Why Pray?

Introduction

Doing the right thing with the right motive is not an easy task. Sometimes we do the right thing with a bad attitude. Like the child who is told to clean a room only to do it well with a sullen and pouty attitude, we sometimes do the right thing without a joyful heart. Such actions are valid but the attitude behind the actions takes away from the genuineness of the work. Doing the right thing with a right heart is not easy or common.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks about the right actions and the right heart. Both are necessary. The key to our text is verse 1. The Pharisees continue to be the silent opponents in this section. Going back to 5:20, Jesus says the righteousness of those who belong to the kingdom must exceed that of the Pharisees. Again, Jesus’ point is not that kingdom people do more right things, but that their actions come from a deeper and fuller understanding of the law as God intended. What Jesus says is that kingdom people are concerned about doing God’s will and fulfilling the spirit of the law. This motivation far exceeds that of the Pharisees. Here in verse 1 of chapter 6, Jesus brings in the word righteousness.

What he is saying is that our actions must be done with the proper motive. Our righteous acts must not be done so that we call attention to ourselves. In chapter five, Jesus gave six examples of what proper righteousness looks like. Now in chapter six, he is going to give what the proper motive for righteousness is to be. And it begins with making sure that actions are not done for personal glory.

In 5:16, Jesus says that we are to do good things publicly. But the motive is different. Jesus says that things done publicly are to be done so that God is praised. In 6:1, the actions are done so that the person doing the act is praised. Be careful, Jesus says, that your good acts aren’t done for the wrong reason. Jesus says doing the right thing for the right reason is important. The motivation behind actions matters.

Jesus gives three examples of doing a good thing for the wrong reason. He illustrates how the Pharisees do their acts of righteousness so that others will notice them. Notice the similarity of the text in verses 2–4, 5–6, and 16–18. The wording is almost identical which further illustrates that Jesus is giving three examples rather than dealing with three different subjects. Three illustrations in which Jesus shows how the proper motives are important. Let’s begin with our hearts set on worship.

Prayer

We are isolating the second example that Jesus gives for the importance of motives and actions going together. The first example was giving and the third example is fasting. But let’s focus on prayer. All Jews were required to pray at certain times. Those who lived in Jerusalem would go to the temple to pray. Those outside of Jerusalem would go to the synagogue. It was also permissible to pray at whatever place at the time of prayer if the synagogue or temple was not convenient. The important thing was to pray. The Pharisees took advantage of these commands to be sure that they were on a busy street at the time of prayer. “Street” in verse 5 are the wide lanes traversing a town where most people would walk. So the Pharisees would try to be in a conspicuous place at the time of prayer so that many would see their intensity and desire to pray. Then those who saw would think “he sure is spiritual.” Prayer is about honoring God. When we honor ourselves, then we have indeed received our reward.

The second instruction is found in verse 7. In this verse Jesus says when we pray we are not to babble like the pagans. This verse has been used primarily to endorse the need for short prayers in the public assembly. If our prayers are too long then we will be looking for human approval. Also these vain repetitions include repeating things so that they no longer have any meaning. Neither of these captures the meaning of the words properly.

The key is the phrase “like the pagans.” We need to understand what the pagans did. The pagans believed that in order to get the gods to listen you had to heap up words and phrases to get their attention. The more adjectives one used, the more accolades given, the more likely the gods would listen. In other words, prayer became a magical formula. It was necessary to say just the right words in the right order with the right emphasis to get the gods to listen.

Jesus says don’t use prayer as some magical formula. Don’t regard prayer as some superstitious approach to the heart of God. Prayer is not a magical incantation that if the right words are said then God must answer. Our formulas usually come at the end when we pray in the name of Jesus. That is supposed to make sure that the prayer is heard. Do we really believe that phrase is what makes God open his throne room to us? If we do then it is a magical incantation.

I am not saying do not pray in the name of Jesus. Certainly the intent of scripture is that we realize the mediation of Jesus in our lives. I am endorsing that we become conscious of the phrasing we use so that we approach God not as some pagan god but as the Sovereign, Creator, Holy God of the universe. After all, God already knows what we need. We don’t need magic.

Jesus then gives instructions about how to pray. What Jesus is trying to do in this prayer is reveal two things: the simplicity and the centrality of prayer. This is a short prayer but in its simplicity it expresses the centrality of God in answering and fulfilling the requests and petitions.

The first part of the prayer has three petitions. It begins with a paradox. Calling God “Father” reveals our closeness to him in relationship. But the phrase “in heaven” also reveals the otherness of God. He is near yet far. He is close yet wholly other. The first petition is that God’s name be hallowed. That is, Jesus says that kingdom people want God’s name to be honored and praised. This fits with his overall theme to do acts of righteousness which honors God (5:16). We want God’s name to be acknowledged as holy and divine. In reality, this is a petition for God to be the only God.

The second petition is for God’s kingdom to come. Kingdom means the reign of God. It is the area which God has rule of. The church would certainly be a part of the kingdom, but God’s kingdom would extend beyond the church. The prayer calls for God’s rule to come into the world. It calls for his reign to be seen.

The third petition is for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Wherever God reigns, his will is done. When we ask for God’s kingdom to come, it makes sense to ask for his will to be done. This petition is not designed to make earth heaven, but that the will of God would spread throughout our world. Kingdom people want to see significant moral changes in the lives of people. These three petitions point to the centrality of God. As kingdom people our prayers should identify God as Sovereign and central.

The Last Part of the Prayer

The last part of the prayer also contains three petitions. These three ask for God’s intervention for us. But the centrality of God has not moved. These requests are for God to act for us. They are not self-centered, but reveal the importance of God acting or else we will not succeed.

The first petition is for God to give us daily bread. Notice the words “us” and “our.” This request is not for me personally. It is for all to be fed. The prayer then is not about me but asking for God to provide for all for today. The focus is in asking God to intervene for all in providing them with what they need today.

The second petition is to ask God to forgive our debts. This is a prayer asking God to forgive our sin just as we have already forgiven those who sinned against us. The idea is that we forgive before we ask God to forgive us. Such an order may seem strange, but we forgive because we know that our God is gracious.

The third petition is often misunderstood. Translations leave us with the idea that God can actually lead us into temptation and that is not what Jesus is saying. It is a petition asking God to watch our paths. To help us not to walk down the paths of sin. Instead to direct us away from evil. Again the petition centers on God’s intervention. We are not able to see very far down the paths we choose. So we ask God to guide us down paths which move us away from sin.

These six petitions demonstrate the simplicity of prayer and the centrality of God in prayer.

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