. . . the real Lord's Prayer is in John, not Matthew or Luke. Matthew's
recording of the Sermon on the Mount presents extensive teaching on
prayer, the most famous of which begins:
"This, then, is how you should pray:
'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name . . .'" (Mt. 6:9)
Declaring "this then is how you should pray," Jesus certainly has our attention!
Luke records Jesus presenting the same basic prayer in reply to a request from one of His disciples:
“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.’" (Lk. 11:1)
In each setting, Jesus presents His disciples a template that is now
universally known as "The Lord's Prayer" and is recited in thousands of
congregations across the globe every Sunday. Some commentators and
preachers have pointed out that the prayer, though presented by the
Lord, is intended for the disciples, thus they now refer to it as The
Disciple's Prayer. Correct as that is, since God is referred to as
"our" Father, it may be even more accurate to entitle this The Church's
Prayer.
All that to say, if the traditional Lord's Prayer in Matthew and Luke
is a prayer given to His disciples and His Church, then the prayer of
our Lord in John 17 is more accurately the Lord's Prayer. In this
amazing passage, we eavesdrop on Jesus as He communes with the Father
intimately and intensely. And as we mediate on the words and the
relationship revealed in that prayer, we are given a template for both
our personal prayers and our praying in community with other believers.
Firstly, Jesus prays for Himself as twice He implores the Father to
"glorify" Him. Good news! Even Jesus brings personal needs to the
Father, allowing us to do the same without guilt, right? Sort of . . .
Jesus' petition has a "so that" attached to it:
“Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you." (v. 1)
Our Lord teaches us that to pray for our self is not unspiritual as
long as the purpose and result of our request is that ultimately the
Father is honored and blessed. We can certainly pray about our needs,
as long as the answer to such points to both us and others to God.
Prayer is about God, even our personal requests.
Secondly, Jesus prays for His disciples that the Father will "protect
them from the evil one" (v. 15). Once again, our common understanding
is turned on its head. Jesus is modeling the prayers He expects His
disciples to pray; not the typical get-me-out requests prompted by our
latest trial or trouble but help-me-through supplications for strength
to endure and overcome.
Thirdly, Jesus prays for "those who will believe in me through their
message" (v. 20), usually thought of as we who are alive today. But,
since we are already included in the second segment of our Lord'
prayer, it seems to me we should apply this portion of the prayer to
those in our community and world who do not yet know Christ. Is this
not a prayer for those not yet in the family of God? Is not the unity
Jesus seeks for His Church "to let the world know that you sent me and
have loved them even as you have loved me" (v. 21)? Is our Lord not
asking the Father that those He has "sent them into the world" (v.
18), would be witnesses who make disciples of all nations throughout
all generations?
The Lord's Prayer, the one His beloved disciple John heard and
recorded, teaches us to pray for ourselves so that God's answer
glorifies Himself as He blesses us; to pray for fellow believers who
need to live godly and patient lives in the midst of problems and even
persecution; to pray for those who are not now followers of the One who
died on the Cross to bring them into eternal fellowship with the
Father.
It seems to me this Lord's prayer enables us to pray for the here and
now that result in blessings that live on through an endless and
limitless eternity.
Phil Miglioratti
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December 2007 
