Thoughts on the so-called Lord's Prayer: Matthew 6

Jesus gives a sample prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). This is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer;” however, it is not really an accurate description. As English points out, “This is not the Lord’s Prayer; He never offered this prayer. He could not, for He had no sins to be forgiven.”[1] The true “Lord’s Prayer” is found in John 17:1-26, for it is a prayer Jesus prayed for His own. Here in Matthew is the Model or Disciples’ Prayer. Jesus gives it as a model of how to pray—neither too long and ostentatious, nor unnecessarily repetitious. One of the sad things is that some have turned it into a repetitious prayer, repeating it in every service. It was never meant to be. He says, “In this manner, therefore, pray.” The word translated “in this manner” is the Greek word houtos, meaning “like this,” not “pray this prayer.” It clearly denotes that this is a model or guide, rather than a set prayer to be repeated.[2] There are three reasons we should not make this a repetitious prayer:

• The language does not support it. He does not tell them to prayer this prayer.
• The context does not support it, for it is in the context against repetition as the Gentiles do (Matthew 6:7)
• It violates the principle of progressive revelation. Clearly Jesus Himself gave new and additional instruction about prayer in John 16:23, 24 indicating that prayer is to be asked in His name. There is no such request in this prayer.

The prayer is “neither personal nor liturgical,”[3] however it is dispensational in its nature. There are six requests in this prayer; all of them have a link with the promised earthly kingdom. Three are appeals for the Kingdom to come; the last three requests are to be given in the light of the coming Kingdom. While many scholars do not use the word dispensational, they do seem to uphold the eschatological (end-time) theme of the prayer. Davies and Allison (non-dispensationalists) observe, “…the eschatological interpretation gives the text a pleasing thematic unity.”[4]

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[1]  E. Schuyler English, STUDIES IN THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW,  (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1938), 53.

[2]  C.R. Stam asks two valid questions in this regard.  “Our Lord first uttered this prayer to His disciples, but have you ever read of their repeating it?  If He meant it to be repeated, should we not have at least one example in Scripture of their having done so?”, SERMON ON THE MOUNT, 87.

[3]  Guelich, SERMON ON THE MOUNT 284.

[4]  Davies and Allison, MATTHEW, 1:594.