The Lord's Prayer: Some Observations

The Lord’s prayer stands as the most important prayer in the West. In Matthew Jesus states that we should not pray “as the Gentile, because they think that in their many words they will be heard.” In Luke, Jesus seems to encourage us to pray with an annoying persistence. The change in context does not change the meaning, but gives depth and texture to how we ought to present our requests to God.

Matthew

Matthew situates the prayer in a part of the Sermon of the Mount. Here Jesus focuses on our righteousness as we relate to God. First, Jesus states that when give, pray, fast, that we should do it in private. This theme runs throughout this section (Matt 6:1-18). Second, Jesus sums up the heart of the sermon by stating that we should store up our treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19-21) and give our concerns to God, who knows what we need anyway (Matt 6:25-34).

Here Jesus reiterates the fact that all good gifts come from God, we don’t have to manipulate him into providing for us. We need to exercise our faith and believe that he will provide for us when we need provision. We can live thankfully as we remember the times that he provided for us in the past.

Luke

Unlike Matthew, Luke omits the prayer from the Sermon (Luke 6:20-49). Luke places it later (Luke 11:2b-4). Here Jesus gives a parables that teaches us to ask for what we need with shameless persistence. The parable tells a story of a man, who is surprised by guests that stop by his house. He doesn't have anything to provide for these late night guests, so he goes to his neighbor. Jesus suggests that the neighbor will not want to provide food for his friend. After showing persistence, the neighbor finally gives the man bread (Luke 11:8). 

From a Western perspective, this seems to contradict what Matthew says--don’t pile up words to get God to do what we want. Yet in Luke, I imagine a man standing at the door knocking until the man gives him what he wants. The images are in conflict.

Luke describes the man as action without care of what others think of him, “ignoring convention.” In a first century Jewish context, it would have been offensive for the man not to offer his guests food after the journey. The only way that he can get the food he needs is to humble himself before his neighbor. He gets the bread by making himself a spectacle before his neighbor. The neighbor provides for him to save him from further embarrassment. 

We should approach God in the same way--realizing that everything we receive from him is based on sheer grace, not on anything within us.

Relating to God

On a surface level Matthew and Luke seem to draw two different pictures. Matthew says to avoid many words and believe in God. Luke says that we should demonstrate a shameless persistence in our prayer life. On a deeper level, these seem to be two sides of the same coin. Matthew focuses on how we should view God. He’s faithful; he will provide for us. Luke focuses on how we should present ourselves to God, as one who is contrite and dependent on God, realizing that there is nothing we can do to evoke his grace.