Nov. 20, 2011

Background Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15

Devotional Reading: Isaiah 12

There are only 11 brief verses in the passage for this week. But, that, I have found, means more verses than we can cover adequately. So I begin this week’s column acknowledging that we have here an embarrassment of riches.

There are two main parts: 6:5-8, the practice of private prayer; and 6:9-15, The Lord’s Prayer as a model for our prayer relationship with God. We could spend a month or more on these two concerns. Both passages are about hypocrisy and its opposite, sincere humility.

In the preceding passage, Matt. 6:1-4, Jesus outlines the right way to be benevolent – sincerely, humbly and without expecting reward: “Thus when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men.”

In 6:5-8 he says much the same thing: Don’t exhibit your piety for public recognition: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

This passage was recently in the news when the governor of Texas planned a mass prayer meeting in Austin to pray for the plight our country. There were those who were exuberant at what turned out to be a well-attended event. “We need more events like this,” one attendee was quoted.

On the other hand, there were those who were severely critical, not so much at the event itself, but what they perceived as its political purpose. Matthew 6:6 was frequently quoted: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who sees in secret …”

So, who was right and who was wrong? As I did not attend and know none of those who did, I truly cannot judge whether the organizers were sincere or hypocritical. But the teaching of Jesus is clear: For the Christian, using pious behavior and activities for personal advancement is hypocrisy, a pious performance and an ignoble purpose.

In the Broadway play and Oscar-winning film, “The Best Man,” Hockstader, a former U.S. president, is speaking with Russell, a current presidential candidate, and says, “I have often pretended I thought there was a God for political purposes.”

Russell, detecting an implied criticism, says, “So far I haven’t told a lie in this campaign and I have never used the word ‘God’ in a speech.”

And Hockstader replies, “Well, the world’s changed since I was politicking. In those days you had to pour God over everything, like ketchup.”

That was in 1964, and I’m not sure that the world’s changed in that regard. Religion is still used to sell political candidates, parties, home furnishings, clothing and patent medicines. Pass the ketchup!

Jesus is not giving us a magic formula so that we can get what we want and avoid what we don’t want, but demonstrating that his disciples’ prayer life – including us – should not be thought a pious form, a technique or placing an Internet order.

Prayer at its most basic level is a relationship with God, and if you don’t recognize that and cultivate the relationship, your prayers are probably worth less than Hockstader’s bottle of ketchup.

Jesus could pray as he did because of his relationship with God, a relationship that all disciples can recognize and cultivate. “Prayer,” said Clement of Alexandria, “is conversation with God” – but that does not mean it has to be in words alone.

Philips Brooks believed that “prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance, but taking hold of God’s willingness.” Some of my fondest memories of my wife are those in which we said little or nothing, but sat together joined in spirit. So it can be in our relationship with God.

Thus, I understand perfectly what St. Francis de Sales means when he says: “He prays well who is so absorbed with God that he does not know he is praying.”

The Lord’s Prayer is only a model, a framework upon which we can hang our prayer relationship. It begins with recognition of who God is: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” (6:9). Then, before any requests are made, we submit ourselves to God’s will: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (6:10).

Then, we move to our petitions: daily bread, forgiveness, help in resisting temptation and submitting all these to God’s mercy (6:11-13).

Your Bible may or may not contain the familiar doxology that we include at the end of the Lord’s Prayer: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Scholars tell us the doxology was not found in the earliest manuscripts of Matthew, but was added in some at later dates. These words were drawn from some of the synagogue blessings and used in early Christian congregations.

Nevertheless. it is the perfect ending to Jesus’ model prayer, a reminder once again that: “Prayer does not change God, but changes him who prays” (Soren Kierkegaard).

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Rev. Althouse may write to him in care of this publication.