Luke Bible Study, Day 23
Today’s passage: Luke 11
Focus verse: “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)
When Jesus’s disciples ask him how to pray, he gives them an example. We call this “The Lord’s Prayer” (though “The Disciples’ Prayer” may be a better label). Some people call it the “Our Father” after its opening phrase.
Many people memorize this famous prayer. Have you? Some church traditions recite The Lord’s Prayer as part of their worship service. You may be familiar with this as well.
You may have learned and recite the version that Matthew includes in his biography of Jesus. It’s only fifty-three words long in the New International Version (Matthew 6:9–13).
Did you know there’s another version of The Lord’s Prayer? It’s in Luke’s biography of Jesus. Compared to Matthew’s wording, Luke’s version omits two phrases and simplifies others. It’s even shorter, at only thirty-four words.
Why are there two versions? Did either Matthew or Luke get the words wrong? Or maybe Jesus teaches different versions depending on the needs of his audience.
Perhaps there are many variations of this prayer, but we only have two in the Bible.
I’ve never heard anyone use Luke’s version. But it’s in the Bible and is worth considering. However, it doesn’t matter which version we recite, because
I don’t think Jesus intended us to memorize it. Instead, we should use it as a model to form our own prayers.
There are five main parts to Luke’s version:
- Praise God.
- May your kingdom come soon.
- Give us what we need today.
- Forgive our sins, as we forgive others.
- Keep us away from temptation.
Notice that there’s not even an “Amen” at the end.
After Jesus gives them this short prayer, he launches into a teaching about prayer. Yep, he has a prayer parable. Two of them, in fact.
The first parable is about a man pounding on his neighbor’s door at midnight, begging for food to feed a late-arriving guest. Because of his persistence, the neighbor gives him what he wants.
Jesus implies we need to be bold and persistent when we pray. Building on this image of a closed door, Jesus tells us we must ask to receive, seek to find, and knock for the door to open.
The other parable is of a father giving his children the food they ask for, instead of something dangerous.
If our earthly fathers, who are flawed, still give us good things, so much more will Papa—who is perfect—give us good things when we ask for them.
This includes giving us the Holy Spirit.
Questions:
How should we use The Lord’s Prayer?
What should we do with this less-familiar version found in the book of Luke?
[Discover more about seeking God in Matthew 7:7–8.]
Read the next lesson or start at the beginning of this study.
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Read more about the book of Luke in Dear Theophilus: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke, now available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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