Jesus and Jewish Prayer

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, there were various instances in which he stepped out of the public eye and entered into a private place of prayer. Jesus instructed his disciples not to pray “in the synagogues and at the street corners, [so] that they may be seen by others,” but rather “pray to [their] Father…in secret” (Matt 6:5-6)[1]. Some of the prayers Jesus prayed were of praise, blessing, and pleas for grace (Matt 11:25; 14:19; Jn 12:27). These multiple occurrences of prayer led his disciples to ask him how to pray. As a Jew trained in Torah, Jesus taught his disciples how to pray from a Jewish perspective. Jesus’ prayer, documented in Matthew 6:9-13, was later entitled “The Lord’s Prayer” in the Christian culture. According to Philip A. Harner, certain prayers, such as the Ahaba Rabba and the Kaddish, resembled the Lord’s Prayer in the sense that they reflected three common themes: “God’s name, kingdom, and will.”[2] Through an exegetical examination of Matthew 6:9-13, this study will identify and discuss these parallels.

THE NAME

Yahweh

In beginning his prayer, Jesus deliberately addresses God as “Father.” The names for God in the ancient Judaism were handled with great care because they described the holiness of God.[3] In fact, according to Michael Joseph Gilligan, “[A] name articulate[s] a certain depth about the individual.”[4] To the Jews, the name of the Lord held more weight than any other because of its divine origin. During the Egyptian enslavement of the Hebrews, God encountered Moses in the form of a burning bush and commissioned Moses to deliver his people. Knowing that the Hebrews would question the authority of the One who sent him, Moses asked for the name of the Lord. God responded with יהוה (Yahweh), which translates as “…I am who I am” (Exod 3:14). Although the name of the Lord was revealed to the Hebrews through Moses, it soon became customary to refrain from saying it. This is because the second commandment demanded that none should ever “…take the name of the Lord in vain” (Exod 20:7). Michael Marlowe writes that in order to maintain a “…proper and salutary instinct of reverence,” the Hebrews corporately agreed to avoid saying the holiest name of the Lord.[5] As a man who was raised in the Jewish culture, Jesus held the name of the Lord in high esteem. Although Christ did not utter the most sacred name of the Almighty, it is quite possible that he was referring to the name Yahweh when he prayed “…hallowed be your name.” As a result, Jesus’ reverence for the name of God established a sense of familiarity between him and the Jews.

Father

After close analysis of the most sacred name of the Lord, one can now examine the title Jesus gave God. In the first portion of the text, Jesus began the prayer with the phrase, “Our Father in heaven…” (Matt 6:9). Addressing God as “Father,” was not a common practice in the first century Jewish culture. In fact, Harner states that there were only two Jewish prayers within the first century in which rabbis acknowledged God asאבינו מלכנו , which translates as “Our Father, Our King.”[6] One of these prayers, entitled the Ahaba Rabba, reads as follows:

With great love hast thou loved us, O Lord, our God, with great and exceedingly great forbearance hast thou ruled over us. Our Father, our King, for the sake of our fathers who trusted in thee and whom thou taughtest the statutes of life, be gracious also to us and teach us. Our Father, merciful Father, have pity on us and inspire us to receive and understand, learn and teach, observe and do and keep and love all the the words of the teaching of thy law.

The overarching theme of this prayer was that God was the ruler and helper of the Jewish community. This prayer, however, did not focus on the Lord’s fatherhood over the individual person. It is not to say that the Jews denied their personal relationship with the Almighty, but, rather, according to Harner, they “…thought of God primarily as the God of the people.”[7] Thus, the recurring theme of God’s fatherhood in Jewish prayers of the Second Temple period reflected his eternal dominion over the community of the Jewish people.

Christ’s Perspective of the Father

While the Ahaba Rabba emphasized God’s fatherhood over the Jewish community, the Lord’s Prayer accentuated personal connection with the Father. When Jesus acknowledged God as “Father,” he used the word אבא, which is equal to the word “daddy.”[8] Referring to God in this fashion was strange to the first century Jews because the term אבא was typically used by children. Although this was a different way of acknowledging God, Christ’s use of this word was not a vain attempt to replace the traditional perspective of Yahweh. In fact, Harner writes that Jesus still “…spoke of [God] as ‘Father’ in the sense of a ruler.”[9] The distinctive element between the Jewish tradition and Christ’s petition was that Jesus understood “…the significance of God’s role as Father.”[10] As the Son of God, Jesus intimately knew the One who was the Father and King of the Jews. Jesus’ reference to God as Father and King was exemplified through the psalmist when he wrote “[Y]ou are my son; today I have begotten you” (Psalm 2:7). By fully knowing the Lord, Christ was able to teach his followers about the relationship that the Father desired to have with his people. Because Jesus intimately knew the Father, he began his prayer with the phrase אבא.

Some Jewish leaders during the Second Temple period argued that Christ’s acknowledgement of God as אבא was a blasphemous claim of divine sonship, and a lack of reverence for the Lord (Mark 14:60-64). This assumption is false because Jesus was a Hebrew who was required to learn the ways of Yahweh through his training of the Torah (Luke 2:46). As a result, Jesus highly respected the Almighty. Yet, this did not negate his deep affections for the Father. By understanding the Father’s role in his life, Christ was aware that God would forgive the transgressions of those who would ask.[11] Additionally, Charles M. Laymon states that Jesus understood that God was the “[R]uler…[and] [C]reator of the universe.”[12] Both of the themes of God as ruler and Creator correlate with the reverent view of God that was commonly held by the Jews of the Second temple period. Therefore, Christ revered the Father.

In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus invites his disciples to the idea of “kinship” (Matt 6:9b). The fact that Jesus, as the Christ, was the fullness of God in human form does not negate his Jewish heritage and shared culture that formed and shaped his values as a man. Although Jesus possessed a unique relationship with God as his son, it did not discount the distinct relationship between God and his people. In fact, Jesus’s sonship enabled the Jews to view their relationship with the Father from an intimate, childlike perspective, as opposed to a fearful servant’s perspective. Thus, Christ’s affectionate address to the Father served as an invitation to kinship.

The Role of a Father in the Jewish Culture

Throughout the Jewish culture, fathers played a crucial role in the lives of their children. Brad H. Young observes that fathers in the Jewish culture served as “…a loving and caring figure…” in the household.[13] Jesus taught his followers that the Father was a loving and caring figure through his teaching of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). After asking for a share of his father’s estate, the prodigal son sold the piece of property and spent his earnings on a reckless lifestyle. Shortly afterward, famine struck the nation, and with no money left over, the prodigal son had to take a job as a servant in order to make ends meet. Realizing the luxurious lifestyle he had left behind on his father’s property, the prodigal returned home, and confessed his sin before his father. Rather than condemning his son for his actions, the father embraced him and welcomed him home. Throughout this parable, there was a recurring theme of repentance. The motif of repentance was especially significant for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. According to Peter Ochs, prayer during these Jewish holidays was centered around the concept of “…returning [to the Lord].”[14] The idea of “returning” for the Jews in the Second temple period originated in the commandments of the Torah that intended to turn them away from sin and turn back to obey Yahweh’s commands (Neh 1:9). By incorporating this theme into their prayers, the Jews would take on the role of the prodigal son by returning to the Father with an attitude of repentance.[15] As a man who grew up as a Jew and was trained in the customs and culture of Second temple Judaism, Jesus grasped the fact that penitence was central to the Jewish faith. Not only that, but he also understood that the Father was a loving and caring figure who was ready to forgive those who would simply return to him. For this reason, Jesus taught his followers to ask the Father to forgive their sins by integrating contrition into his prayer (Matt 6:12).

“YOUR KINGDOM COME…”

The Kaddish

Jesus continues to teach his disciples that after one recognizes God as Father and King, one then asks for his “…kingdom [to] come…” (Matt 6:10). To a Jew in the Second Temple period, such a petition was fitting because of its parallelism to the Kaddish. According to Rabbi Wayne Dosick, the Kaddish is a Jewish prayer that is “recited by mourners in the days and months following the death of a loved one.”[16] Although this prayer was uttered after someone’s death, the primary focus was not the deceased, but God. As mourners recited this prayer, they would present a plea to God that he would “establish his kingdom in [their] lifetime and in [their] days and in the lifetime of all the house of Israel.”[17] This portion of the Kaddish was an outward expression of God’s lordship over one’s life. Though grief stricken, mourners rejoiced in the fact that, God was still seated upon the throne. Just like the mourners, Jesus knew very well that no matter the circumstance, his Father was still the King. Because of the eternal reign of the Almighty Father, Jesus asked him to establish his kingdom among his people.

Establishment of the Kingdom

For the Jews, praying that the Kingdom of Heaven would come to earth was not uncommon. In fact, most Jews held a common belief that God would deliver them from their oppressors and establish his kingdom in Israel. Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein stated that these ideas were incorporated into the Kaddish in the form of a Messianic prophecy.[18] Although the Jews longed to be free from their oppressors, God could not establish his Kingdom on the earth until humanity “acknowledged God’s kingship…by confessing him as the one true God and giving obedience to his law.”[19] The establishment of God’s Kingdom, therefore, was not a political matter, but a matter of the heart. Establishing the Kingdom, however, would not be instantaneous. In fact, according to Young, the phrase “your kingdom come” was used “…in the imperfect tense, which indicate[d] an incomplete action.”[20] This “incomplete action” was due to the fact that multiple nations refused to acknowledge God as King. During the Second Temple period, the oppressive Roman Empire forbade the Jews from worshipping their God “…as the sole ruler of their lives.”[21] As a Jew who lived in this time period, Jesus longed for the Father to establish his righteous reign over all the earth. Therefore, Jesus incorporated a petition for the coming Kingdom into his prayer (Matt 6:10).

“…YOUR WILL BE DONE…”

The Law

Following his petition for the coming Kingdom, Jesus prayed, “…your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10b). This portion of the prayer correlates with the previous in that it was the King’s will to come to earth and establish his Kingdom. Jesus himself said that those who did the will of the Father would enter into his Kingdom (Matt 7:21). According to Young, fulfillment of the God’s will was found in obedience to his Law.[22] However, due to humanity’s tendency to fall into sin, fulfilling the will of God proved to be difficult. Praying that the will of the Lord would be done “…express[ed] an inward yearning…” to obey his Law.[23] Christ himself expressed this same yearning in Gethsemane. Although he knew of the suffering that awaited him, Jesus prayed “…not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 24:42). Just as Jesus embraced the Father’s will over his own life, the Jews were to deny their sin and follow the Torah.[24] In doing so, the Jews would satisfy the will of the Lord and enter into his eternal kingdom.

Obedience to the Torah would not only redeem the Jews, but the Gentiles as well. In Leviticus 11:44, God commanded the Israelites to “…be holy, [as he is] holy.” By adopting this lifestyle, they would be a set apart nation (Exod 19:6). According to Andrew E. Hill and Jonah H. Walton, holiness was the distinction between the Hebrew religion and other ancient Near Eastern religions.[25] By living as a holy nation, the Jews would disassociate themselves from the rest of the world. This disassociation, however, did not omit God’s plan and purpose for the Gentiles. In fact, it initiated his purpose. Harner writes that the holiness of God’s people would “…carry out his plans for the salvation of [all] men.”[26] Jesus reiterated this concept when he said, “…it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (Matt 18:14). Through observation of the distinct lifestyle of the Jews, the Gentiles would recognize the “…righteous character of Yahweh in contrast to the capricious behavior of…pagan deities.”[27] As a result, the kingdom of heaven would not only be established among the Jews, but the Gentiles as well.

Spiritual Opposition

Being that Jesus prayed for the will of the Lord to be done, it can be debated that his petition suggested that opposition to the coming Kingdom existed in the spiritual realm. While this idea was incorporated into the Berakoth in the post Second Temple time period, Jesus made it clear that the will of the Father would be completed without any opposition.[28] That is why Christ encouraged his followers to store up treasures in the heavenly places so that they may receive a great reward (Matt 5:12, Matt 6:20). Phillip B. Harner states that Jesus’ petition concerning the will of the Lord emphasized that “…God’s will is already perfectly accomplished in heaven, and it prays that this situation may be extended from heaven to earth.” Therefore, overcoming spiritual opposition to the Kingdom of Heaven was not the will of the Lord.

Conclusion

In the beginning of this study, it was stated that various Jewish prayers, such as the Ahaba Rabba and the Kaddish, resembled the Lord’s prayer in that they revolved around three themes: “God’s name, kingdom, and will.”[29] After careful observation of these and other prayers, it can clearly be seen that there are parallels between Jewish prayer and the Lord’s Prayer. Just like the rabbis of the Second Temple period, Jesus extracted various motifs from the Torah and incorporated them into his prayer. Jesus not only incorporated the Torah into his prayer, but he also introduced Yahweh as the Father. In the same fashion, Jesus correlated the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven with the fulfillment of the will of the Lord.  Given the fact that there are parallels between Jewish prayer and Jesus’ prayer, it is apparent that Jesus used his Jewish heritage to teach his disciples how to pray. Thus, Jesus taught prayer from a Jewish perspective.

PR

Bibliography

Dosick, Rabbi Wayne. Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition, and Practice. New York: HarperCollins, 1995.

Freedman, David Noel. A–C. 6 vols. Anchor Bible Dictionary 1. New York: Bantam Doubleday Publishing Group, 1992.

Gilligan, Michael Joseph. “The Tetragrammaton in God’s Word and Liturgy.” Liturgical Ministry 5, (1996): 79-84.

Hanger, Donald A. Matthew 1-13. 52 vols. World Biblical Commentary 33a. Texas: Word Books, 1997.

Harner, Philip. Understanding the Lord’s Prayer. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1952.

Hill, Andrew E., and Walton, John H. A Survey of the Old Testament. Michigan: Zondervan, 2009.

Laymon, Charles. The Lord’s Prayer in Its Biblical Setting. New York: Abingdon Press, 1968.

Marlowe, Michael. “The Translation of the Tetragrammaton.” http://www.bible-researcher.com/tetragrammaton.html.

Ochs, Peter. “The Passion and Repentance.” The Living Pulpit 13, no. 3 (July 2004): 6-8.

“Yahweh.” The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 12 vols. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1998.

Young, Brad. The Jewish Background to the Lord’s Prayer. Oklahoma: Gospel Research Foundation Inc., 1984.

Notes

[1] All references to Scripture will be in the English Standard Version of the Bible unless stated otherwise.

[2] Philip B. Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer (Philadelphia: Fortress Press), 123.

[3] “Yahweh.” The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, v.12 (1998): 804.

[4] Michael Joseph Gilligan. “The Tetragrammaton in God’s Word and Liturgy,” Liturgical Ministry 5, (1996): 79-84.

[5] Michael Marlowe, “The Translation of the Tetragrammaton,” (2011), http://www.bible-researcher.com/tetragrammaton.html.

[6] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 44.

[7] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 46.

[8] David Noel Freedman, A–C. Anchor Bible Dictionary, v.4 (New York: Bantam Doubleday Publishing Group) 7.

[9] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 49.

[10] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 49.

[11] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 50.

[12] Charles M. Laymon, The Lord’s Prayer in its Biblical Setting, (Nashville and New York: Abingdon Press, 1968), 80.

[13] Brad H. Young, The Jewish Background to the Lord’s Prayer (Tulsa: Gospel Research Foundation), 4.

[14] Peter Ochs, “The Passion and Repentance,” The living Pulpit 13, no.13, (2004): 6.

[15] Ochs, “The Passion and Repentance,” 6.

[16] Rabbi Wayne Dosick, Living Judaism (New York: HarperCollins, 1995).

[17] Paul Fiebig, Jesu Bergpredigt (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1924), 50.

[18] Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, interviewed by Alejandro Daniel Castro, Oral Roberts University Holy Spirit Room, November 17, 2015.

[19] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 69

[20] Young, The Jewish Background to the Lord’s Prayer, 12

[21] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 69.

[22] Young, The Jewish Background of the Lord’s Prayer, 20.

[23] Young, The Jewish Background to the Lord’s Prayer, 21.

[24] Note that that Ten Commandments are part of the Torah.

[25] Andrew E. Hill, Jonah H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament (Michigan: Zondervan) 129.

[26] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 77.

[27] Hill and Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 130.

[28] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 79.

[29] Harner, Understanding the Lord’s Prayer, 123.