Prayers for Non-Professionals
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 NIV
Teach us – The disciples were Jewish, through and through. They had been praying in the synagogue and in their homes since they were old enough to speak. They were surrounded by daily prayers, praying rituals, and a praying culture. Why, then, do they ask Yeshua to teach them to pray? And why is this event recorded only in the gospel of Luke?
Both questions might be answered by paying attention to Luke’s intended audience. Luke writes for Gentiles, who, by the way, also knew what prayer was. But just like the formal prayer rituals of the Jewish society, their experience of prayer was not personal. It was practiced religious performance, like the typical communal prayer you hear when you attend a religious service and the professional leading the service begins with, “Let us pray.” What follows is what is expected in services like these. Carefully worded, theologically correct, non-offensive, topically sufficient and, most of all, not emotionally distressing. Not like this:
“What’s the matter with You, God? I waited and waited for You to answer me and all I got was more sorrow, more grief. Where the hell are You?”
“Oh, Lord, I’m overwhelmed by Your majesty. I can hardly breathe. Your spirit is crushing the life out of me—but it’s good, so good. Don’t let me up, Lord, not for a second. Beat me into the shape You want. That’s what I want too.”
“You promised! Yes, that’s right. You promised. And I believed you. Now I don’t know why. Did You just lead me on so that You could trip me up later? I don’t understand You at all.”
“Lord, Lord—I, I’m, I’m just, You know, a sinful man. I try. No, that’s not right either. I want to try, but there’s something in me that hates You. No, that’s not true either. I just hate the rules! I don’t want to listen to You. I know it’s stupid. I know it’s wrong, but I just can’t get over this. No one really knows how miserable I am, and sometimes, Lord, I don’t think You even care. You want me to do what’s right, but when I do, bad things happen. I hate being guilty all the time. What can I do? Help me!”
“What an amazing feeling! Free from the oppressive guilt I’ve carried all my life. I can’t express my gratitude enough. I never knew I could feel like this. Thank You. Thank You.”
Or maybe there just aren’t any words. Tears of remorse. Tears of joy. Mixed together.
Do you suppose that the disciples craved to pray like this? Not the Shema, which they certainly knew. In fact, not most of the prayers we find today, neatly printed for our reading experience in some book. Do you suppose that Yeshua’s prayers were intimately personal, and that’s why the disciples longed to know how to find that same kind of experience? Of course, we could chalk it up to “sinlessness.” Yeshua didn’t sin, so he had a special relationship with the Father—something we will never have. But then, why bother to learn how to pray from the sinless position? No, I suspect that the disciples heard something, saw something, that made them long to have the same kind of intimacy. And so do we.
Luke writes for people like us—Gentiles, outsiders who never grew up in the Spirit-rinse cycle of communal prayer. We need to be taught too. But who will do that now?
Topical Index: prayer, teach, Luke 11:1
