Jesus - Professor and Practitioner of Prayer

Lesson 4 - Professor and Practitioner of Prayer

• Matthew's Account
• Luke's Account
• Examples of Jesus' Prayers
• And the Lesson Is . . . ?

Jesus and prayer - doesn't that strike you as a contradiction? After all, who would need prayer less than the sinless Son of God? That's kind of what I thought for a few years. Then I read through the Gospels and discovered that Jesus really did pray, and he prayed a lot!

He even taught about prayer! Up this point in Biblical history prayer has been kind of assumed, like knowing how to speak. Perhaps we can think of Jesus as offering the advanced course, much like taking a speech class. He definitely knew his subject. His disciples recognized this and one day asked him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). And they were already committed, practicing believers!

So let's look at some, not all, highlights from the New Testament biographies of Jesus. We'll look at his personal habits of prayer and his teaching about prayer. Then I'll tell you what I've learned and you'll tell yourself what you've learned.

Jesus - Professor of Prayer

You don't have to read far in the New Testament biographies of Jesus (the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) to see that he taught many things about prayer.

Matthew's Account

As soon as Matthew starts writing about Jesus' public ministry he records a major teaching session - the "Sermon on the Mount."

In the middle of this sermon Jesus talks about prayer, starting with the attitude behind it. "Beware of practicing your righteousness before me to be noticed by them," he says (Matthew 6:1). "When you pray, don't stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners in order to be seen by men." (Verse 5)

"When you pray, go into your inner room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret." (Verse 6)

"Do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words." (Verse 7)

"Pray in this way . . . ." (Verse 9) Here Matthew records what today we call the "Lord's Prayer."

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Luke's Account

Jesus, like Socrates, sometimes provided his disciples to ask him for instruction. Luke records such an event in Chapter 11 of his gospel. After the disciples realized that Jesus really got something out of prayer, one of them said "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."

Two ideas here -

1. People who are serious about their faith, like John and Jesus, pray, and
2. People can learn to pray!

I'm sure glad for the last idea. I'd hate to think I've been wasting my time and yours with these lessons!

Luke also records Jesus story of the unjust judge in Chapter 18. He give us the moral up front - "people ought to pray and not to lose heart." A widow keeps nagging a heartless judge for legal protection. Nag - ignore, nag- ignore! Finally he throws up his hands and give in to get her out!

Hang on to this - I'll get to what I think is the meaning in a bit. Click here if you can't wait!

In a private garden on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, on the last night of his earthly life, Jesus turned to his disciples and commanded them to "pray that you may not enter into temptation." He himself went deeper into the garden to confront his fate - crucifixion.

I don't know if we can call this "teaching," but he clearly expected his followers to put his lessons into practice!

There are other examples, but these are enough.

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Jesus - Practitioner of Prayer

Jesus prayed. Here are a few examples -

• He himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray (Luke 5:16)
• He went off to the mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12)
• He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them (Luke 9:16)
• While he was praying alone . . . (Luke 9:18)
• Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you . . . " (John 11:41)
• "Simon, Simon . . . I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail" (Luke 22:31)
• "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34)

OK - that's enough to make my point. Jesus practiced what he preached - he prayed. He usually prayed privately, often in the presence of his disciples. Sometimes he prayed publicly so those listening would learn something. Wherever and however, he got so much out of prayer that his disciples were motivated to ask him to show them how to do it.

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And the lesson is . . . ?

Remember where we started? Prayer is for our benefit, not God's. He doesn't "need" prayer - we do. Yet God seems to enjoy, if not delight, our verbal contact with him.

He went looking for Adam and pushed him into confessing what happened with the serpent. He pushed people into corners so they, like Isaac, prayed for what he wanted to give them. He and Moses enjoyed a unique relationship, evening having a few good arguments in the process!

Nothing in the New Testament biographies of Jesus show us the Father's point of view, but it's obvious that Jesus benefited from his continual prayer contact. It was so obvious, in fact, that one of his disciples wanted the same thing.

1. Prayer was a regular part of his life.

That's the first thing that I've learned - relearned actually - through this. My guess is that through this regular contact Jesus continually reminded himself of his mission, unloaded his true feelings onto the Father, and transferred his "cares" to him.

Peter, who may have been the one who asked for instruction on prayer, wrote "Cast all your cares on him, for he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7). Prayer is one way to do this. Prayer is one way I should do this.

2. He had a deliberate, thoughtful approach to prayer.

Jesus' prayers weren't an idle repetition of some memorized phrases. He wasn't spinning prayer wheels, he was speaking from his heart and his mind. I see this in his public prayers, for each one was tailored for the occasion. He thoughtfully addressed the Father and the bystanders, engaging each on their own levels.

3. He was patient in prayer.

Yes, I remember. I promised to come back to Jesus' parable of the unjust judge. The "moral" is obvious - people should always pray and not give up. He makes this point by contrasting the unjust judge with a loving father. The widow nags the judge to death. She's patient in nagging!

Jesus contrasts the judge with a loving father whose children are asking him for good things. Which will be the first to respond positively, the judge or the father? No contest here - Dad wins!

So why doesn't Dad answer the first time? Sometimes we need to learn the discipline of patience, especially in prayer. Some prayers are answered immediately, others, maybe most, are not. Do we quit, do we go away thinking "Dad doesn't love us any more."

I think not.

• We keep asking as a way of reminding ourselves -
• Whom we are dealing with
• Why we believe in him
• What we want
• Why we want it

Pray, don't quit.

OK - these are the things I've learned.

Now, what have you learned?

Lesson 5