Matthew 6:9-13 - An Exegesis - Research Paper Example

Teacher Matthew 6:9-13 - An Exegesis Introduction Prayer is a central tenet of most world religions, and Christianity is no exception. From the early days of his ministry, Jesus himself espoused the virtues of prayer, often communing alone with the Father for days at a time. Prayer takes on many forms, both private and corporate, and in times of fasting or times of reflection. In his desire to help His disciples communicate more openly with the Father, and to educate future followers of the same, Jesus spent a great deal of time speaking on the topic of prayer. One such exhortation is in the form of the Lord’s Prayer, forming the foundation of Matthew 6:9-13. While this is likely the most commonly recited prayer throughout Christendom, it is feared that its true meaning, context, and relevance have been lost through the generations. Not being meant to be a simple prayer to be recited by rote, it is designed to teach followers about not only importance of prayer itself, but also of the need for developing a spirit of forgiveness and of oneness with God the Father. With this in mind, it is important to look at the context of the passage itself to receive commentary on ins importance, and to look at the theological implications that still apply to all Christians to this day. Literary Criticism Context The focus of this particular passage seems to be on the continued teaching that Jesus Christ himself was making in regard to prayer. As recently as verses 5 and 6 of the same chapter, the emphasis is on teaching his disciples that much of their prayer seemed to be self-centered, as opposed to God-centered, which is obviously the direction that He wanted to point his followers in. This can be seen in the reality that Jesus is exerting us in verses 9-13 to realize, first of all, the the Lord’s name is to be revered. Verse five reminds us, in fact, that His name is Hallowed. This is deference to verse five, which has followers referencing their own name as they pray. In addition, Jesus makes the shift in this passage towards a more corporate Father, with Him being addresses in verse 9 as ‘Our Father’, as opposed to the exhortation to ‘pray to your Father’ in verse 6 (O’Collins 360). In its simplistic form, the Lord’s Prayer is a move away from the ritualistic prayers of the Old Testament. While many today employ the Lord’s Prayer at Corporate gatherings, such as a Fellowship meeting, this does seem to detract somewhat from the context in which Matthew 6:9-13 was penned. The passage is designed to be more of an example for how we should pray, rather than what we should say. Again, rather than focusing on our needs, Jesus uses this particular teaching to ask us to take time to reflect on the needs of the Father. It is a move, again, away from self-centeredness, towards a truly God-centered mindset that can enable followers to tap into His desires and wants for our life and for the world in general. Form Criticism Earlier in Chapter 6, Jesus cautioned the disciples against praying as the pagans do. In fact, in verses seven and eight, he exhorts followers to ‘not be like them’, which is largely seem to avoid being haughty and self-righteous. This begins with a focus in this teaching for followers to now try as hard as they might to say words in a prayer simply for words sake. In fact, the Lord’s Prayer focuses on a seven part supplication, encompassing only 57 words in the Greek, and only 54 words in many English translations. Upon further examination, it appears that Jesus is teaching us that lengthy prayer are acceptable, in so much as they serve the purpose of making God the center of it all. Too many pagan prayers, however, were lengthy exposes in an effort to try to manipulate god into a certain action. As we know, God cannot be manipulated and, as such, lengthy prayers do little except to draw attention to the prayer, and limit the actual attention actually given to God. Recently commentary has alluded to the reality that our implementation of the Lord’s Prayer in modern day Christendom borders on falling back into the methods that the Pagans themselves employed. This is based on the reality that followers today all too often treat the Lord’s Prayer as a recitation, and pay little attention to what is actually being said (O’Collins 360). This is counter to what Jesus was actually attempting to teach in this passage, however, as He was issuing a call for His disciples to be more pointed and concise in their prayer. Each word that is directed to the Father should have meaning and should be spoken from the heart, with a spirit of worship and a passion for God the Father being evident. Merely saying the Lord’s Prayer in multiple forms, however, is paramount to simply speaking words without any meaning, just as Jesus taught that the pagans were guilty of. The form of the Lord’s Prayer, as directed in Matthew 6:9-13, is focused on the sue of God’s name. Again, this seems to be Jesus imploring his followers to stop speaking up words of prayer just for words sake. Even the mere mention of the Father should be measured, and should not necessarily be used excessively in prayer. The contention is that some were under the belief that the more time the name of the Father was exalted or spoken within a prayer, the higher the possibility that God would actually receive the supplication and issue a favorable response. This is yet another warning potentially being issued by Jesus to refrain from using the name of God to be heard. Jesus is teaching us that God is our Father and should be spoken to as such in our prayers. In a future passage (Matthew 26:39-44), Jesus actually questions his disciples who actually calls upon a father or a friend by continuously repeating him. The question is rhetorical and is meant to remind us to use the Lord’s Prayer as a model in this regard (O’Collins 360). Structure The Lord’s Prayer forms that basis for Matthew 6:9-13. The structure of the prayer begins with a sevenfold benediction that encompasses various components of the believer’s life. The first part of the prayer deals with the address, which is to invoke the attention of God the Father. This is a standard part of prayer that notifies God his followers are entering into a spirit of reflective meditation and with to commune with him alone. This continues with three successive petitions imploring the believer to acknowledge the name, kingdom, and will of the father. This is apparent effort to center the prayer on God and His will for his people from the beginning, rather than jumping right into supplication. In contrast, the next three petitions forming the beginning structure of the prayer revolves around certain innate human needs. These include, in order, forgiveness, not leading followers into temptation, and then deliverance from evil (Viviano 342). Redaction Criticism This passage itself, while being a model prayer offered to the Disciples, is much more than that. There is instruction in this passage as to the being of the Father, as contained in the way that we are to address Him in prayer. At this point in the ministry of Jesus, Christ appears to now be inviting followers to address God the Father in much that same way as he has done while on earth. This can be found as well in a parallel passage found in Mark 14:36. As a result of this, Jesus is making it clear that all true believers can have just an intimate of a relationship with God as Jesus Himself enjoys. In this sense, God is to be addresses as ‘The Father’. It relates prayer as being a deeply personal time of reflection, which again is contrary to the prayers said by the pagans, which largely contained haughty words. God is also to be addressed as ‘Our Father’, which implies a sense of community as well. In fact, upon careful examination of verses 9-13, one will notice that Jesus does not employ the use of any singular pronouns (Viviano 343). It is all about the community of believers and their fellowship and relationship with God the Father. This is to be the case even praying in solitude, as the needs of the community of believers should come before the specific needs of the individual. Jesus appears to be reminding us that we should selfish desires when we pray, as parer should be seen as a time, and indeed our responsibility, to intercede on behalf of all of followers. As such, we should use the same terminology in our prayers, as modeled by Jesus Himself, when beseeching God the Father (Viviano 344). In essence, Jesus uses this teaching to move believers away from pagan teaching and towards a deeper understanding that there there is no place for individualism within the Kingdom of God. Also, we, as believers, should isolate ourselves in pursuit of selfish desires, but rather we should constantly remain aware that we are all a part of one community. Jesus also uses this passage to remind His disciples that their Father is in heaven. While this may seem logical, its theological significance is quite deep. Jesus appeared to use this teaching to challenge the view of God that the disciples currently had. Commentators have likened to a sense of divine majesty being correlated with divine fatherhood at the same time. While Jesus firmly states that every believer can have an intimate and personal relationship with God the Father, one must also be mindful that the Father is divine and is master overall of the heaven and the earth. This parallels with Matthew 11:25, where describe describes his own ascription. Jesus is using this teach gin to caution the disciples from gaining the wrong idea about their relationship with the Father, particularly in terms of their familiarity and level of comfort with God himself. This is a relationship that should not be approached with frivolity and a lack of reverence (Viviano 347). Key Words We must begin by looking at the significance of the words ‘The Kingdom of God’. This comes from the Greek basileia, and is meant to imply God’s Rule’ (Viviano 349). Beginning mack in Matthew Chapter 4, Jesus describes the reality that anything that is God’s by right, becomes His in reality as well. In essence, everything on earth is subjects to God’s rule and becomes His kingdom. ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ are also key words in the passage and signify the teaching of Jesus in terms of how the disciples were to pray and intercede for the first advent to be consummated in the person and lordship of Jesus Christ himself. In addition, Jesus issues the proclamation that we are to pray ‘They will be done’ as a means of establishing the reality that God’s Rule is eschatological. In so doing, we acknowledge that we want his will be done on earth, exactly as it is in heaven, free from our own interference. Finally, the words ‘hallowed by thy name’ is a final acknowledge that God is truly the ruler over all. This is a universal proclamation and establishes Gods authority as an omnipotent creator and designer, and reverts back to Old Testament teachings that remind us that there are no other gods but God. In remarking about this particular phrasing and tenses used by Jesus, Birger Gerhardsson remarked that, “This tense is chosen to denote God’s resolute intervention at the end of history, and is his final, eschatological act of redemption” (Byargeon 353) Theological Analysis Relationship with God The Lord’s Prayer is almost entirely a teaching about how Jesus wants us to view our personal relationship with the Father. He is an intimate being that desires us to commune with Him often. He also wants us to arrive at the conclusion that God alone is our sustainer and provider. This can be seen in verse 11, which states simply ‘Give us today our daily bread’ (v. 11, NIV). To understand the significance of this passage from a theological perspective, perhaps the best place to begin is by going back to the Greek. This is a petition to God, espousing the use of the word epiousios (Viviano 349). This particular word only appears two times in the entire New Testament, with the other being in Luke’s narrative of this same teaching in Luke 11:3. Many commentators believe the significance is that Jesus is already looking toward tomorrow, or His second coming, in asking his follower to be mindful of the need for prayer, particularly in terms of look forward to the end. As such, He encourages believers to take the Bread of Life now so that we can appreciate and understand the magnificence of the Kingdom to come (Viviano 349). Question Answered in Original Community It is important to remember that the Lord’s Prayer is a teaching given by Jesus that was designed to meet the people where they were at the particular time in Christendom. With Jesus still physically among them, it possible to teach the disciples about the ways in which God the Father would like to commune with his followers. It is a personal relationship that He desires, where believers are seen and heard acknowledging the sovereignty of God, His omnipotence, and the reality that He is the supreme ruler over all. Jesus makes this apparent to us, however, in that, while we should be in awe of all the God the Father is, we should also be mindful of the fact that he still cares about us and our needs. This is contrast to the prayers of the pagans, who spent most of their time praying using big words and focusing on self interests. Jesus is telling us that God can not and will not be forced into action, so no amount of haughty words is going to thrust Him into doing so. In his desire to help His disciples communicate more openly with the Father, and to educate future followers of the same, Jesus spent a great deal of time speaking on the topic of prayer. One such exhortation is in the form of the Lord’s Prayer, forming the foundation of Matthew 6:9-13. While this is likely the most commonly recited prayer throughout Christendom, it is feared that its true meaning, context, and relevance have been lost through the generations. Not being meant to be a simple prayer to be recited by rote, it is designed to teach followers about not only importance of prayer itself, but also of the need for developing a spirit of forgiveness and of oneness with God the Father. Matthew 6:9-13 does focus on this historicity of prayer. Jesus does take the disciples through various ways that individuals have prayed in the past, and then He draws them into a new type of prayer that is designed to cover them while he ascends back into heaven for a season. By covering various aspects of the divinity and supremacy of God the Father, and then moving into areas of personal supplication, believers to this day have a mechanism by which they can approach their creator from the true perspective of Him being their Father. It is a radical change in the way we pray and approach God. The only caution is not to get caught up in the ritualistic nature of the Lords Prayer, but rather to embrace the truly teaching that we are to pray in a God centered manner, as opposed to a self-centered way. Works Cited Byargeon, Rick. “Echoes of Wisdom in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Journal of the Evangelical Society, 41.3 (1998): 353. O’Collins, Gerald. “The Gospel of Matthew: The New International Greek Testament Commentary” Journal of the Melbourne College of Divinity, 20.3 (2007): 360. Viviano, B. “God in the Gospel According to Matthew”. Interpretation, 64.4 (2010): 341-354. Read More