PALM/PASSION SUNDAY, 2010

 

Last Wednesday evening I spoke about how many times I have prayed the Lord’s Prayer in my 51 years. Like many of you, I pray the Lord’s Prayer every day, and sometimes more than once a day. And so, like you I have prayed the Lord’s Prayer 1,000’s of times. That got me to thinking: did Jesus, who taught us this prayer, ever pray the Lord’s Prayer Himself? 

Now, there’s no record of Jesus ever praying the complete Lord’s Prayer, but we know that He certainly prayed, and often. We heard this day of how, in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest and crucifixion, He fervently prayed: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." This is the 3^rd petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done.” Well, then, what about the other parts of the Prayer? Let’s consider them. 

“Our Father who art in heaven.” This one’s easy. There were many times that Jesus called upon His Father by name in prayer. 

“Hallowed be Thy name.” Jesus certainly honored His Father by His actions and so brought honor to His name. In John 17 there is also recorded this prayer that He prayed the night of His arrest, while in the upper room with His disciples:

“Father, I have glorified You on earth. I have finished the work You gave Me to do. Now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world began.” (John 17:4-5)

This sounds like “Hallowed be Thy name” to me! 

“Thy kingdom come.” In Matthew 11 Jesus prayed this petition of the Lord’s Prayer when He prayed:

"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden [Your kingdom’s presence] from the wise and understanding and revealed it to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:25-27)

In Jesus and His works the kingdom of God has come and is present. He invites those who are burdened to come to Him, that He might give them His kingdom. 

We’ve already heard Jesus pray, “Thy will be done.” What about, “Give us this day our daily bread”? Although the Bible does not record for us the words He used, we are told several times of Jesus blessing the food before the people ate. He prayed for, and thanked His Father for, daily bread. 

“Lead us not into temptation.” In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus told His disciples to pray this, and so He probably prayed it, also. But, there are also these words from John 12, which Jesus prayed either on Palm Sunday itself or the day following:

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." (John 12:27-28)

Jesus is being tempted to turn from His coming death. He asks His Father to save Him from this temptation and glorify His name by helping Him face that trial. “Lead us not into temptation,” He prays, and the Father responds to Him from heaven. 

“But deliver us from evil.” What were the last words that Jesus cried out from the cross before He died? “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit!” Different words, but, committing Himself to His Father, who in three days would raise Him from the dead, Jesus was delivered from evil. 

I have forgotten one petition, haven’t I? “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” As He was nailed to the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them,” thereby praying the second part of this petition. But, what about the first part? Did Jesus ever pray for forgiveness for Himself? 

No. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t! Of course He would not pray for forgiveness. After all, Jesus committed no sin, did He? True, He was considered a blasphemer by the Jewish leadership and was sentenced to a criminal’s death by Pontius Pilate. But, He was innocent, as even Pilate knew. He was not a sinner. 

Then again, on the cross He was made a sinner, wasn’t He? God laid on Him the sins of the world, and He bore the responsibility for them! This was why He could not and would not pray for forgiveness. Jesus did not want God to look away from His sin. He wanted God, who is holy and just, to punish Him for them. He embraced and bound to Himself our sins that God’s hatred of them and anger because of them, and the punishment He promised, might be upon Him and not us. Jesus would not turn away from this by asking for forgiveness. He embraced it because He wanted God turning toward us, not as a judge with anger and punishment, but as our loving Father with mercy and love. 

Keep this in mind when you pray the Lord’s Prayer. You have a Father in heaven who loves you, forgives you, and provides for you because of Jesus! You are God’s child because Jesus turned from His lofty status as Son to the lowly and despised status of sinner. “He made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, [and] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2) But, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every other name: Jesus, which means, “God saves.” Glory in His name this Holy Week as you bow before Him in praise and thanks-giving, and every time you pray the prayer He taught you to pray!