Matthew 6:9-13: The Prayer of Jesus
Watch a short, animated video that explains the Lord’s Prayer in the Bible and understand the meaning of Matthew 6:9-13.
Script
The Lord’s Prayer at the Center [0:00-1:00]
Jon: The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most important collections of the teachings of Jesus. And it has three parts: an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion.
Tim: Now the main body is the central part of the sermon, and in it, Jesus calls his followers to live by a higher standard of right relationships with God and with other people.1
Jon: And the main body itself has three parts, looking at this righteousness from three perspectives.
Tim: Now, this central part here is about how righteousness should be expressed in the religious practices of Jesus’ day.2
Jon: And this section also has three parts. In the middle, Jesus addresses three religious practices.
Tim: And the central practice that he highlights is prayer.
Jon: Ah, this is where Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord’s Prayer!
Tim: You got it! So the Lord’s Prayer is at the center of the center of the center of the entire Sermon on the Mount. And it’s here because Jesus wants this prayer to have a central place in the lives of his followers.
Our Father [1:00-1:45]
Tim: The prayer begins, “Our Father, who is in the skies.”3 Notice the prayer does not begin with “my Father.” Jesus wants us to remember that we belong to a worldwide family, appealing to God together as “our Father.”
Jon: “Father” is a really intimate way to address God.
Tim: Yes. This was Jesus’ favorite term for God, which portrays God as the source of life and provider for his children. And notice that Jesus balances that intimate term with a more cosmic description, “in the skies.”
Jon: So did Jesus think God is in the sky?
Tim: It’s a metaphor. Just as the skies are high above us, so God is above and beyond every category in our imagination, yet he’s also close like a good father.
Your Name [1:45-2:32]
Tim: Now that we’ve addressed God, the prayer continues in three requests. The first is:
Jon: “May your name be recognized as holy.”4 So what’s the significance of God’s name being holy?
Tim: Well, in the Bible, “holiness” is the unique, one-of-a-kind status God has as the creator of all things. And in the story of the Bible, God attaches his holy name and reputation to the people of ancient Israel by partnering with them to bring blessing to the nations.5
Jon: But Israel breaks that partnership, and that led them to be conquered by other nations.
Tim: Exactly. And God’s holy reputation was discredited among the nations. But Israel’s prophets said that one day, God would act to restore the holiness of his reputation.6 Jesus is inviting his followers to pray for that to happen.
Jon: But how?
Tim: Well, that’s what the prayer turns to next.
Your Kingdom and Will [2:32-3:11]
Jon: “May your kingdom come, and may your will be done, as it is in the skies so also on the land.”7
Tim: God’s heavenly kingdom is a holy realm where God’s will is always done.
Jon: So Jesus wants us to ask for that realm to come down here, so his heavenly will is done on the land.
Tim: Right, and that word “will” could also be translated as “desire.” This prayer is meant to align our desires with God’s desire to bring Heaven to Earth. And notice the repetition: your name, your kingdom, your will. This first half of the Lord’s prayer has three requests that God act in our world to renew creation.
Give Us Our Daily Bread [3:11-3:52]
Tim: And the second half of the prayer shifts the focus to asking God for help, so we can be part of that renewal.
Jon: “Our daily provision of bread, give to us today.”8
Tim: Most humans are full of worry and fear about our survival, and so we hoard resources. But Jesus invites us to trust God to meet our needs one day at a time. This kind of prayer cultivates a habit of daily gratefulness to see every meal and every moment as a gift.
Jon: Why focus on bread?
Tim: Jesus is recalling the story of Israel wandering in the wilderness, when God sent bread from Heaven but just enough for one day at a time, so that Israel had to stay in a posture of gratefulness and trust.9
Forgive Our Debts [3:52-4:23]
Jon: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven those indebted to us.”10 So what are our debts?
Tim: Well, debt is a metaphor for when you wrong someone and then owe them to make it right. It’s a relational debt. And notice the symmetry here. The prayer asks God to forgive our debts just as we forgive those who owe us. Our ability to receive God’s forgiveness is bound up with our ability to give out forgiveness. Jesus is creating a culture where the forgiven become agents of forgiveness to others.11
Deliver Us From the Evil One [4:23-5:07]
Jon: “And don’t lead us into the test, but deliver us from the evil one.”12 Now, I learned this prayer as “don’t lead us into temptation.”
Tim: The Greek word is peirasmos, which means a test that is designed to reveal the truth. In the Bible, God’s tests have a positive purpose, to reveal someone’s character and invite them into a relationship of trust.13
Jon: Okay, then why ask God to spare us from tests?
Tim: Jesus is being really honest here. Tests can be difficult or painful. And often there’s a little voice nudging me to take the easy way out because the right choice is just too costly. Jesus says that’s the voice of the evil one.14
Jon: So when tests come and we hear that voice, we should ask for deliverance.
The Prayer Shapes Us [5:07-5:43]
Tim: Exactly. Now, notice this second half of the prayer has four requests that focus on our needs: “give us bread,” “forgive our debts,” “don’t lead us,” and “deliver us.” Combine that with the three requests of the prayer’s first half …
Jon: And you get seven requests! That’s a common number for completeness in the Bible.
Tim: Yes! The prayer of Jesus shapes us into people who long for God’s heavenly Kingdom and desire to come about here on the land. And we can participate as we learn to trust God, forgive others, and remain faithful to God’s promise to bring Heaven down to Earth.
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