As I reflected on the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of Chapter 11 of the Gospel of Luke, I noticed the difference compared to the Our Father that we typically pray. It is worded slightly different and a touch shorter than the one that appears in Matthew 6.
A Different Lord’s Prayer
A few years ago, I wrote about how The Lord’s Prayer Hinges on Forgiveness: the Fulcrum of Faith. The point of the article is to explore how important forgiveness must be, if Jesus made it the only condition in the Our Father. He taught us to ask for forgiveness to the extent that we have forgiven everybody else.
“As we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Matthew 6:12
Interestingly, Luke’s version is different.
“And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us”
Now, in Luke’s telling of the teaching, forgiveness is not even a conditional statement. It is an assumption. This version does not ask God to forgive us to the extent that we do. By praying this prayer, we are instead assuming that we already forgive each person who wrongs us automatically.
In Luke’s Lord’s Prayer, forgiveness is a prerequisite.
A Shorter Lord’s Prayer
In another reflection on the Our Father as it appears in Matthew, I reflected on the line Thy Will Be Done.
“Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”
Matthew 6:10
In Luke 11, these words are missing. We do however see the simpler and more puzzling “Your Kingdom come.” by itself.
That could mean the same thing as “Thy will be done”; however, I think I like Matthew’s version better here.
At first, I read “Your kingdom come” to imply in the future whereas “thy will be done” sounds like we want God’s will here and now. Luke’s version could mean that as well though if I really sit with it and realize that we want to begin to experience the Kingdom of God right now as well.
Focus on Prayer and the Lord
Either way it probably does not matter much. In the end I am glad the Matthew version is what we say more commonly as “The Lord’s Prayer”.
As Luke 11 continues to tell us, what is important is that we do pray and focus on God persistently. We hear the example of a friend who will help you even just because you continue to ask, seek, and knock (Lk 11:9).
This constant faith is supported when we see that a divided house will not stand (Lk 11:17) and are told “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” (Lk 11:28).
Yet, we do not only keep laws as the Pharisees and Lawyers do, because they separate the law from the one who gave it to us (Lk 11:42). Our whole self should be full of light if we focus our eyes on Him (32). Then we will follow the laws for his sake, not of themselves. Hearing and understanding comes first, then obedience.
If you like these reflections, I hope to continue posting them here at Formed by a Flame.
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