Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
-- Matthew 6:9
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John A. Broadus (b. Culpeper County, Va., Jan. 24, 1827; d. Louisville, Ky., Mar. 16, 1895). Scholar, teacher, preacher, and denominational leader. The fourth child of Major Edmund and Nancy (Sims) Broadus, he came into a home which, though not wealthy, was distinguished by intelligence, culture, and piety. To read full biography click here. |
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The prayer which thus begins, which for many ages has been called among Christians “the Lord’s Prayer,” is above all eulogium for its sweetness. No wonder this is so! For our Lord presents it as a specimen, as a model of prayer. He said, “When ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking,” saying over the same thing a thousand times. “Be ye not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Thus then do ye pray-this way and not with vain repetitions, not with much speaking, thus do ye pray! He gives it as a sample, as a model. So on a later occasion, recorded in the 11th Chapter of Luke-probably a long time after this, most likely in quite another part of the country, certainly on a later occasion-our Lord was praying himself, and when he ceased, the disciples asked him “Teach us to pray” and he said “When ye pray, say:” and then he gave them substantially the same prayer as the one here before us.
Now it very naturally occurs to many persons that our Lord has given this as a form of prayer; that when we pray we ought always to say these words. I do not object to using these words whenever anyone thinks them appropriate, that they express his sentiments; but it is very certain that our Lord did not give this as a form of prayer. If you will notice a moment I shall prove it. On the second occasion the prayer is very different from that which we here read. Even in the common text, it is different in several expressions; but if you will take any revised text as furnished by any competent scholar of the day, you will find that the prayer on that occasion is quite different. Allow me to repeat it as it is there. You all know the words as they occur here but on that second occasion this is what he said: “Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.”
Now you observe that I have omitted several phrases of the familiar prayer given here in the Sermon on the Mount. If you look a little closely you notice that nothing of essential importance, no distinctive idea, has been omitted here. Instead of “Our Father which art in heaven,” you have simply “Father.” You have lost some pleasing words, but you have really lost no part of the essential thought. When after the petition “Thy kingdom come,” you find wanting the words “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” you observe in a moment that although a pleasing expression has been expunged, it is involved in the preceding petition, “Thy kingdom come;” for when God’s reign on earth is fully come, his will must of necessity be done on earth as in heaven. And so, when after the prayer “Bring us not into temptation,” you miss the words “But deliver us from evil,” you observe that they do, at most, but express the other side of the same truth; something that is implied in the words that remain.
On that second occasion then, our Lord has omitted no idea that belongs to the prayer. It is substantially the very same, but in form it is exceedingly different. Is not there the proof at once that he did not intend this as a form of prayer? If he did so intend, why in the world should he not have repeated his form correctly on the second occasion? No: he intended it not as a form of prayer, that precisely these words should be used, but as an example, “Thus do ye pray.” Avoid the vain repetitions and much speaking of the heathen: Thus: thus comprehensively; thus simply. Oh, how much is included in these few, brief, simply expressed petitions! “Thus then do ye pray.”
And my brethren, I venture to ask your special attention to this model in one respect. We have two good classes of petitions here, as is obvious at once, petitions with reference to God’s glory, and petitions with reference to our own good. And my point is, that the petitions with reference to God’s glory come first. Now you have noticed, and indeed it seems natural to us that when we pray, we pray first about ourselves, and a great deal about ourselves, and then if we do not forget, if there seems to be time left before we close the prayer, we may introduce some petitions as to God’s glory. But here the class of petitions which refer to God’s glory come first. That is their rightful place. I do not feel they should always come first in order, that there ought to be any formality or stiffness in it, but that they should often be put in the place of priority, and regularly in the place of pre-eminence. Much more important is it that God’s name should be hallowed, and God’s kingdom come in the world, than that you and I, as individuals, should gain the blessings we desire.
And now I propose to you, that while of course we cannot bring out many of the thoughts involved in this comprehensive prayer, we shall try to get some practical lessons from it.
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John Albert Broadus (1827-1895), American Baptist pastor and professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
John Albert Broadus (1827-1895) was an American Baptist pastor and professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the most famous preachers of his day. Born in Culpeper County, Broadus was educated at home and at a private school. He taught in a small school before studying for the ministry at the University of Virginia. To read full biography click here. |
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