From: Jesus’
Personal Prayer Life Return to Home
By Roland H. Worth, Jr. © 2014
Jesus’ Personal Prayer
Life:
A Personal and Class
Workbook
Lessons 7-10
Chapter Numbers
and Contents
In Part One (previous section):
1
Why the
Prayer Life of Jesus is Useful to Us
ATTITUDES IN PRAYER
2
Persistence
3
Faith and
Submissiveness
4
Thankfulness
5
Sincerity
PRAYERS CONCERNING
GOD
6
Respect for
God
In Part Two (this section):
PRAYERS CONCERNING
OTHER PEOPLE
7
Forgiveness
of Those Who Have Done Us Wrong
8
The Quest
for Religious Unity
OTHER ASPECTS OF
PRAYER
9
Jesus’
Public Prayers Seen By His Apostles and Disciples
10
Irrelevancies
of Prayer
Translations
Utilized:
NKJV = New
King James Version (Basic Text)
BBE = Bible in Basic English
CEV = Contemporary English Version
ESV = English Standard Version
ISV = International Standard Version
GW = God’s Word
Holman = Holman
Christian Standard Bible
NASB = New
American Standard Bible
NET = New English Translation (Bible)
NIV = New International Version
TEV = Today’s English Version
WEB = World
English Bible
Chapter 7:
Forgiveness of Those Who
Have Done Us Wrong
I. JESUS PRACTICED FORGIVENESS
A. On the basis of Christ forgiving us our sins,
Paul argued that we need
to
(Colossians
Colossians
3:13 NKJV: Bearing with one another, and
forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as
Christ forgave you, so you also must
do.
Ephesians 4:32 NKJV: And be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave
you.
NET: Instead, be kind to one another,
compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.
Weymouth: On the contrary
learn to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as
God in Christ has also forgiven you.
B. Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of
(Luke
NKJV: 33 And when they had come to the place called
If these words have
specifically in mind His
executioners (the immediately following words are
about them) why would their forgiveness be
especially appropriate to pray for?
[They weren’t responsible for what was
happening; they were simply
the Roman soldiers whose job it was to carry out the execution.]
If these words have
specifically in mind those responsible
for His execution—or passively permitting it to
occur—
that forgiveness was offered to them beginning
on Pentecost when (Acts
[When the apostles taught them what to do
to be forgiven for their sin. In
spite of what had been done, He was still willing to receive them. However,
neither Jesus nor the Father ever forces anyone to be forgiven unless
they
wish to be. The opportunity
was given . . . Would they take advantage of it?]
NKJV: 22 “Men of
Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you
yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by
the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless
hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom
God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible
that He should be held by it.
36 “Therefore let all
the house of
II. JESUS PROHIBITED THE ALTERNATIVES TO
FORGIVENESS
SUCH AS . . .
Matthew 5:38-39;
Cf. Romans 12:17-21: [Revenge.]
Matthew
5 NKJV: 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An
eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39
But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever
slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
Romans
12 NKJV: 17 Repay no
one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live
peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not
avenge yourselves, but rather
give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance
is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore
“If your enemy is
hungry, feed him;if he is
thirsty, give him a drink;for in so doing you will
heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Matthew 5:43-48: [Hate.]
NKJV: 3 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You
shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies,
bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun
rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the
tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax
collectors do so? 48 Therefore
you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:22;
Cf. Hebrews 12:14-15: [Bitterness,
expressed in insult or other ways.]
Matthew
NASB: But I say to you that everyone
who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever
says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme
court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the
fiery hell.
NET: But I say to you that anyone who is angry with
a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be
brought before the council, and whoever says 'Fool' will be sent to fiery hell.
GW: But I can guarantee that whoever is angry
with another believer will answer for it in court. Whoever calls another
believer an insulting name will answer for it in the highest court. Whoever
calls another believer a fool will answer for it in hellfire.
Hebrews 12:14-15
NKJV: 14 Pursue
peace with all people, and
holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking
carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of
bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.
12:15 Weymouth:
Be carefully on your guard lest there be any one who falls back from the
grace of God; lest any root bearing bitter fruit spring up and cause trouble
among you, and through it the whole brotherhood be defiled.
III. WHAT FORGIVENESS DOES NOT MEAN
That the person was right
in what they did:
is no longer
an excuse in the
sight of God (Acts
Surely doing it knowingly would not
be an
excuse
either!
Acts
3 NKJV: 17 “Yet
now, brethren, I know that you did it
in ignorance, as did also your
rulers. 18 But those
things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ
would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of
refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord
Acts 17 NKJV: 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now
commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because
He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the
Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him
from the dead.
That we must necessarily
endure foul treatment
in
(Luke 17:3). [Silence.]
(Our text is specifically talking about
mistreatment by a
fellow
believer. Our reaction is a test of
prudence and self-control.)
NKJV: 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a
day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.
That we must trust them
in the future: We
must be “ ” in regard to those who are
potentially dangerous to us (Matthew
NKJV: Behold, I send you out as sheep
in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
TEV: Listen! I am sending you out just
like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle
as doves.
What attitude should forgiveness of others
produce in those guilty—especially the
person who has been guilty of a lot
(Luke 7:40-43) . . . ? [“Love.”]
Note that He does not
say it will always
work out this way! He only
argues that it
logically should.
NKJV: 40 And Jesus
answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to
you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” 41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred
denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which
to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will
love him more?” 43 Simon answered and
said, “I suppose the one whom
he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”
CEV: 40 Jesus said to the Pharisee,
"Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher, what is
it?" Simon replied. 41 Jesus told
him, "Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five
hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. 42 Since neither of them could pay
him back, the moneylender said that they didn't have to pay him anything. Which
one of them will like him more?" 43 Simon answered, "I
suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn't have to pay it
back." "You are right," Jesus said.
IV. OLD TESTAMENT PRECEDENT FOR
FORGIVENESS RATHER THAN VINDICTIVENESS
A. The example of Joseph.
Joseph forgave the
treachery of his
brothers doing what?
(Genesis 50:15-21)
[Selling
him into Egyptian slavery.]
NKJV: 15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they
said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil
which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before
your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the
trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now,
please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And
Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before
his face, and they said, “Behold, we are
your servants.” 19
Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order
to bring it about as it is this
day, to save many people alive. 21 Now
therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And
he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
50:21 NIV: So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for
you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
. . . They recognized their (Genesis 42:21). [Guilt / sin.]
NKJV: Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our
brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we
would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”
ESV: Then they said to one another, “In truth we
are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul,
when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come
upon us.”
. . . And Joseph
recognized that God had bent
their evil intentions into an opportunity
to (Genesis 45:8) . . . [Accomplish good.]
NKJV: 4 And Joseph
said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he
said: “I am Joseph your
brother, whom you sold into
45:8 ISV:
As a result, it wasn't you who sent me here, but God himself! He
established me as a father-figure to Pharaoh himself! I'm in charge of his
entire palace and ruler over the entire land of Egypt.
B. The Old Testament prohibited the alternatives
to forgiveness.
Leviticus 19 prohibits a
number of ways people act, including when they do not forgive . . .
Verse 13: [“Cheat” or “rob”
him.”]
NKJV: You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired
shall not remain with you all night until morning.
NIV: Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.
"'Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.
Holman: You must not oppress your neighbor or rob
him. The wages due a hired hand must not remain with you until morning. [Most recent translations prefer “oppress” as
the rendering.]
Verse 15: [Doing “injustice in
judgment,” i.e., using one’s
authority to do “legal” wrong to them.]
NKJV: You shall do no injustice in judgment. You
shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In
righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
NIV: Do not pervert justice; do not show
partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor
fairly.
GW: Don't be corrupt when administering justice.
Never give special favors to poor people, and never show preference to
important people. Judge your neighbor fairly.
Verse 16: [Spread tales about
them; implying lies or vast
exaggerations of what really was said or done.]
NKJV: You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people;
nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
NET: You must not go about as a slanderer among
your people. You must not stand idly by when your neighbor's life is at stake.
I am the Lord.
Verse 17: [Hatred.]
NKJV: You shall not hate your brother in your
heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
GW: Never hate another Israelite. Be sure to
correct your neighbor so that you will not be guilty of sinning along with him.
Verse 18: [Revenge; bear a
grudge.]
NKJV: You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any
grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as
yourself: I am the Lord.
Holman: Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against
members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh.
When the apostle Paul
ruled out doing evil to our enemies he did so, in part, on the basis of Old
Testament precedent (Romans 12:17-21).
NKJV: 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in
the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as
much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”
says the Lord.
20 Therefore
“If your enemy is
hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will
heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
good.
21:17 ISV: Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but
focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people.
Note how He quotes
Deuteronomy 32:35
about leaving vengeance to . . . [God.]
Romans
12:19 NKJV: Beloved,
do not avenge yourselves, but rather
give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance
is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Deuteronomy 32
NKJV: 32 For their
vine is of the vine of
32:35
NASB: Vengeance
is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of
their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them.
32:35 NET: I will get revenge and pay them back at the
time their foot slips; for the day of their disaster is near, and the impending
judgment is rushing upon them!
He also quotes Proverbs
25:21-22 about . . .
[Even feeding your enemy when he is hungry.]
Romans
Proverbs
25 NKJV: 21 If your enemy
is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to
drink; 22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his
head, and the Lord
will reward you.
Rotherham: 21 If
he that hateth thee hunger, give him bread to eat,
and, if he be thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For,
burning coals, shalt thou be heaping upon his
head,--and, Yahweh, will repay thee.
TEV: 21 If
your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. 22 You will make him burn with shame, and the
Lord will reward you.
Chapter 8:
The Quest for Religious
Unity
I. THE LONGEST RECORDED PRAYER OF JESUS: JOHN 7:1-26.
a. the three basic divisions of the prayer are . . .
(1) 17:1-5: [Relationship of
the Father to the Son.]
NKJV: 1 Jesus spoke
these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the
hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over
all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.3 And this is eternal life, that they
may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You
on the earth. I have finished the work which You have
given Me to do. 5 And now,
O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the
glory which I had with You before the world was.
(2) 17:6-19: [Prayer
for the disciples and apostles.]
NKJV: 6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom
You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things
which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words
which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they
have believed that You sent Me.
9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You
have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine,
and I am glorified in them. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come
to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom
You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 12
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I
have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the
Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they
may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has
hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should
keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your
truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the
world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that
they also may be sanctified by the truth.
(3):
NKJV: 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in
Me through their word; 21 that
they all may be one, as You, Father, are
in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may
believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one
just as We are one: 23 I in
them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world
may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
24 “Father, I desire that they
also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory
which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father! The world
has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
26 And I have declared to them
Your name, and will declare it,
that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
B. Questions on the first section of the prayer
(17:1-5) . . .
How great is Jesus’
authority over the
human race (17:2) . . . [Over “all flesh” . . . anyone and
everyone. No
exceptions.]
NKJV: As You
have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as
many as You have given Him.
ISV: For you have given him authority
over all humanity so that he might give eternal life to all those you gave him.
What produces eternal
life (17:3) . . .
[“Knowing” God and Jesus; “know” = accept, recognize, embrace.]
NKJV: And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Albert
Barnes suggests: The word "know" here, as in other
places,
expresses more than a mere speculative acquaintance with the character and
perfections of God. "It includes all
the impressions on the mind and life
which a just view of God and of the Savior is fitted to produce." It includes,
of course, love, reverence, obedience, honor, gratitude, supreme
affection.
"To know God as he is" is to know and regard him as a
lawgiver, a
sovereign, a parent, a friend. It is to yield the whole soul to him, and strive
to
obey his law.
Did Jesus complete everything that He came to earth to do
(verse 4) . . . [Yes.]
NKJV: I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
Holman: I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.
Weymouth: I have glorified Thee on earth, having done
perfectly the work which by Thine appointment has
been mine to do.
How does this affect premillennialism?
[Shows that God knew that Jesus would be
rejected; it was no
“unexpected” turn
of events—which they insist it was. The
mission
was always intended to end not in earthly crowning as king, but in
a
sacrificial death.]
Did Jesus exist before
the earth was created (17:5)? [Yes.]
NKJV: And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which
I had with You before the world was.
Holman: Now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with that glory I had with You before
the world existed.
If we are looking for a spectacular
glorification of Jesus after the request of 17:5 (which apparently the disciples
in the havoc following the great calamity of Jesus’ death were not), we
certainly discover it exploding out of the tomb on Easter morning. Jesus’ resurrection is the most dazzling
display of God’s glory the world has ever seen.
Theologians these days may quibble over
whether one does right to read the story of Jesus as a theology of the cross or
a theology of glory, but the actual events of Jesus’ story wrap up all these
meanings in one earth-shaking finale.
Starkly fulfilling the prophecies of the curse
of the first sinful humans, Jesus is crushed by the forces of evil only to in
turn crush them himself under his heel, his enemies cast down to be his
footstool. Bound by death, Jesus
explodes the bonds of death. Cast into
the pit, Jesus is raised by God.
Covered with shame and spittal
and blood and disgrace, Jesus is covered with glory and praise. Disciples scattered, he lives again to see his
disciples emboldened and empowered so that they go forth to turn the world
upside down for their victorious conqueror.
The prayer is indeed fulfilled after Jesus’ most shattering moment of
defeat. Shattering
triumph. Victorious glory!
-- From William D. Spencer and Aida B. Spencer, The
Prayer Life of Jesus: Shout of Agony,
Revelation of Love—A Commentary.
C. Questions on the second section of the prayer
(17:8-19) . . .
Why could they fully
trust in Jesus’
teaching (17:7-8)? [He came
from God and they knew all
Jesus taught came from the Father.]
NKJV: 7 Now they have known that
all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words
which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they
have believed that You sent Me.
Why the disciples needed
to be prayed for . . .
(1) Verse 11a, 12: [Jesus was leaving the world, but
the
disciples were staying behind.]
NKJV: Now I am no longer in the
world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.
. . . 12 While I was with
them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those
whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost
except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
(2) Verse 11b: [That they might be one, i.e., united.]
NKJV: . . . Holy Father, keep through Your
name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We
are.
NIV: . . . Holy
Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that
they may be one as we are one.
GW: . . . Holy
Father, keep them safe by the power of your name, the name that you gave me, so
that their unity may be like ours.
(3) Verse 14: [The world hates them because
they hold to God’s
word.]
NKJV: I have given them Your word;
and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am
not of the world.
NET: have given them your word, and
the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do
not belong to the world.
Weymouth: I have given them Thy Message, and the world
has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not
belong to the world.
(4) Verse 15: [They need protection against
the Devil—and / or
evildoers in general.]
NKJV: I do not pray that You should
take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
(5) Verses 17-19: [Because they were
being sent into the world and they
needed to be “sanctified” (set apart and
purified) by
the Divine word.]
NKJV: 17 Sanctify them by Your
truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the
world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that
they also may be sanctified by the truth.
TEV: 17 Dedicate them
to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth. 18 I sent them into the world, just as you
sent me into the world. 19 And for their
sake I dedicate myself to you, in order that they, too, may be truly dedicated
to you.
D. Questions on the third section of the prayer
(
What inescapably implies
that the apostles were
to be missionary minded (
through what they taught.]
NKJV: I do not pray for these alone,
but also for those who will believe in Me through
their word.
NIV: My prayer is not for them alone.
I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.
NET: I am not praying only on their
behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony.
How does this fit in with
Matthew 28:18-20?
[There He made it explicit for them to go
and teach—everywhere they
could.]
NKJV: 8 And Jesus
came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Amen.
Is the “oneness” of the
Father and Son a “physical” one
(the
19th century Unitarian concept and the modern
“oneness
doctrine”)? Consider 17:22-23.
[If the disciples are to be “one” in the same sense as the Father and
Son, a
much broader concept of “oneness” is clearly required.]
NKJV: 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one
just as We are one: 23 I in
them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world
may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
What practical,
down-to-earth reason was given
for the disciples to seek internal unity (
[So that the world might believe.
Consider the old adage/proverb:
“I can’t
hear what you are saying because of what you are doing.”]
NKJV: That they all may be one, as
You, Father, are in Me, and I
in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You
sent Me.
What danger arises from lack
of unity? Consider Matthew 12:25-26. [A
divided kingdom ultimately collapses; so do congregations.]
NKJV: 25 But Jesus
knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation, and every
city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is
divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by
Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them
out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
12:25
TEV: Jesus knew what they were
thinking, and so he said to them, “Any country that divides itself into groups
which fight each other will not last very long. And any town or family that
divides itself into groups which fight each other will fall apart.”
In John 17 Jesus mentions
one specific means of
avoiding such divisions.
What is it (
in us . . . not only as His gift, but as shaping our behavior as well.]
NKJV: And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You
loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
How does
1 Corinthians 13:1-7 show us a practical guide to congregational unity?
[If these attitudes
shape the congregation, its contentions will be reduced and far,
far easier to heal when they ultimately
occur.]
NKJV: 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but
have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I
bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me
nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is
not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does
not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does
not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears
all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 13 And now
abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
II. HOW JESUS WAS A PRACTICER OF UNITY THROUGH HIS ACTIONS AND TEACHING
A. THOUGHT AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
TWELVE APOSTLES . . .
Simon was a (Luke
Luke
6 NKJV: 13 And
when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named
apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter,
and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot
who also became a traitor..
Acts 1 NKJV: 12 Then they
returned to
What characterized such
people? [At
the minimum, vehemently
anti-Roman. Typically outright violent
against the occupation
forces; revolutionary in goal and intent.]
Pulpit Commentary on Luke 6:15: In SS. Matthew and Mark this apostle is called
"Simon the Kananite." This epithet does not
mean that Simon was a native or dweller in
At the other end of the
political spectrum was
Matthew ( = Levi) who was a (Matthew 10:3) . . . [Tax collector.]
NKJV: 2 Now the
names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and
Andrew his brother; James the son
of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the
tax collector; James the son
of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus,
whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4
Simon the Cananite , and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
What kind of conduct
characterized such individuals?
[As a tax collector he made his money
through collecting money for the
regime in power—the local Roman approved government and, ultimately,
some of it went to the Empire’s treasury.]
Yet Jesus
called both out of their sin and accepted them as disciples . . . and
there is no evidence it ever produced major conflict between them in spite of
their great differences!
As to outsiders who He
dealt with, He was quite willing to eat with the but equally willing to accept
into His company (Luke
being willing to accept the one who was an infamous sinner in their
eyes.
They drew acceptance lines He did not.
He did not hold the past against
anyone, but expected the future to be different.]
NKJV: 36 Then one of
the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house,
and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in
the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an
alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at
His feet behind Him weeping;
and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and
she kissed His feet and anointed them
with the fragrant oil.
44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her
tears and wiped them with the
hair of her head. 45 You
gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I
came in. 46 You did not
anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.
47 Therefore I say to you, her
sins, which are many, are
forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is
forgiven, the same loves
little.”
Furthermore,
we never find Him rejecting some one as too poor or too rich or anything else
for that matter—so long as they were willing to morally reform their
lives and put God first.
B. He stressed the kinds of attitudes that
promote unity and discourage division.
Consider
the commands and admonitions for love, right treatment of others, the
willingness to forgive etc.
Furthermore, Jesus taught
that reconciliation is so
important that it is ideal to do what in order to
have it immediately accomplished (Matthew
[To leave the worship service to deal with
the person we’ve done
wrong to.]
NKJV: 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that
your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be
reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
TEV: 23 So if you are about to offer your
gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something
against you, 24 leave your gift there
in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then
come back and offer your gift to God.
Weymouth: 23 If therefore when you are
offering your gift upon the altar, you remember that your brother has a
grievance against you, 24 leave your gift there before the
altar, and go and make friends with your brother first, and then return and
proceed to offer your gift.
If we are the injured
party what should we do: Pout?
Feel sorry for
ourselves? Seethe in resentment?
What positive approach did Jesus advocate
(Matthew 18:15-17)? [Try to reconcile
with the person; in worst case
take it to the congregational meeting for them
to
judge who is in the wrong.]
NKJV: 15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault
between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses
every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let
him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
C. He rebuked the pride of place that promotes
needless divisions within God’s people:
We are there to benefit each other and not to dominate
Discuss Luke
an argument among which was the most important; Jesus pointed out that
spiritual greatness comes from other things than the “position of leadership”
one holds.]
NKJV: 46 Then a
dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart,
took a little child and set him by Him, 48 and
said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him
who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”
ISV: 46 Now an
argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. 47 But Jesus,
knowing their inner thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes
this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the
one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is
greatest.”
BBE: 46 Now there was a
discussion among them about which of them would be the greatest. 47 But when Jesus saw the reasoning of
their hearts, he took a small child and put him by his side, 48 And said to them, Whoever gives honour to this child in my name, gives honour
to me: and whoever gives honour to me, gives honour to him who sent me: for whoever is least among you
all, that man is great.
Discuss Luke
to God’s people and not on official position.]
NKJV: 24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them
should be considered the greatest. 25 And He
said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over
them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’
26 But not so among you; on
the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he
who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table,
or he who serves? Is it not he
who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
CEV: 24 The
apostles got into an argument about which one of them was the greatest. 25 So Jesus told them: Foreign kings order
their people around, and powerful rulers call themselves everyone's friends. 26 But don't be like them. The most
important one of you should be like the least important, and your leader should
be like a servant. 27 Who do people
think is the greatest, a person who is served or one who serves? Isn't it the
one who is served? But I have been with you as a servant.
III. THE OLD
TESTAMENT PRECEDENT FOR EMPHASIZING UNITY
The Psalmist spoke of how
“ ” and
“ ” it is for God’s people
to be united
(Psalms 133:1) . . . [“Good”
and “pleasant.”]
NKJV: 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the
precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron,
running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the
dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of
Life forevermore.
133:1
TEV: How wonderful it is, how
pleasant, for God's people to live together in harmony!
133:1
Applying on a spiritual basis the Psalmist’s words
about the literal Jerusalemdrt5555
(Psalms 122:1, 6-9) . . . what characteristics should dominate the church and
rule out conflict?
NKJV: 1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the
Lord.” 6 Pray for the peace of
Verse 1 . . . [It should be a
place whose condition is such that we happily
encourage others to join us within it. A church in conflict
won’t be that way.]
NKJV: I was glad when they said
to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Holman: I rejoiced with those who said to
me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."
Verses 6-7 . . . [We should pray
for its peace and prosperity /
welfare—not for the victory of some faction over
another.]
NKJV: 6 Pray for the peace of
Verse 8 . . . [For the sake of
others present one should pray for its peace—
note the implication that it is not just an
ideal but of benefit to
those who are there. (Why else pray for it if it is not actually
needed?) Division
destroys!]
NKJV: For the sake of my
brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
ISV: For the sake of my relatives and
friends I will now say, “May there be peace within
you.”
Verse 9 . . . [Because it is
God’s house we will seek its good—not our own
. . . our advancement or
anything else.]
NKJV: Because of the house of
the Lord our God I
will seek your good.
ISV: For the sake of the Temple of the
Lord our God, I will seek your welfare.
NET: For the sake of the temple of the Lord our
God I will pray for you to prosper.
Isaiah speaks of how in
God’s kingdom and within His people there should be peace even among those we
would expect to be hostile. How is this idea conveyed in . . .
Isaiah 2:2-4? [Weapons destroyed; enemy nations not to
make war against
each other (verse 4); on an individual level,
this equivalent to
vastly different people co-operating instead of
fighting.]
NKJV: 2 Now it shall
come to pass in the latter days that
the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and
shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “Come,
and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and
we shall walk in His paths.” For out of
2:4
GW: Then he will judge disputes
between nations and settle arguments between many people. They will hammer
their swords into plowblades and their spears into
pruning shears. Nations will never fight against each other,
and they will never train for war again.
Isaiah 11:6-9? [Wolf lie down with the lamb, the
lion harmless
around the ox, the child plays unharmed by
poisonous
snakes though right next to him.]
NKJV: 6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie
down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down
together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by
the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den.
9 They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall
be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
TEV: 6 Wolves and sheep will live
together in peace, and leopards will lie down with young goats. Calves and lion
cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them. 7 Cows and bears will eat together, and
their calves and cubs will lie down in peace. Lions will eat straw as cattle
do. 8 Even a baby will not be harmed
if it plays near a poisonous snake. 9 On
Isaiah 35:8-10? [A place of moral
purity, joy and happiness—
not conflict; a place where no dangerous
animals are present.]
NKJV: 8 A highway shall be there, and a road,
and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over
it, but it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, nor
shall any ravenous beast go up
on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to
BBE: 8 And a highway will be there; its name will
be, The Holy Way; the unclean and the sinner may not go over it, and those who
go on it will not be turned out of the way by the foolish. 9 No
lion will be there, or any cruel beast; they will not be seen there; but those
for whom the Lord has given a price, 10 Even those whom he
has made free, will come back again; they will come with songs to Zion; on
their heads will be eternal joy; delight and joy will be theirs, and sorrow and
sounds of grief will be gone for ever.
Chapter 9:
Jesus’ Public Prayers
Seen by His Apostles and
Disciples
I. JESUS’ TEACHING THAT COULD LEAD ONE
TO THINK THAT PUBLIC
PRAYER IS INHERENTLY WRONG
What does Jesus say in
Matthew 6:5-6 that could lead a person to think that Jesus forbid a person to pray where others could hear it? [Praying
in public in synagogues and street corners rebuked;
an injunction to pray in secret.]
NKJV: 5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love
to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they
may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your
door, pray to your Father who is
in the secret place; and your
Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain
repetitions as the heathen do.
For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you
have need of before you ask Him
TEV: 5 When you pray, do
not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of
worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure
you, they have already been paid in full.
6 But when you pray, go to your room, close the
door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what
you do in private, will reward you. 7
When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think
that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. 8 Do not be like them. Your Father already
knows what you need before you ask him.
Since Jesus did engage in at least occasional public
prayers
the difference must lie in different motives.
What is the condemned motive given in Matthew 6:5?
[To “be seen by men,” i.e. the prayer was insincere
and hypocritical;
impressing others was the central goal rather than communicating
with God.]
Along the lines of above,
Matthew
also criticizes such motivations:
“For a make prayers.” [“Pretense
/ Long.”]
NKJV: Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make
long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
Holman: Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and make long prayers just for
show. This is why you will receive a harsher punishment.
Pulpit Commentary: They put on an appearance of extraordinary
devotion, that they might more easily secure the favor of the widows; or else
they exacted large sums of money, engaging to offer continual prayers for
the
donors (compare
made a gain of godliness at the expense of the most helpless members of the
community.
On those
occasions when Jesus prayed to God vocally in the presence of onlookers, He
clearly had dual purposes in mind: (1)
both to pray and (2) to simultaneously teach.
II. JESUS’ PRAYER FOR UNITY IN JOHN 17
What is said in the
closing part of chapter 16
that shows the setting is one with the disciples
present (
He responds directly to them.]
NKJV: 29 His
disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking
plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 Now
we are sure that You know all things, and have no need
that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You
came forth from God. 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now
believe? 32 Indeed the hour
is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and
will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
33 These things I have spoken to
you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 17:1 Jesus
spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father,
the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.”
Looking through this
prayer briefly—since we have
already gone through it in detail—what are some of
the things He says that serve as both prayer and
teaching / instruction of the disciples?
(1) Verses 1, 5 . . . [That no matter how terrible
what was
about to happen—the crucifixion—Jesus would still be glorified
by God in spite of everything.
Similarly, no matter what we go
through, God will remain on our side as well.]
NKJV:
1 Jesus
spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father,
the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with
You before the world was.
CEV: 1 After Jesus had finished speaking
to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and
prayed: Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order
that he may bring glory to you. 5 Now,
Father, give me back the glory that I had with you before the world was
created.
(2) Verse 12 . . . [Even though one
of them was going to be unfaithful,
that did not destroy the fact that everyone
else retained
their loyalty.
Church troublemakers today only reflect
their own troubled souls and not everyone else.]
NKJV: While I was with them in the
world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the
son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
(3) Verse 20 . . . [Jesus’ death will not be the end of
the movement.
Converts will continue to be made by
them. A lesson
for us:
Regardless of the setbacks the faith encounters,
it can still overcome them.]
NKJV: I do not pray for these alone,
but also for those who will believe in Me through
their word.
III. JESUS’ PRAYER UPON THE RETURN OF THE
SEVENTY IN LUKE 10
NKJV: 17 Then the
seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan
fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather
rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit
and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so,
Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me
by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the
Father is except the Son, and the one
to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you
see; 24 for I tell you that
many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and
have not heard it.”
Jesus’ mood when He
prayed this prayer (verse 21) . . . [Happy: He “rejoiced.]
NKJV: In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and
said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so,
Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
Why was Jesus in this mood? [Their journey had
given them the
opportunity to act unsupervised by Him and they had performed
marvelously and the work was a success.
They had even had successful
healings etc.]
In this verse, what
seemed good in God’s sight
that might well seem strange to mortals?
[That God would give such blessings to those society thought so
little of while ignoring the “learned” class.]
. . . How does 1 Corinthians 1:17-20 tie in with
this thought?
[God
has used what will appeal to those “unlearned” but which is
dismissed by their supposed “intellectual betters.”]
NKJV: 17 For Christ
did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18 For the
message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who
are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For
it is written: “I will destroy the
wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where
is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not
God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom
did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message
preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews
request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but
we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks
foolishness, 24 but to those who are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
The Father and the Son
had a special relationship
that could be known—recognized by—only those
to whom (verse 22) . . . [Christ revealed it;
in turn only those who
accepted Christ’s genuineness would be willing to accept it
as truth.
Hence only His disciples would be willing to fully
“know"
it—accepting it both intellectually and recognizing
it as truth.]
NKJV: All things have been delivered
to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is
except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to
reveal Him.”
In light of this could we
expect—by pure human reasoning alone—figure out the relationship of the Two? [No.]
IV. JESUS’ PRAYER WHEN HE RAISED LAZARUS
IN JOHN 11
NKJV: 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he
whom You love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death,
but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus
loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the
tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus
said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was
dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus
said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you
would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was
lying. And Jesus lifted up His
eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 And I know that You always hear
Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You
sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these
things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
44 And he who had died came out bound hand and
foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with
a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
What specific reason did
Jesus give for saying this prayer
aloud (verse 42) . . . [So observers would clearly know it
was done
by God’s power. No attributing it to Satan or
thinking there was some inherent “magical”
power in Jesus acting alone.]
NKJV: And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are
standing by I said this, that
they may believe that You sent Me.
Jesus’ words
explained the miracle; the miracle verified the credibility and truthfulness of
the words. How are two facts interlocked
in a similar manner in Matthew 9:5-7. . .
[Jesus verified the fact that he could
forgive sin by healing the
paralyzed. What they could not see
visible proof of (forgiveness),
He proved by that which they could
see visibly (healing).]
NKJV: 5 For which is easier, to
say, ‘Your sins are forgiven
you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive
sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your
bed, and go to your house.” 7 And he arose and departed to his house.
V. OLD TESTAMENT PRECEDENT FOR BOTH PRIVATE AND
PUBLIC PRAYER
A. Private Prayer
Implied in the case of .
. .
Jonah 1:17-2:1: Jonah in . . . [Inside
the giant fish creature.]
NKJV:
Daniel 6:10-11: Daniel alone in . . . [His
room.]
NKJV: 10 Now when
Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room,
with his windows open toward
Silent prayer even when
others were present:
The example of
Abraham’s
who was
praying in his (Genesis 24:42-45).
[Messenger / heart.]
NKJV: 42 “And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper
the way in which I go, 43 behold, I stand by the
well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw
water, and I say to her,
“Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” 44 and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw for
your camels also,”—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.’ 45 “But
before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and
she went down to the well and drew water.
And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ ”
24:45 TEV:
Before I had finished my silent prayer, Rebecca came with a water jar on
her shoulder and went down to the well to get water. I said to her, ‘Please
give me a drink.’ ”
Hannah prayed with her
lips moving, but
without (1 Samuel
NKJV: 10 And she was
in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and
wept in anguish. 11 Then she made a vow and
said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look
on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your
maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him
to the Lord all the days of his life, and no
razor shall come upon his head.”
12 And it happened, as she continued praying before
the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips
moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk?
Put your wine away from you!”
15 But
Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor
intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not consider
your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and
grief I have spoken until now.”
17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the
God of
B. Public Prayer
Examples of public prayer
include . . .
(1) 1 Kings
NKJV: 36 And it came
to pass, at the time of the
offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at
Your word. 37 Hear me,
O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that
You are the Lord God, and that
You have turned their hearts back to
You again.”
(2) 1 Chronicles 29:10-15 . . . [David]
NKJV: 10 Therefore David blessed the Lord
before all the assembly; and David said:
Blessed are You, Lord God of
13 Now therefore, our God, we thank You and
praise Your glorious name. 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as
this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. 15 For we are aliens
and pilgrims before You, as were
all our fathers; our days on earth are
as a shadow, and without hope.
(3) 2 Chronicles 20:5-13 . . . [Jehoshaphat]
NKJV: 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and
Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before
the new court, 6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that
no one is able to withstand You? 7 Are You not
our God, who drove out the
inhabitants of this land before Your people
10 And now, here are the people of Ammon,
Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel
invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and
did not destroy them— 11 here they are,
rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given
us to inherit. 12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great
multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
13 Now
all
Examples of “leading”
prayer . . .
“led”
the prayer in 1 Chronicles 29 on behalf of
both himself and all the people. [David]
NKJV: 10 Therefore
David blessed the Lord before all the assembly;
and David said: Blessed
are You, Lord God of
20 Then David said to all the assembly,
“Now bless the Lord your God.” So all the
assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers,
and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.
29:20 Holman: Then David said to the whole assembly,
“Praise the Lorfd your God.” So the whole assembly
praised the Lord God of their ancestors. They bowed down and paid homage to the
Lord and the king.
The same seems to be the
case with
in
2 Chronicles 20 as well. [Jehoshaphat]
NKJV: 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and
Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before
the new court, 6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that
no one is able to withstand You? 7 Are You not our
God, who drove out the
inhabitants of this land before Your people
13 Now all
It also appears that “led” a prayer of
leaders over the surprising military defeat they had
endured due to the goods from their previous victory
not being destroyed (Joshua 7:6; context: 7:3-12). [Joshua]
NKJV: 6 Then Joshua
tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of
7:6-7 TEV: 6 Joshua and the leaders of
Chapter 10:
Irrelevancies of Prayer
I. JESUS WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH THE PLACE HE PRAYED
Some places He prayed at
. . .
Mark
NKJV: 34 Then He healed many who were sick with
various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to
speak, because they knew Him. 35 Now in
the morning, having risen a long while before
daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
Luke 5:16: [“Wilderness.”]
NKJV: So He Himself often withdrew into the
wilderness and prayed.
ISV: However, he continued his habit of retiring
to deserted places and praying.
Luke
6:12
NKJV: Now it came to pass in those days
that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to
God.
9:28 NKJV: Now it came to pass, about eight days after
these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain
to pray.
John 11:39, 41: [Outside a
tomb.]
NKJV: 39 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself,
came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 41 Then they took away the stone from the
place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said,
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.”
Luke
[
NKJV: 10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one
a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted.
Mark 14:15; John 17:1:
[In an upper room in
Mark
14:15 NKJV: Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.
John 17:1 NKJV: Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes
to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may
glorify You.”
18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went
out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where
there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.
Luke 22:39-42: [
NKJV: 39 Coming out, He
went to the
. . . Which was a (John 18:1) . . . [Garden.]
NKJV: When Jesus had spoken these words, He went
out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where
there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.
Luke 23:33-34, 46: [From the cross.]
NKJV: 33 And when they had
come to the place called
The Old Testament was not
concerned with where one prayed at either . . .
Genesis 21:33: [Abraham, next to a tree he had
planted.]
NKJV: Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in
2 Samuel 15:30-31: [David on
NKJV: 30 So
David went up by the Ascent of the
1 Kings 8:44-45: [On the way to battle.]
NKJV: 44 When Your people go out to battle against
their enemy, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the
city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, 45 then
hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
CEV: 44 Our Lord, sometimes you will order your
people to attack their enemies. Then your people will turn toward this temple I
have built for you in your chosen city, and they will pray to you. 45 Answer
their prayers from heaven and give them victory.
Implied in 2 Kings 20:1-5 [On a bed.]
NKJV: 1 In those days
Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord:
‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ” 2 Then he turned
his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Remember now,
O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart,
and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And
it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of
the Lord came to him, saying, 5 “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My
people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: "I have heard
your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day
you shall go up to the house of the Lord.’
Psalms 107:23-30: [At sea.]
NKJV: 23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, who
do business on great waters, 24 They see the works of the Lord, and His wonders
in the deep. 25 For
He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. 26
They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul
melts because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken
man, and are at their wits' end. 28 Then they cry out to the Lord in their
trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. 29 He calms the storm,
so that its waves are still. 30 Then they are glad because they are quiet; so
He guides them to their desired haven.
Lamentations 3:55: [Out of a place of confinement; the
equivalent
of a jail cell.]
NKJV: I called on Your
name, O Lord, from the lowest pit.
Pulpit Commentary: There seems every reason for believing that,
in
these words, the prophet is recording his own actual experience. Under the
reign of Zedekiah, when the doom of
faithful Jeremiah prophesied to the people, and by his warnings and
predictions so offended the princes who were in authority in the city that
they cast him into the pit of the prison. By Divine goodness he was
delivered
from this misery by the agency of the eunuch Ebed-Melech.
Like a truly
godly man, he witnesses that God is ever the Hearer of his people’s prayers.
Daniel 6:10: [In his home.]
NKJV: When Daniel knew that the document had been
signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open
toward
Joel 1:14: [The
NKJV: Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord
your God, and cry out to the Lord.
II. JESUS WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH HIS POSTURE IN PRAYER
When He was on the Mount
of Transfiguration,
the implication seems to be that
Jesus was (Luke
NKJV: 28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings,
that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was
altered, and His robe became
white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses
and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke
of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep;
and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood
with Him.
Luke 3:21: [Standing in the
NKJV:
When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was
baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.
He taught the Model
Prayer
while (Matthew 5:1, 6:9): [While sitting.]
NKJV: 5:1 And seeing the
multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came
to Him. 6 In this
manner, therefore, pray: Our
Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 26:19-20, 26: [Sitting.]
NKJV: 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they
prepared the Passover. 20 When evening had come,
He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as
they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you
will betray Me.” 26 And
as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
In
NKJV: And He was
withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed.
. . . During at least
part of the time He was in the Garden (Matthew 26:39) . . . [He had his face to the
ground.]
NKJV: He went a little farther and fell on His
face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I
will, but as You will.”
NET: Going a little farther, he threw
himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if possible,
let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
John 11:41: [Eyes
toward heaven.]
NKJV: Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was
lying. And Jesus lifted up His
eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that
You have heard Me.
NET: So they took away the stone.
Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you that you have listened to
me.”
John 17:1: [Eyes
looking upward.]
NKJV: Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes
to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your
Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.”
Luke 24:50-51: [With
hands raised.]
NKJV: 50 And He led
them out as far as
Matthew Poole’s Commentary: And he lifted up his hands
and blessed them: some think that by blessing here is meant praying, and
the lifting up of his hands was accommodated to that religious action. Others
think that blessing here signifieth a more
authoritative act; and that his lifting up of his hands was a stretching out of
his hands, as a sign of that effectual blessing of them. [RW:
Whatever else the “blessing” may or may not have included, it is hard to
believe that it did not, at least include
a prayer that these blessings would occur and be their gift.]
THE OLD TESTAMENT ALSO
PROVIDED PRECEDENT FOR VARIED POSTURES IN PRAYER. NONE WAS EVER BOUND AS ESSENTIAL FOR ALL
CIRCUMSTANCES.
Genesis 24:12-14; 2
Chronicles 20:9: [Standing.]
Genesis
24 NKJV: 12 Then
he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please
give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, here
I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are
coming out to draw water. 14 Now let it be that
the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’
and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by
this I will know that You have shown kindness to my
master.”
2 Chronicles 20:9
NKJV: If disaster comes upon us—sword,
judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and
You will hear and save.
TEV: That if any disaster struck them to punish
them--a war, an epidemic, or a famine--then they could come and stand in front
of this Temple where you are worshiped. They could pray to you in their
trouble, and you would hear them and rescue them.
2 Samuel 7:18; 1
Chronicles 17:16: [Sitting.]
2
Samuel 7 NKJV: 14 “I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the
rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from
before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom
shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established
forever.” 17 According
to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. 18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my
house, that You have brought me this far?”
1 Chronicles
Psalms 95:6-7; Ezra
9:5-6: [Kneeling.]
Psalms
95:6-7 NKJV: 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God,
and we are the people of His
pasture, and the sheep of His hand. . . .
Ezra
9:5-6 NKJV: 5 At the evening sacrifice I arose
from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and
spread out my hands to the Lord my God. 6 And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and
humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen
higher than our heads, and our
guilt has grown up to the heavens.”
Exodus 34:8-9;
Deuteronomy 9:25-26: [Face
to ground.]
Exodus
34 NKJV: 8 So
Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. 9 Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even
though we are a stiff-necked
people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”
Deuteronomy 9: 5 “Thus I
prostrated myself before the Lord; forty days and
forty nights I kept prostrating myself, because the Lord
had said He would destroy you. 26 Therefore I prayed
to the Lord, and said: ‘O Lord God, do not destroy Your
people and Your inheritance whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom
You have brought out of
BBE: 25 So I went down on my face in prayer before the Lord for
forty days and forty nights as I did at first; because the Lord had said that
he would put an end to you. 26 And I made prayer to
the Lord and said, O Lord God, do not send destruction on your people and your
heritage, to whom, by your great power, you have given salvation, whom you have
taken out of Egypt by the strength of your hand.
Genesis 24:48; Exodus
4:31;
2 Chronicles 29:30: [Bowed
head.]
Genesis
24:48 NKJV: And
I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and
blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who
had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master's brother for
his son.
Exodus 4:31 NKJV: So the people believed; and when they heard
that the Lord had visited the children of Israel
and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and
worshiped.
2 Chronicles 29:30 NKJV: Moreover King Hezekiah and the leaders
commanded the Levites to sing praise to the Lord
with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So
they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Ezra 9:5-6; 1 Kings 8:22,
54; Isaiah 1:15-16:
[With raised hands.]
Ezra 9:5-6 NKJV:
5
At the evening sacrifice I arose from my
fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread
out my hands to the Lord my God. 6 And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and
humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen
higher than our heads, and our
guilt has grown up to the heavens.”
1 Kings 8:22, 54,
NKJV: 22 Then Solomon stood before the
altar of the Lord in the presence of all the
assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven. 54 And so it was,
when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, that he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread
up to heaven.
Isaiah 1:15-16 NKJV: When you spread out your hands, I will hide My
eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves, make
yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil.”
Psalms 123:1-2; 141:8-9: [Eyes lifted up
toward heaven.]
Psalms 123 NKJV: 1 Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who
dwell in the heavens. 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the
hand of her mistress, so our eyes look
to the Lord our God,
until He has mercy on us.
8 But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; in You I take refuge;
do not leave my soul destitute. 9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the traps
of the workers of iniquity.
III. JESUS WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH THE LENGTH OF HIS PRAYERS
How long would you
estimate the following prayers of Jesus would have been?
The Model/Disciples’
Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)
that He endorsed as a role model? [About a minute.]
NKJV: 9 In this manner,
therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily
bread. 12 And forgive us
our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever. Amen.
In Luke 23:32-46 there
are two prayers.
About how long is each? [Seconds.]
NKJV: 33 And when they had come to the place called
Jesus’ prayer in
Gethsemane
probably lasted . . . [Hours in total.]
Evidence:
It had to be long enough
for the apostles to fall
asleep
times (Matthew 26:40-46). [Three times.]
NKJV: 40 Then He
came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, lest you enter
into temptation. The spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is
weak.” 42 Again, a second time, He went
away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass
away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
43 And He came and found them asleep again, for
their eyes were heavy. 44 So He left them, went
away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and
resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into
the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going.
See, My betrayer is at hand.”
Jesus seems to imply that
before He broke from prayer
to check on the apostles, about an had
passed (Matthew 26:40), which leads many to conclude
that a similar period lay between His other two
returns.
[An hour.]
NKJV: “Then He came
to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What!
Could you not watch with Me one hour?”
Prior to going to the
(John 18:1), Jesus prayed
the chapter long prayer
in chapter 17 which would have required?
[Six or seven minutes or
more.]
NKJV:
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over
the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He
and His disciples entered.
After feeding the five
thousand He prayed from
“the ” (Matthew
time in the “ watch of the night” (
which would have envolved a
period of . . . .
[From “the evening” until the “fourth
watch,” making it a period of
hours—from at least sunset until the middle of the night.]
NKJV: 22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and
go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went
up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was
alone there. 24 But the
boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was
contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the
night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And
when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It
is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be
of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
TEV: 22 Then Jesus made the disciples get
into the boat and go on ahead to the other side of the lake, while he sent the
people away. 23 After sending the
people away, he went up a hill by himself to pray. When evening came, Jesus was
there alone; 24 and by this time the boat was far out in the
lake, tossed about by the waves, because the wind was blowing against it. 25 Between three
and six o'clock in the morning Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the
water. 26 When they saw him walking on the water, they were
terrified. “It's a ghost!” they said, and screamed with fear. 27 Jesus
spoke to them at once. “Courage!” he said. “It is
Pulpit Commentary: “And in the fourth watch
of the night:” Therefore some nine hours after sunset (verse 23). They
had been battling for hours, and had only gone about three miles and a half
(John
In a similar manner, the
Old Testament was not concerned with the length of a prayer—whatever
most fit the opportunity and the subject matter.
We know there were short
prayers. . .
Controlling how much one
says was endorsed
as (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2) . . . [Prudential, presumably
lest we “over
promise” ourselves to God due to runaway enthusiasm; has
vows/promises specifically in mind, but principle would
apply to
prayer as well.]
NKJV: 1 Walk
prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear
rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do
evil. 2 Do not be rash with
your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven,
and you on earth; therefore let your words be few.
TEV: 1 Be
careful about going to the
Examples of short prayers
. . .
Moses for Miriam’s
(Numbers
NKJV: So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!”
David for guidance as to
(1 Samuel 23:2):
[Whether to attack the
Philistines.]
NKJV: Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these
Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and
attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”
David for instruction as to
(1 Samuel 30:8):
[Whether to pursue the
enemy.]
NKJV: So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I
overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
Elisha praying for the healing of (2 Kings 6:1): [Blind man.]
NKJV: And Elisha prayed,
and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he
may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the
young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Yet long prayers are also
referred to. (For full text please read them in your
preferred translation.)
By Solomon at the (1
Kings
NKJV: 22 Then
Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the
presence of all the assembly of
By Jonah for (Jonah
2:1-10): [Rescue
from drowning.]
NKJV: 1 Then Jonah
prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly.
2 And he said: “I cried out
to the Lord because of
my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol
I cried, and You
heard my voice.
By Isaiah for (Isaiah
63:15-64:12):
[God’s ultimate mercy in
spite of
64:9
NKJV: Do not be
furious, O Lord, nor
remember iniquity forever; indeed, please look—we all are Your people!
IV. JESUS WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH THE TIME OF DAY THAT HE PRAYED
Jesus prayed at such
times as these . . .
Mark
NKJV: Now in the morning, having risen
a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and
there He prayed.
John
setting and what is happening): [During daylight hours.]
NKJV: 38 Then Jesus,
again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay
against it. 39 Jesus said,
“Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was
dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to
you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was
lying. And Jesus lifted up His
eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 And I know that You always hear
Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You
sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these
things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
Luke 24:28-31: [Near sunset
or soon thereafter.]
NKJV: 28 Then they
drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would
have gone farther. 29 But
they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the
day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. 30
Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took
bread, blessed and broke it,
and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were
opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
24:29 WEB: They urged him, saying, “Stay
with us, for it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.” He went in to
stay with them.
Mark 6:35, 46: [Very late
in the day the prayer began.]
NKJV: 35 When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him
and said, “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. 36 Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding
country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to
eat.” [Feeding of the
5,000 follows.] 45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat
and go before Him to the other side, to
. . . And in the parallel
account we find He continued
the prayer from “when came” deep
into the night (Matthew
NKJV: 22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and
go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went
up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone
there. 24 But the
boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was
contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the
night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And
when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It
is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
Luke 6:12: [“All night.”]
NKJV: Now it came to pass in those days that He
went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
The Old Testament was not
concerned with the time of day for prayer either--as indicated by the following
examples . . .
Psalms 119:62: [
NKJV: At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your
righteous judgments.
NIV: At
Isaiah 26:9: [Night
and early day.]
NKJV: With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit
within me I will seek You early; for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of
the world will learn righteousness.
NET: I look for you during the night, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn, for when your
judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice.
Psalms 119:145-147: [Before
sunrise]
NKJV: 145 I cry out
with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes. 146 I
cry out to You; save me, and I
will keep Your testimonies. 147 I rise
before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope
in Your word.
119:147: I got up before dawn, and I cried
out for help. My hope is based on your word.
Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10: [Prayer three times a day.]
Psalm
55:17 NKJV: Evening
and morning and at
Daniel
Psalms 119:164: [Prayer
seven times a day.]
NKJV: Seven times a day I praise You,
because of Your righteous judgments.
ESV: Seven times a day I praise you for your
righteous rules.
Psalm 22:1-2; 88:1-2: [Prayer day
and night.]
Psalm
22 NKJV: 1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken
Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?
2 O My God, I cry in the
daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season,
and am not silent.
Psalm 88 NKJV: 1 O Lord,
God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry.
V. JESUS WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH THE
NUMBER OF
PEOPLE PRESENT WHEN HE PRAYED
OR WHETHER PEOPLE PRAYED
AS HE PRAYED—HE HAD NO STANDARD PRACTICE ON THE MATTER
Matthew 14:23; Luke 9:28;
John 6:15: [Prayed
alone.]
Matthew
14 NKJV: 22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and
go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went
up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone
there.
Luke
John 6:15 NKJV: 15 Therefore
when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make
Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Luke 3:21: [Praying alone, but in a crowd.]
NKJV: When all the people were baptized, it came to
pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.
Luke 9:28-29; Luke
22:39-41: [With 3 apostles in first
case; with
all but Judas in second case (though their prayers were separate).]
Luke
9 NKJV: 28 Now it came
to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and
James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As
He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
This could be read either as praying with
them at the beginning or as going to the mountain to separately pray—to reinforce the teaching that there are times to pray
for everyone. The second case is clearly
the latter:
Luke 22 NKJV: 39 Coming out, He went to the
Old Testament precedent
for such variation in prayer practice was covered in detail in the previous
chapter.
Conclusion
We
have not attempted to cover everything that could be considered, but to provide
a broad but detailed analysis of much of it.
In ending this study one thing should be remembered in particular: Learning about prayer is fine and
good—but it can never be a replacement for actual prayer. It is rather like faith and works—unless you
actually manifest it in behavior, is all of your knowledge of any real
value?