Anchor My Faith

Our Father In Heaven

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-11, 13; Luke 11:2, 4 ESV – Pray then like this: “Our Father in – Bible Gateway

In our previous lesson we introduced the prayer that Jesus was going to teach to his disciples. In this lesson we will begin to look at the details of that prayer.

^{Lk 11:2} “And he said to them, “When you pray, say: ^{Mt 6:9} Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ^{Lk 11:4} and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. ^{Mt 6:13} And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”’

In our English translations “Father” is used, but in the everyday language of Aramaic, that Jesus would have spoken, the word would have been “Abba”. In Mark 14:36 ESV both terms are used: “And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”’; likewise, in Romans 8:15 ESV: For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”’; and in Galatians 4:6 ESV: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”’

There is a caution in the use of these words. “Abba” was used by Jewish children for their earthly fathers and carries the connotation of “Daddy” which could be misleading, if used by adults, and runs the risk of irreverence. In our western culture, when we use the words “Our Father” we are not usually thinking “Our Daddy” as a child would but “Our Father” as an adult would. Using “Our Father” would then convey the authority, warmth, and intimacy of a loving father’s care. “Our Father” implies that he is the Father of every believer in Jesus Christ, but in times of intimacy during prayer as an induvial, one might use the words “My Father” as I often do.

We are familiar with the word “Father” in the New Testament; in verses like 1 John 3:1 ESV: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God”; Matthew 7:9 – 11: “ . . . how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”; John 14:1 – 2: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. . .” Jesus constantly spoke of his Father in his teachings.

Is the word “Father” used to describe God in the Old Testament? I checked Isaiah 64:8 in 34 translations and found that twenty used “Father” and fourteen used “father”. In the Old Testament, whether the translation uses “Father” or “father”, the theme of “heavenly Father” is found throughout. In the New Testament, with the presence of the Son of God in the person of Jesus, the term “Father” is frequently used as Jesus speaks of him to others or to him as his Father.

Conclusion

Jesus is inviting his disciples into an intimate relationship with the Father like he has, but that the use of the word “Father” would be treated with the highest honor and set apart as holy and thus the next phrase of the prayer, “hallowed be your name”, that we will study next time.