Bible for Catholic Nerds – The Prayer of Jesus

 

The Prayer of Jesus

“He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’”

Prayer is one of the most beloved themes for the evangelist Luke; he insists a lot on this aspect; he presents Jesus as the prayer teacher and the disciples as those who have the desire to learn how to pray. They want to learn from Jesus.

A characteristic of Luke is to emphasize how Jesus himself was a man of prayer. Many times, while preserving the history of the tradition, Luke adds, as a detail, a note on prayer.

For example, the descriptive picture of Jesus’ baptism says nothing about the rite itself but notes that while Jesus received baptism, he was in prayer. The heavens opened. Thus, before the calling of the disciples, Luke says that Jesus withdrew to the mountain for a whole night of prayer and in the morning chose the twelve apostles. Then he went down into the valley to speak to the people. In the episode of the transfiguration, only Luke notes that Jesus went up the mountain to pray, and while he was praying, his face changed in appearance. That important moment in the life of Jesus, the center of his earthly mission, that is when he began to tell his disciples that he was going to Jerusalem where they would kill him. Jesus reveals to his disciples the face of his own glory. He is transfigured on the mountain to show the disciples his divine nature and to encourage them to follow him on the path of pain.

But the note that interests us at this moment is that the face of Jesus changed in appearance while he was praying. In this sense, Jesus is a teacher of prayer, not so much because he teaches formulas or gives practical advice on prayer. He shows in his own existence the praying style.

The characteristic element is that the prayer of Jesus changes his face. Jesus is transfigured when he enters deeply into prayer. Meeting the Father, he becomes another person, he changes, and this is precisely the meaning of prayer. I don’t pray to change God; I pray to change myself. The evangelist emphasizes how Jesus lives intensely long moments of prayer precisely at the decisive moments of his existence.

So, in this case, in chapter 11, Luke places the teaching of the “Our Father” during a moment of prayer. Jesus “was praying in a certain place.” The disciples look at him and notice that something is happening in him. They are amazed and they leave him alone. When he has finished, they give voice to a desire that has arisen within them as they look at him. “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” And Jesus responds, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.”

Luke’s formula for the Our Father is slightly different from Matthew’s, which the Church has always taught us as the Lord’s Prayer. Luke’s text is a bit shorter, but it is the same prayer. As we have already had the opportunity to observe, Luke, very conservative of the primitive traditions of the Christian community, respects these archaic formulas, while Matthew and his environment are much freer to retouch, add, complete.

Luke simply retains the ‘Father’ form which probably corresponds to the Aramaic “Abba.” Jesus addresses God with this confidential term, typical of a child. In Matthew’s version, “Our Father who art in heaven” has been solemnized, emphasizing the celestial and divine dimension of this Father.

The other two formulas are identical: “Hallowed by your name,” that is, show the holiness of your person, reveal your divine power and at the same time, let us make thee beautiful. “Your kingdom come”, that is, let your plan dominate reality, according to your criterion, Father. Matthew added “your will be done” which is an explanation of the name and the kingdom.

“Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins.” Perhaps, Luke changed the image of debt to make the concept of sin clearer. “Do not subject us to the final test.” Do not abandon us to temptation. In English, we still use “Lead us not,” instead of ‘don’t let us fall.’ That is the meaning, even if it says “Lead us not”; it is not a wrong translation because it corresponds well to the text used by both Matthew and Luke, but it was probably an old version, very close to the event of Jesus himself, but made by someone who did not master the Greek language well and used the Semitic formula With a Greek mold that is a little imperfect.

In fact, many people are bothered by that expression: “Lead us not into temptation” as if it were God who makes us fall into temptation. Absolutely not. It means: “Don’t let us go to the moment of temptation”; don’t abandon us. It is the prayer of the son who asks the father to ‘help me so that I don’t make a bad impression on you. Be the one in charge, feed me today, forgive my sins, don’t let me drive away from you, hold my hand in the moment of danger.’

It is important to note, however, that the teaching of Jesus is in the plural, not give ‘me’, but give ‘us’. Unfortunately, we have learned little of this style, and when we improvise prayers according to our criteria, we always use the singular form. ‘I would like to pray for…’ or I ask the Lord directly, ‘Give me help…’; whereas the style of Jesus is communitarian. ‘Our Father’, ‘give us our bread’, ‘forgive us our debts’… Not: ‘forgive me.’ Jesus teaches us to ask him to ‘forgive us.’ Jesus’ style of prayer transforms him and communicates to the disciples a force for change.

Immediately after this episode, Luke puts into Jesus’ mouth a parable about prayer, that of the importunate friend who, in the middle of the night, since an unexpected friend has arrived at his house and he has nothing to feed him, he knocks on the friend’s door asking for some bread.

The strength of the parable lies in the reference to friendship. A friend asks the friend and do you suppose the friend says “no”? In the parables, Jesus challenges the audience. “Who among you, if a friend disturbs you in the middle of the night says, ‘Do not disturb me.’?” if he is a friend, he does not answer like that. a friend, even if he is awakened in the middle of the night, does this and more for a friend.

Jesus intends to say that prayer must be conceived as a relationship of friendship. The filial dimension of the person who addresses God, calling him “Father”, is integrated by the dimension of friendship and affection. The friend does not go looking for the friend only when he needs the friend. He entertains himself with his friend for the pleasure of friendship, for the desire to be together. And then there may come an occasion when he is in extraordinary need and he allows himself to disturb him.

If you think about it, the time you find yourself in a difficult situation, at a strange hour, think about who you can disturb, not just anyone you could call, but whoever you feel like disturbing, the one you consider to be a true friend. Jesus means to say that God is this true friend, but you have to cultivate that friendship. He does not listen to you because you are insistent, but because you are a friend. No, even better: He listens to you because He is your friend. The strength of prayer does not lie in your friendship with Him, but in the fact that He is your friend. Therefore, the basic characteristic of prayer is trust. It is the attitude of abandonment.

Later, the parable continues with catechetical teaching: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” It gives the impression to mean: Ask for what you want, and the Father will give it to you. It is not so. God is not our butler or the genie of the lamp that you let out when you want him and tell him what you want and who is ready to obey and execute it at your service.

his is not our fantasy; it is the teaching of Jesus. Ask for the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Jesus teaches how to ask for the Holy Spirit, that is, the very life of God, the light of God, his way of thinking, his way of loving, his life force. To ask for the Holy Spirit means having the same mentality as Jesus. “Ask and you will receive” ask for the Holy Spirit and you will receive it without fail. Call on the friend and the friend will come without fail. Seek the will of God and you will surely find the possibility of realizing it.

In prayer, I don’t change God, I change myself. I do not ask what interests me by trying to convince Him and to force Him in some way to do my will; rather, in prayer, according to the style of Jesus, I open myself to the action of the Spirit and ask the Lord: ‘What do you want from me? Give me the strength to do what you ask me to do.’

In chapter 18, the evangelist Luke collects two other parables about prayer. The first is that of the unjust judge and the poor widow who addresses the judge who has no conscience, asking for justice. He repeatedly formulates this sentence: “Render a just decision for me against my adversary.” That man has no interest or intention to do her justice, but due to her insistence he finally gives in. And Jesus asks: “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.” Let’s reflect on the widow’s request. This woman asks for justice: “Render a just decision for me against my adversary.” She does not ask for things; she desires justice to be served in her life.

This is a typical Pauline question. We know well how Saint Paul dealt with the subject of justification by faith. Man is made righteous not by the works he does, but by the grace of God; and man receives grace by opening himself to God with faith. Faith is the trusting abandonment in the Lord; it is the acceptance of his mercy. So ‘do me justice’ means make me fair. Try to adapt it to your situation. So make me righteous means “Render a just decision for me”, adapt it to my situation. It is the request of those who want to do good, fulfill the will of God. “Make me capable of doing what you ask me to do” – if you don’t make me capable, I just can’t, I can’t do it with my strength, I can’t.’

Many people comment on these advice from Jesus: “It is not easy … it is not easy.” And it is not easy if I am alone; if I am left with my human impotence … it is not easy; it is practically impossible, but I am not alone; I have been given the Spirit. God is a friend and He comes to meet me out of my weakness. So in prayer, just like the widow, we, too, with insistence ask: “Render a just decision for me.”

Now, however, insistence is presented as necessary for a dishonest judge, but God is not like that. There is no need to insist and tire him out. We do not need to convince him that we need him to do justice. He knows it, He wants it. We desire him to do justice, that is, to make us righteous, to make us capable of doing His will. If we want it and ask for it day and night, crying out to him, that is, if we desire it with all our strength, the Lord does not make us wait, but does justice promptly.

The parable ends with a tragic question: “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” And this is the delicate point because prayer is a matter of faith. Authentic prayer is a manifestation of faith understood as confident, solid abandonment. Faith is the foundation, the solidity of God. I have faith if I lean on Him, if I trust Him; if I trust Him, I entrust myself to his will. If this attitude is present, there is no need for insistence. we simply have to open ourselves to his transforming power, to the grace of the Holy Spirit and the work is done. “Ask and you will receive.” Immediately afterward Luke narrates the third parable about prayer; all three are exclusive to the third evangelist, this is an indication of his interest in the subject of prayer. More than a parable, we are faced with an exemplary story of two characters who offer two different prayers: the Pharisee and the tax collector.

The Pharisee is a religious and observant man, full of himself, who formulates a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving and praise, thanking the Lord for everything he has given him, and boasting of being honest, religious, practicing, different from others that are dishonest. And out of the corner of his eye he observes the tax collector who is a typical representative of the dishonest world. And this man at the back of the temple, humble, with his head bowed, hits his chest, always repeating the same formula: “Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus upsets the traditional judgment by stating that the sinner who recognizes himself as a sinner and asks for mercy returns home justified, unlike the other, the Pharisee, who thinks he is righteous, returns home just as he was.

The word ‘justified’ is typically Pauline; it is another demonstration of how Luke is a valid disciple of Saint Paul, of how Luke learned from the apostle a style of preaching and a theological criterion. The repentant sinner who regretfully acknowledges his sin returns home justified, made righteous, he has received justice, he has been changed by God, unlike the Pharisee who, believing himself righteous deludes himself, does not ask for God’s mercy, and remains what he is.

Prayer does not change him; and if it does not change him, it is useless. God’s mercy is a therapy, a medicine that serves to make us better. Grace is given to us so that we can change our negative aspects and learn to live according to the style of Jesus, but if this grace does not get the results, that is, if we do not change, it is useless. God’s mercy that is given us in great abundance is useless if we do not receive it. If we accept it, we change; if we do not change it is a sign that we have not accepted it.

Therefore, according to the wise teaching of the evangelist Luke, prayer is a fundamental dimension of our Christian life, but not as a series of formulas to be said, but as an attitude of humility, openness, acceptance. I don’t pray to change God. When I pray, I change. Jesus is the master of prayer, when he prayed, his face changed its aspect. This can happen to us, too.