What Did Jesus Pray for? Here’s What He Taught His Followers.

Summary

The video explores the profound simplicity of the prayer Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. It delves into the two halves of the prayer: the first focusing on God's will and kingdom, and the second on human needs like daily sustenance and forgiveness. Jesus emphasizes trust in God's provision, forgiveness, and protection from evil. The prayer is seen as an invitation to align with God's purposes and participate in the reunion of Heaven and Earth, making Jesus' story our own through daily trust, love, and forgiveness.

Takeaways

• 🙏 Prayer is rooted in the belief that we can communicate with the God of the universe, which is quite mysterious.
• 📖 At the heart of Jesus' teachings, the Sermon on the Mount, he provides a simple prayer with two halves: one focusing on God's purposes, the other on daily concerns.
• 🌍 Jesus begins the prayer by addressing God as 'Our Father in the skies,' which signifies God's universal presence and power.
• 👑 Jesus doesn't call God 'King' but 'Father,' emphasizing the intimate relationship between God and humanity.
• ✝️ The prayer asks for God's name to be recognized as holy, reflecting God's unique status as the source of all reality and life.
• 👼 The prayer also seeks for God's Kingdom to come, where Heaven and Earth reunite, and people live by God's generosity and justice.
• 🍞 The request for 'daily bread' draws from Israel's wilderness journey, highlighting daily reliance on God's provision.
• 💔 Forgiveness is central, as Jesus teaches that forgiving others mirrors the forgiveness we receive from God.
• 🛡️ Jesus prays for protection from tests and the evil one, urging trust in God during trials and challenges.
• 🌟 Jesus embodied this prayer, especially before his crucifixion, showing how it guided him through life's greatest test.

Q & A

What is the central idea behind the prayer Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount?

The prayer is based on the idea that humans can talk to God and seek both God's purposes in the world and assistance in their daily lives. It invites people to align their lives with God's will.

What is the significance of calling God 'Our Father' in the prayer?

By calling God 'Our Father,' Jesus emphasizes the close, personal relationship between humans and God, portraying God as a loving parent who cares for His children, rather than a distant ruler.

Why does the prayer ask for God's name to be recognized as holy?

The prayer asks for God's name to be recognized as holy because God's holiness represents His unique and powerful status as the creator and sustainer of all life. It's a call for God's character to be respected and for His people to live as His holy representatives.

What does it mean to pray for God's Kingdom to come and His will to be done?

Praying for God's Kingdom to come and His will to be done means asking for God's reign of justice, love, and peace to be established on Earth, and for humans to live according to God's wisdom, reflecting Heaven’s values in their lives.

How does the request for daily bread relate to trust in God?

The request for daily bread refers to trusting God for daily provision, just as the Israelites relied on God for manna in the wilderness. It highlights reliance on God for basic needs, especially for those struggling in life.

Why does Jesus emphasize forgiveness in the prayer?

Jesus emphasizes forgiveness because it is central to His teaching. He taught that receiving God's forgiveness requires being willing to forgive others, as holding onto revenge continues cycles of harm and pain.

What does it mean to pray for deliverance from the 'evil one'?

Praying for deliverance from the evil one means asking for protection from temptations and lies that lead humans away from God. It is a plea for guidance in making choices that align with God's wisdom rather than self-interest.

How does this prayer relate to Jesus' own life and teachings?

This prayer reflects Jesus' own life, especially in His willingness to submit to God's will, as seen during His prayer before His crucifixion. It encapsulates His message of trusting God, loving others, and forgiving wrongdoers.

Why does the prayer end with asking God to lead us away from tests?

The prayer asks God to lead us away from tests because tests are moments of choice, where we must decide whether to trust God or rely on our own wisdom. It reflects a desire to avoid situations where we might be tempted to stray from God's path.

How does this prayer help individuals participate in God's Kingdom on Earth?

This prayer helps individuals participate in God's Kingdom by encouraging them to trust in God's provision, love and forgive others, and live according to God's will. It aligns personal actions with God's larger plan to unite Heaven and Earth.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 The Mystery of Prayer and God's Purpose

Prayer allows humans to communicate with the God of the universe, a profound mystery. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his followers a simple, yet powerful prayer. The prayer is divided into two halves: the first part focuses on God's purposes, and the second half on human concerns in daily life. Jesus starts by addressing God as 'Our Father in the skies,' highlighting God's universal presence. However, instead of calling God 'king,' Jesus emphasizes God's relationship with humanity as a father. Humanity has often strayed from its calling to represent God's wisdom, and the prayer seeks to reestablish God's holiness and rule on Earth.

05:01

👑 God's Kingdom and Human Responsibility

Jesus continues the prayer by asking for God's Kingdom to come and for His will to be done on Earth, just as it is in Heaven. The prayer invites people to participate in God's Kingdom by loving God and their neighbors, reflecting His generosity and justice. The first half of the prayer is a call to seek God's will, while the second half shifts to asking for help with daily struggles. By praying for 'daily bread,' Jesus encourages people to trust in God's provision, as the Israelites did during their time in the wilderness.

Keywords

💡Prayer

Prayer in the context of this video refers to a means of communication with God, where people express their needs, desires, and seek guidance. The video frames prayer as a way to align oneself with God's will, as seen in Jesus' teachings, where the Lord's Prayer serves as a model. It is not just a religious act but a spiritual connection that brings God's purposes into the world.

💡Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of Jesus' teachings, which includes the Lord's Prayer. It is a key part of Christian scripture where Jesus offers moral and ethical guidelines for his followers. In this video, the Lord's Prayer, taught by Jesus during this sermon, serves as a framework for understanding how to live in alignment with God's will.

💡Heaven

Heaven, or the skies, is used as a metaphor for God's universal power and presence. It signifies God's realm where His will is perfectly done. In the video, when Jesus refers to 'Our Father in the skies,' it symbolizes God's overarching rule and the invitation for humans to participate in the reunion of heaven and earth through God's Kingdom.

💡Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God refers to God's sovereign rule and the fulfillment of His will on earth, as it is in heaven. In the video, Jesus teaches that living in alignment with God's values—like love and justice—allows people to participate in bringing about God's Kingdom. The prayer 'May your Kingdom come' is a request for this divine rule to manifest in the world.

💡Daily bread

Daily bread symbolizes God's provision for our basic needs, drawing from the story of Israel's journey in the wilderness where God provided manna each day. In the Lord's Prayer, 'Give us today our daily bread' is a plea for God to provide for our sustenance. This reflects the reliance on God's daily care, especially for Jesus' audience, many of whom were poor.

💡Forgiveness

Forgiveness is central to Jesus' teachings, where he emphasizes the importance of forgiving others as a reflection of the forgiveness we receive from God. In the video, the line 'Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors' underlines the reciprocal nature of forgiveness and how it breaks the cycle of revenge and hurt in human relationships.

💡Holy

Holy signifies God's unique, sacred nature as the source of all reality and life. In the Lord's Prayer, 'May your name be recognized as holy' refers to the acknowledgment of God's sanctity and His call for His people to reflect His holiness. The video explains that God's name was dishonored by Israel's failures, but would be restored through Jesus.

💡Testing

Testing refers to the spiritual trials and moral challenges humans face as representatives of God's wisdom. The prayer 'Don't lead us into the test, but deliver us from the evil one' reflects a plea to avoid spiritual pitfalls and the influence of evil. The video explains that life presents choices where humans must decide to trust God's voice or follow their own path.

💡Evil one

The evil one represents the forces or influences that seek to lead humans away from God’s wisdom and into moral failure. In the video, the prayer for deliverance from the evil one is a call for protection against temptation and deception, recognizing that every test or challenge has the potential for spiritual failure if not guided by God's wisdom.

💡God’s will

God's will refers to God's desires and purposes for humanity and the world, which are centered on love, justice, and mercy. The prayer 'May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' expresses a longing for the world to align with God's intentions. In the video, this concept is explained as a call for humans to live according to God's moral vision.

Highlights

Prayer is based on the belief that humans can talk with the God of the universe.

The prayer Jesus taught has two halves: the first focuses on God's purposes, the second on daily life concerns.

Jesus begins the prayer with 'Our Father who is in the skies,' which represents God's universal power and presence.

Jesus does not refer to God as king but as 'Father,' highlighting a personal and relational view of God.

The prayer's first request is for God's name to be recognized as holy, referring to God's one-of-a-kind status as the author of life.

Israel’s prophets, like Ezekiel, promised that one day God would restore the holiness of His name among nations.

The prayer for God's Kingdom to come and His will to be done reflects the reunion of Heaven and Earth.

Jesus taught that loving God and others is a way of entering God's Kingdom and bringing Heaven's reality to Earth.

The second half of the prayer focuses on asking for daily bread, symbolizing trust in God's daily provision.

Jesus emphasized forgiveness, asking God to forgive us as we forgive others, making forgiveness a core aspect of His teaching.

Forgiveness, for Jesus, meant not seeking vengeance but trusting God to handle justice and promoting healing.

Jesus compared forgiveness to breathing: to receive forgiveness, we must also give it to others.

The prayer ends with a request not to be led into temptation but to be delivered from the evil one, recognizing the constant choice between God's wisdom and the evil one's lies.

Jesus himself prayed a similar prayer the night before His execution, asking for God's will to be done, even in His moment of greatest trial.

Through His self-giving love and resurrection, Jesus brought God's Kingdom to Earth, restoring God's holy name.

Transcripts

- Prayer is based on this belief that we can somehow talk

with the God of the universe, which is pretty mysterious.

Where do you even start?

- Well, at the very center of a collection

of Jesus' teachings called the Sermon on the Mount,

he taught his followers a simple

prayer to adopt as their own.

The prayer has two short halves, each with three requests.

The first half focuses on God's purposes in the world,

and then the second half addresses our

concerns in day-to-day life.

- So it's a short prayer.

- It is, but this little prayer contains a whole

new way to look at everything in the world.

- Jesus begins the prayer this way:

"Our Father who is in the skies."

So God lives in the sky?

- Well, in the Bible, the skies, or the heavens,

are a way of imagining God's universal power

and presence that are above all things.

In God's realm, God rules as the king

whose will and purpose are always done.

- But Jesus doesn't refer to God as king.

- No. Jesus calls God "our Father."

- That's a bold thing to claim about the

God of the universe.

- It is. But a key claim in the Bible is

that God has appointed humans as representatives

and beloved children to embody God's wisdom

and rule in the world.

- But the story of the Bible is about humanity's disregard

for this calling--how we make a mess of things.

- And so the prayer continues:

"May your name be recognized as holy."

- Now, "holiness," that's a fancy religious word.

- Sure. In the Bible, "holy" signifies God's

one-of-a-kind status.

God is the source of all reality and the author of life.

And it's this God that calls the family of Israel out from

among the nations and then attaches his holy name to them,

setting them apart as holy representatives

to all the other nations.

- But just like all of humanity,

they mess up this calling.

- And that led to Israel's defeat

and subjugation to many empires,

bringing dishonor on God's holy name.

But Israel's prophets, like Ezekiel, said

that one day God would restore the holiness

of his name among the nations.

- How? - Well, by raising up

a new representative, who will

restore God's rule over Israel and the world,

so everyone can see how holy and good God really is.

That's who Jesus claimed to be when he went

around announcing the arrival of God's Kingdom.

- And that makes sense of the next lines of the prayer.

"May your kingdom come, and may your will be done,

as it is in the skies so also on the land.

- Jesus taught his followers that when

we love God and our neighbor,

when we treat others with God's generosity and justice,

we are entering God's Kingdom.

And so this is a prayer for the reunion of Heaven and Earth,

and we are invited to participate.

- Okay. That's the first half of the prayer,

focused on loving God and seeking his will.

- The second half shifts to the challenges of daily life

as we pray for God's Kingdom to come.

- "Give us today our daily bread."

That's as basic as it gets, asking God to provide food.

- Yeah. Jesus is using an image from Israel's story,

when they journeyed through the wilderness,

and God provided just enough bread each day.

- That's a tough place to be, not knowing

where your next meal will come from.

- And remember, Jesus' audience was filled

with poor people struggling to get by

during the Roman occupation.

And so he invites them

to join their ancestors in the wilderness,

trusting God's provision each and every day.

- Wow. Okay. And the prayer continues.

"Forgive us our debts

as we also forgive those indebted to us."

- Jesus made forgiveness central to his movement.

He announced that God was forgiving Israel

and all of humanity for its long history

of violence and greed.

And so he calls his followers to do the same,

to forgive those who hurt us.

- But we can't go around forgiving everyone.

I mean, won't evil spread unchecked?

Won't people take advantage of you?

- Well, for Jesus, the problem is that our desire

for revenge just keeps the cycle of pain going.

He taught that forgiveness begins

with naming the wrongdoing

but then not seeking vengeance.

- So that doesn't mean becoming

best friends with the person who wronged you.

- No. But it does mean releasing my right to

get totally even with them, and even learning

to pray for their well-being instead.

- That kind of forgiveness requires radical trust in God.

- Yes. Jesus invites us to see

that forgiveness is like breathing.

In order to truly receive

and take in God's forgiveness, you have

to be in the habit of giving it out.

The two work together as one.

- Finally, Jesus prays, "Don't lead us into the test,

but deliver us from the evil one."

So wait, God might test us?

- Well, remember the biblical story, how God appoints humans

as his representatives in ruling the world?

That opportunity presents them with a choice.

- Will they partner with God and rule by his wisdom?

- But along with every choice, there's a voice whispering

that we could do things our own way by our own wisdom.

And that voice twists the test into a trap

and forces us to decide: Whose voice will we trust?

- So Jesus invites us to ask

if we can be spared from tests altogether.

Like, can I just live a normal life please?

- But Jesus also knows that even normal life is full

of choices that will force us to trust God

or something else.

And so when we find ourselves in a trial

or a test, Jesus urges us to ask

for protection from the evil one's lies.

- And with that, the oldest form of the prayer comes

to an end. Short and powerful.

- But check this out. This is Jesus' own prayer

that he prayed himself.

- Really? - Yeah. The night before

his execution, Jesus went to a garden to pray.

And while he didn't want to die, he called out

to "my Father," saying, "Let your will be done, not mine."

- Oh, that is this prayer.

"May your Kingdom come and your will be done."

- Jesus had been praying this way for so long

that when his greatest test came,

his arrest and execution,

these were the words that carried him through.

- And Jesus was delivered from evil

when God raised him from the dead.

- Right. In fact, it was through his act

of self-giving love that God's forgiveness

and heavenly Kingdom came to Earth.

This is how God's holy name was restored.

- So this prayer that Jesus taught his followers,

it's a way to make Jesus' story our story.

- The prayer invites us to daily trust God

and to love and forgive each other

so we can participate in the story

of Heaven and Earth becoming one.

- In the prayer that we just looked at,

Jesus taught his followers to pray

for God's daily provision.

- And Jesus has a lot more to say about trusting in God

and not in our stuff.

And that's what we'll look at next.