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

Rev. Fr. Anselm Jimoh

The second part of the Lord's Prayer is about our needs and necessities. “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Embedded here are three petitions; the first is a request for one of the basic necessities for the sustenance of life food. The request for food is a request for basic necessity and not a request for luxury. A Christian is called to live well and not to live luxuriously. This is where we need to question the modern day craze for economic and financial breakthrough by Christians that keep them jumping from pillar to post; from one revival today to another crusade tomorrow. It questions particularly the excessively flamboyant life style of some so called men of God, especially in the Pentecostal fold, and now creeping gradually but steadily into the Catholic priesthood. Christianity does not forbid living well and comfortably but, it frowns at materialistic, flamboyant and worldly living.
It is a biblical proven fact that God cares about the basic necessities of human life. This is abundantly shown in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. He cared about the bodily needs of the crowds that always gathered around him. Several times he fed them, cured their diseases and brought consolation to the afflicted. In Lk.4:18 he declared that he had come to bring relief to the needy and proclaim the Lord's year of favour.
This petition also teaches us to take one day at a time and to give God the provider of all living things His proper place. Modern science can talk about the improvement of seeds for better yield, but it cannot create seeds that will grow and yield a harvest. We can only work on what God has given us, and all living things, come from God alone. We however have to note something else here; we need to work on what we have for it to yield a harvest. So this petition teaches also that prayer and work go hand in hand. When we pray we have to work to make our prayer come to pass. Thus, this petition reminds us that without God we cannot do anything and without us God will not do anything. Finally this petition brings out a salient issue that has been hidden inside the Lord's Prayer from the very beginning; the use of the collective pronoun, “us.” At no point did the Lord's Prayer use the individual “I” or “me” it is always “our” and “us” to tell us that it is not a personal prayer asking for a personal thing. It includes everyone because there is enough for all. In this light, it discourages the disciple from selfishness and self-centredness.
“And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” This is no doubt the most frightening petition in the Lord's Prayer and the most demanding of the six petitions. It literarily means forgive us to what degree we forgive others. If we translate this negatively, it would mean, “Do not forgive us if we do not forgive others.” This line of thought runs through the entire New Testament. In Matt.5:7 Jesus specifically states that it is the merciful that is entitled to mercy, and in Matt. 18:23-35, he tells the story of the servant who has been forgiven much by his master but could not even forgive his fellow servant over something so little. His end of course was that he forfeited the forgiveness he had earlier been granted. James 2:13 concludes this trend when he writes; “Judgment is without mercy to one who has not shown mercy.” Our forgiveness of one another is an imperative for receiving forgiveness from God.
“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from all evil.” In this final petition is the subtle suggestion that God can actually tempt us; for to say “lead us not into temptation” is to say “you can tempt us but please do not tempt us.” If we understand temptation as an attempt to persuade somebody to do what is wrong, it definitely will sound out of place that God will be involved in this. A look at Gen.22:l where some Bible translations stated that God tempted Abraham would leave many of us puzzled. Scripture scholars however hold that the word “tempt” is not used here as we generally understand it, but as a “test.” The Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible, which many scholars think is a more accurate translation than most other versions actually used the word “test.” Within the context of this understanding therefore, when we pray that God should not lead us into temptation, what are we praying for? We are simply asking that God should not subject us to severe test i.e. not to test us beyond our ability. And to add “but deliver us from evil” is to say that even if such severe test comes our way, help us to come through it safely.
It is worthwhile to note that no test is ever meant to break someone, but to make the person tested stronger and fitter. This applies both in the circular and religious world. Every test is to ascertain one's ability and prompt more efforts on the part of the one tested.
On the whole as we see, the Lord's Prayer has six petitions in it, each making its own demand on the disciple who prays the prayer. The first part of the prayer, with three petitions pertains to the glory of God, while the last three have to do with us and our needs. A closer look at the petitions shows an amazing unity of the entire life of man/woman with the Godhead. It reveals that the petitions contained in the second part of the prayer deal with our past, our present, and our future as well as invoke God the Father as creator, sustainer, and provider, the Son as Saviour and redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as comforter and guide. In asking for bread for this day. It brings the present into the presence of God, in asking for forgiveness, it brings the past into the presence of God and in asking for deliverance from temptation and evil, it entrusts the future in to the hands of God. As Barclay puts it, “In these three brief petitions, we are taught to lay the present, the past, and the future before the footstool of the grace of God.” (1975:199).
The Lord's Prayer brings the whole of our life before God and in a marvelous web of unity brings the whole of God to our lives. When we ask for bread, our thoughts go to God the Father, who creates and sustains life. When we ask for forgiveness, our thoughts go to God the Son, the Saviour and redeemer of the world and when we ask for help to handle temptations and avoid evil, our thoughts go to God the Holy Spirit; the comforter, who strengthens us, guides us and enlightens us. Thus Barclay summarizes the Lord's Prayer: "In the most amazing way... the Lord's Prayer takes the present, the past, and the future, the whole of man's life and presents them to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, to God in all his fullness. In the Lord's Prayer Jesus teaches us to bring the whole of life to the whole of God, and to bring the whole of God to the whole of life.” (ibid.:200). We see that the Lord's Prayer is indeed a disciple's prayer for only a disciple can commit his/her whole life; past, present and future to God. Only a disciple can give God the true and rightful place in his/her life, trusting and committing self to doing the will of God in all things and at all times. “The simplicity and brevity of this prayer suggest a very special, intimate relationship between the petitioner and God. For the person who can pray the Lord's Prayer, the kingdom has already come.” (McBrien, 994:453). We should therefore be careful when next we pray the “Our Father.”