth,” and “Deliver us from evil”). Matthew’s “debts” becomes “sins” in Luke. Some of these differences may have to do with the different audiences for which Matthew and Luke were writing. Matthew’s Jewish audience would be familiar with prescribed daily prayers; Luke’s Hellenist audience, less so.
In Luke, Jesus follows the prayer with a parable first, and then an analogy. Due to an unfortunate translation choice, the parable has often been treated as one of direct comparison, when in fact it is a parable of contrast. The Greek word often translated “persistence” is more accurately rendered as “boldness” or “confidence,” meaning that one requesting bread assumes the good character of his sleeping neighbor will cause him to act honorably and, despite the lateness of the hour, will see that customary, obligatory hospitality is extended to his neighbor’s late-night visitor. God’s readiness to meet our needs is presented as quite unlike the reluctance of a man roused from bed to give his neighbor bread. A strong, positive analogy follows: God, like a loving parent, gives what we need.
In both versions of the prayer (Mt and Lk), Jesus teaches his followers to address God as he himself does—as a father, using an intimate, household word, “Abba” (see John 17:1 and following). It is not actually the case that “abba” is strictly a small child’s way of addressing a father; nonetheless, both Jews and Gentiles would be startled by addressing the deity so intimately. Abba does not open any OT prayer, whether in the psalms or elsewhere, although Ps 103:13 affirms, “as a father has pity on his children, so the Lord takes pity…”). For Hellenist readers, too, Abba would be shockingly intimate. The gods of Greece and Rome were, on the whole, rather fickle and distant authoritarian figures.
The four concise phrases that Jesus teaches his followers suggest not only a structure for Christian prayer, but a theological vision to guide faith and sustain hope. “Hallowed be thy name” is a plea that God’s will and ways would be manifest in the world, so as to evoke fitting worship. Christian worship is our participation in that hallowing. “Thy kingdom come” is an eschatological affirmation: may the love and justice of God prevail, now and in the future. It is a plea, but also a pledge, for God’s will and ways show up in the world through the Church’s witness in word and action. “Give us each day our daily bread” confesses utter trust in God, as well as simplicity of life. “Forgive (or, release) our sins, for we shall be forgiving (or releasing) others” commits us to a way of life that does not harbor grudges, nurse self-pity, or seek revenge. Such “letting go” of others’ debt frees us, as well as those who offend, misrepresent, or hurt us; it keeps us fixed on the horizon of God’s reign to come, rather than the past. The final petition, “do not bring us into a time of trial” (or testing) is striking, since Jesus himself has been tested in the wilderness, and will be tested again, along with his disciples. Jesus’ closing promise in v 13 is thoroughly Lukan. Jesus does not promise the fulfillment of every wish; we are promised the Holy Spirit, the accompanying presence of God, whatever we face.
When Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to live. Life may test us, but strong in the Spirit, our hope is not defeated. We glimpse on the horizon that day when God’s reign of love and justice will prevail.
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 