The Lord’s prayer
The book Matthew was originally written in Hebrew and was discovered in 1380 by a Jewish Rabbi in Spain named Shem Tov, who copied it as an appendix to his own book Even Bohan. Let us look at the original Hebrew rendering of the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to see how they would have identified with it, given their ancient Hebrew background of the time.
Our Father in heaven
Contrary to what many modern scholars think, regarding God as their Father would not have been alien to Jewish thinking 2000 years ago. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Malachi all refer to God as ‘our Father’, as do many ancient prayers written up in Jewish literature. Modern Jews, however, tend to see the words ‘Our Father’ in the context of the days leading up to Yom Kippur only, when it is recited in a Jewish prayer every day for 10 days. Some avoid using it altogether, associating it with Christian worship.
May your name be sanctified
This is not just a statement of fact, but a call to take action. His name must be sanctified in word and in deed – this means to make known His name to all mankind; to praise His name in our speech; and to perform deeds that glorify His name in the eyes of the world. All the Psalms back up these words of Jesus.
May your Kingdom be blessed
The Hebrew word for ‘bless’ is derived from the word which means ‘knee’. In ancient times one would bless a king by kneeling before him to praise him, as king Solomon did when he blessed God in the new temple he had built. This is why Isaiah wrote that every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. We are invited to bow our knees before our heavenly King, lifting our hands like Solomon to bless Him and His kingdom!
Your will shall be done in heaven and on the earth
God’s omnipresence was well-known among the ancient Israelites, in contrast to the multiple gods of the other surrounding nations, who had gods with specific functions and rulership over specific domains only (e.g. a god of war, or a god of water, etc.). It is a wonder and a mystery to us that our God hears each prayer of every individual, no matter what their status in life. We proclaim therefore that His will shall be done not only on earth in general, but also in the minute details of our personal lives. He cares for each person individually.
Give us our bread continually
Amos wrote about a time yet to come when there will be a famine, not for bread or water, but for the words of God. Jesus here assures us that, not only will He provide sustenance for our bodies, but also heavenly Bread, the Word of God, to nurture our souls.
Forgive us the debt of our sins as we forgive the debt of those who sin against us
This is the most difficult command Jesus gave – we have to forgive our fellow human beings in the same complete way that God forgives us. Jesus used the word for ‘forgive’ here that means to cancel a debt. God’s forgiveness erases our wrongdoing so that we no longer have to bear the guilt of it, nor pay the debt that was incurred by our actions. Peter had to double check here – and Jesus told him to forgive 70 x 7 times!
Do not bring us into the hands of a test
There is an ancient Rabbinical prayer with these same words contained in it, therefore well-known by the disciples. When Jesus said these words, He was speaking from experience, having endured such testing Himself. When we face a test, we should rejoice in the fact that our Lord has a comprehensive plan for our lives, even though we do not see it yet!
And protect us from all evil
The emphasis here is that our God is the only one Who can protect us from all evil – We tend to think only of Satan as evil, but there is also the evil that stems from the human heart; and the evil of natural consequences brought about by our wrong choices. Until Jesus came, the disciples and all men had to endure demonic meddling in their lives without knowing that they had power over these evil entities.
Amen
Jesus ended His prayer with this one word which means ‘Truth’ and ‘Belief’ and ‘Trust’. By shouting ‘Amen’ the ancient Israelites were confirming their belief in the truth of everything that had just been spoken. This ancient Hebrew word appears 129 times in the New Testament!
(The ending “For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever and ever” was added later, as it was used by the early church in this way since about 100 A.D. It does not in any way contradict the prayer preceding it, as it is completely compatible with the Word, and as such is wholly acceptable to be used with the original prayer).
Points to ponder: How do I apply the words and thoughts of this prayer in my life? Is it guiding me into a more moral and ethical lifestyle in the presence of my King and before my fellow human beings?
Priscilla Koegelenberg
Feel free to email me at questions.powerhouse@gmail.com