1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. 5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:1-13 KJV)
The Lord’s Prayer
Prayer is one of the great laws of natural religion. A person who never prays, never gives glory to his Maker, never desires His favor, or acknowledges his dependence on Him, acts like a brute or a monster. One major purpose of Christianity is to assist us in prayer, to enforce the duty, instruct us in it, and encourage us to expect benefit from it.
We find Christ himself praying in a certain place, probably where he used to pray (Luke 11:1). As God, he was prayed to; as man, he prayed. This evangelist notes Christ’s frequent prayers more than the others: he prayed at his baptism (Luke 3:21), withdrew to the wilderness to pray (Luke 5:16), prayed all night on a mountain (Luke 6:12), was alone praying (Luke 9:18), and was transfigured while praying (Luke 9:28–29). Here again, he was praying. Like a true son of David, he devoted himself to prayer (Psalm 109:4). Whether he was alone and the disciples simply knew he was praying, or whether they were praying with him, is uncertain. It’s most probable they were joining him.
His disciples asked him for instruction in prayer. When he had finished, one of them said, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). The gifts and graces of others should stir us to desire the same. Their zeal should provoke us to holy imitation. They came with this request after he finished, so as not to disturb him, even with a good intention. Everything is beautiful in its time. One of them spoke on behalf of the rest: “Lord, teach us.” Though Christ is ready to teach, he expects to be asked, and his disciples must come to him for instruction.
Their request was: “Lord, teach us to pray; give us a pattern to follow, and help us know what to say.” This is a good and very necessary prayer. It is difficult to pray well, and only Jesus can teach us how, by his word and Spirit. “Lord, teach me what prayer is; stir me up to it; guide me in what to pray for; give me grace to pray; teach me to pray with understanding and proper words.”
Their reason was: “As John also taught his disciples.” He made sure they knew how to pray, and we want to be taught too. Dr. Lightfoot suggests that while Jewish prayers were generally filled with praise and blessing, John taught more petitionary prayers (Luke 5:33). “Now, Lord, teach us these petitions, to add to the blessings we’ve known since childhood.” According to this idea, Christ here teaches a prayer entirely of requests, omitting the usual doxology and Amen (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:16), which were commonly part of thanksgiving. The disciple didn’t need to press John’s example; Christ was more ready and more able to teach than John.
Christ then gave them guidance, similar to what he gave in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9). They probably hadn’t forgotten it, but needed further instruction. He waited to give them more until the Spirit was poured out, when they would see all these requests captured in this short prayer and know how to expand upon them in their own words. In Matthew, he says, “Pray like this”; here, “When you pray, say.” This means the Lord’s Prayer may be used as both a form and a guide.
There are differences between Matthew’s and Luke’s versions, showing Christ didn’t mean to bind us to specific words. One difference is in the fourth petition. Matthew says, “Give us this day our daily bread”; Luke says, “Give us day by day our daily bread.” That is, give us what we need for each day, not bread for many days at once. Like the Israelites and the manna, we’re meant to depend on God daily and receive fresh mercies each day.
In the fifth petition, Matthew says, “Forgive us our debts”; Luke says, “Forgive us our sins.” This shows that our sins are our debts. We say, “We forgive our debtors”—not to earn forgiveness, but as evidence of the grace of forgiveness working in us. “Lord, forgive us, because you’ve taught us to forgive others.” Luke adds more: “We forgive everyone who is indebted to us”—without exception, and with real love instead of malice.
Luke omits the doxology and Amen, perhaps to leave room for a doxology more suited to Christian worship—one that gives glory to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Still, in substance, it is the same. Some general lessons follow:
- In prayer, we come to God as children to a Father—a Father to all mankind, but especially to Christ’s disciples. So we come humbly and confidently, trusting His power and goodness.
- In praying for ourselves, we should also pray for others. This prayer uses “our” to reflect a universal, Christian love and shared humanity.
- To build a heavenly mindset, we should always look toward heaven in our prayers, thinking of God as “our Father in heaven,” which prepares us for the life to come.
- In both prayer and life, we must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, honoring His name and submitting to His rule in providence and in grace. We ask that both may be more fully revealed and followed.
- The values of heaven should shape our lives on earth. “As in heaven, so on earth” applies to the first three petitions: that God’s name may be honored, His kingdom come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
- Those who seek God’s kingdom first may confidently ask for daily needs. If we truly want God’s name to be honored, His kingdom to come, and His will to be done, we can boldly ask for daily bread, trusting it will be blessed.
- We should limit our desires for worldly things. “Daily bread” means what’s necessary—what suits our human nature and sustains our earthly bodies (Psalm 104:14).
- Our sins are debts we constantly incur. We daily fall short and break the law by sins of omission and commission. Yet we are invited to come daily to the throne of grace to seek forgiveness. God’s mercy exceeds seventy times seven.
- We cannot expect God to forgive us if we do not truly forgive others. If we say this prayer, but our hearts are full of malice and revenge, we cannot expect peace.
- We should fear temptation as much as we fear sin’s punishment. We must ask not only for pardon but for power against sin. Temptation may seem attractive, but we must urgently pray to avoid being led into it.
- We must depend on God for deliverance from evil. This includes not only our own sin but also Satan’s attacks. Dr. Lightfoot interprets this as asking deliverance from “the evil one,” the devil. The disciples, who cast out demons, had reason to ask God to protect them from the enemy’s malice.
He stirs us up to pray with persistence, fervor, and consistency by teaching that persistence is effective even in human affairs (Luke 11:5-8). A man goes to a neighbor at midnight asking for bread for a guest. The neighbor resists—his door is locked, his children are asleep, and rising would disturb the household. But because the man persists, the neighbor gets up and gives him what he needs, just to stop the knocking. This story, like the parable in Luke 18:1, shows that we should always pray and not give up. While people give in to pressure reluctantly, God welcomes our persistence. He is pleased by it, especially when we seek spiritual blessings. If He delays answering, He will still answer in due time if we persevere.
God has also promised to give what we ask (Luke 11:9-10). “Ask, and it will be given to you”—either the exact thing or something better. Jesus says this directly. We must not only ask, but also seek—putting effort behind our prayers—and continue to knock, persistently. Everyone who asks receives, even the lowliest believer who asks in faith. “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him” (Psalm 34:6). When we pray for what Jesus taught—God’s name honored, His kingdom advanced, His will obeyed—we must be relentless. We must not rest until God makes His people a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:6-7).
He encourages us further by pointing to our relationship with God as our Father. Earthly fathers give good gifts to their children. If a son asks for bread, will his father give him a stone? If he asks for a fish, will he be given a serpent? If he asks for an egg, will he be given a scorpion? (Luke 11:11-12). Of course not.
Then how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? (Luke 11:13). In Matthew’s account, it says “good things”—here, specifically, the Spirit. This is what we should be praying for above all. The Spirit gives spiritual life and is the guarantee of eternal life. Every one of us should earnestly and continually ask for the Holy Spirit.
We are assured that God, who is all-powerful and has promised to give the Spirit, will do so. That promise is in the covenant (cf. Acts 1:26). Earthly fathers may deny harmful requests, but they give what’s nourishing. So God, who surpasses earthly parents in wisdom and love, will certainly give His Holy Spirit. If parents give with care, how much more will God give wisely and kindly to those whom He has called to inherit eternal life?