THE LORD'S PRAYER; A DISCIPLE'S PRAYER (I)

By Rev. Fr. Anselm Jimoh

Every disciple is expected to be a great and impressive sample of is master. We are expected to be great disciples who are positioned to step where the Lord has stepped and follow the Lord with a lot more commitment and trust. It is on this note I propose to share with you a reflection on the popular “Our Father” or the Lord's Prayer. This is a prayer that Jesus himself taught his disciples as a pattern of prayer. It is a prayer so rich in content, meaning and symbolism. It contains the expectations of the Lord from his disciples and the characteristic features of a true disciple of Christ. As some authors maintained, it was one of the principal sources which Jesus Christ used to communicate his message. (McBrien, 1994:458).

In the gospel of St. Matthew, 6:5, Jesus counseled his disciples on prayer and in verse 9 told them; “this, then, is how you should pray…” he went ahead to give them what we today refer to as the Lord's prayer or the “Our Father”. In Luke 11:2, Christ told his disciples, “… when you pray, say this…” This was in response to the request of one of his disciples that he should teach them how to pray. There seems to be a general agreement among scripture scholars that the Lucan version is closer to the actual prayer Jesus taught his disciples. Anyway, the point I want to make here is that it is scripturally clear that the Lord's Prayer is a disciple's prayer; “a prayer which only one who is committed to Jesus Christ can take upon his lips with any meaning”. (Barclay, 1975:198).

This last claim is contrary to the thinking that the Lord's Prayer is a child's prayer or a family prayer except we see the family within the context of 'the family of the Church'. The Lord's prayer or “Our Father” is specifically and definitely a prayer that attains its full meaning and import in the lips of a disciple, because only a true disciple can really appreciate what it states. Until one enters into full discipleship with Christ, one cannot properly pray this prayer. This is however not what we see and hear every day. The Lord's Prayer, to say the least, is said, not even prayed by all, rushed over and communized. Its meaning and implication are lost. For this very reason, it is necessary and good that we remind ourselves the true meaning of this prayer so that when next we utter the words of this great and beautiful prayer, we enter into a deeper communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, bringing our entire being in its past, present and future to the Godhead.

The Lord's Prayer is easily divided into two parts. The first part, which contains three petitions, is dedicated to God, while the second part, which also contains three petitions, is about us in our relationship with God and one another. In all, the Lord's Prayer contains six petitions. Thus, it is a prayer that from the beginning priorizes the Christian character. It is primly, vertically directed to God and then secondarily, horizontally directed to us and our neighbours.

It begins with; “Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This first part gives to God His proper place in the life of every true disciple of Christ. It acknowledges God as taking number one position in the life of a true disciple before any other thing. “It is only when God is given His rightful place that all other things take their rightful place.” (Barclay, 1991:81).

The opening phrase of the prayer; “Our Father” summarizes the relationship between the one praying (the disciple) and the one prayed to (God). When Jesus himself prayed in Mk 14:36, he said; “Abba, all things are possible for you; take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.” In Rom.8:15 and Gal.4:6, Paul tells us we too can do the same, e.g. call God “Abba.” According to Paul, “And because you are sons, God has sent into your hearts the Spirit of His son which cries out 'Abba' that is Father.” (Gal.4:6). Thus, in this prayer, Christ recommends that we call God “Our Father.” “Abba” is the Jewish word for Father and it is quite common to hear the little Jewish boy or girl running around the house shouting “Abba” as he/she seeks the attention of the father. It would be ordinarily translated as “daddy” today in English language. There is a familiarity and closeness associated with the use of this term. So to call God “Our Father” is to begin a communication with one who is close to us, and not some remote, far away, and strange deity.

God is not just “Our Father”, He is “Our Father who art in Heaven.” It means besides being close and familiar with us, God is the holy and mighty one; full of majesty and power. For us, it is an expression of an implicit trust in a Father who has the power to do whatever He wants and the majesty or authority to do it. It is one thing to have the power to do something and another to have the majesty to do it. Majesty here includes the goodwill, the integrity and the authority to do it.

Immediately following the acknowledgement of the Fatherhood of God is the first petition that recognizes God in His uniqueness; “Hallowed be thy name.” The word “hallowed” is from the Greek verb “hagiazesthai” which is connected with the Greek adjective “hagios.” The adjective “hagios” is often translated as “holy” but it's real and basic meaning is “different” or “separate.” A person who is “hagios” is a person who is separate from other people on the basis of his/her difference from the others. Applied to God, it means, God's name should be treated differently from other names as it is separated from other names; it should be given a unique position. “Hallowed be thy name” means to treat the name of God different from other names, separate it from other names, and give it a unique place among other names.

It is important to note that the Hebrew understanding of 'name' goes beyond the noun that designates someone, e.g. John, Andrew, Peter, etc., it actually implies the nature, character, and personality of the one such noun designates, in so far as it is revealed to us. This explains why Hebrew families and indeed, African families would not just give a child a name without first making preliminary investigations as to what they expect the baby to grow into. We see this playing itself out in the naming of John the Baptist in Luke 1:59-66. It is also within this context that we understand the Psalmist in Ps.9:10 saying, “Those who know thy name put their trust in thee.” And again “Some boast of chariots and some of horses, but we boast of the name of the Lord our God.” (Ps.20:7).

If following this etymology, we put “hagiazesthai” as “different” with the Hebrew understanding of a name together, it means, when we pray, “Hallowed be thy name” what we say is “Enable us to give thee the unique place which thy nature and character deserve and demand.” (Barclay, 1975:206). Thus, “Hallowed be thy name” means to treat God as different from everyone else; to put Him in a unique place in our lives and reverence Him. To reverence means to obey, please and allow the one reverenced control our lives. It is an obvious truth that we cannot reverence someone we do not know to exist. So to reverence God would mean we already believe He exists and that we understand the nature of His character and personality enough to command our respect for Him. What is this nature of God that we understand? That He is just, holy, and loving.

To confirm the interpretation of the last petition, the second and third petitions say “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I put these petitions together, even though they are separate because they express the same fact and are variations of the same desire. To pray for the coming of God's kingdom is to pray to do the will of God. This is because in the kingdom of God, only His will is done, so if His kingdom is to be established here on earth, it would mean His will is to be done on earth.

The entire New Testament is about the coming of the kingdom of God. The gospel of Mk 1:14 records that the first appearance of Christ as a public preacher was all about preaching the good news of God's kingdom. In Lk.4:43 and Mk 1:38, Jesus specifically declared that he has come to preach the good news of God's kingdom. “But he said, 'I have to go to other towns to announce the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do.” (Lk.4:43).

It will be interesting and very tempting to attempt an understanding of the kingdom of God here, but it will be way too elaborate for our purpose, so suffice to just note that “the kingdom of God is a society upon earth where God's will is as perfectly done as it is heaven.” (Barclay, 1975:211). To be a member of God's kingdom is to obey the rules and abide by the regulations of His kingdom. A Christian who truly desires and makes honest efforts to follow the Lord is a disciple who never again does what he/she likes. He/she would rather do what God likes. A perfect example of this is given in the life of Paul. When he encountered Jesus Christ, his first question was, “What shall I do Lord?” (Acts 22:10).

A true disciple is one who seeks the will of God in all things and all situations and circumstances of life. Unfortunately, however, what we observe today are Christians who seek that God should change His will and do their will. More often than not, we pray that, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be changed on earth as we want it.” Many so called Christians of today are not disposed to do the will of God. A lot of the prayers we hear in these days are phrased to blackmail God; holding Him to His promises, to do for us what we want. We want God to fulfill His promises in our lives but we are not ready to follow the path that makes us worthy or beneficiaries of such promises.