Over and Underfamiliarity with Matthew 6:11
Hearing something repeatedly can diminish its significance. I suspect
that this is particularly true of Scripture. Overfamiliarity with a
biblical passage can contribute to its misunderstanding. Sometimes it
can reduce a profound saying to nothing more than a cliché.
The Lord's Prayer (Mt. 6:9-13) ranks among the most popular passages in
the New Testament. Most people who regularly attend a church can recite
it from memory. It is a prayer that we have heard and said many times.
One of the more memorable lines of the prayer is "Give us this day our
daily bread" (Mt. 6:11). Let us pause for a moment and consider this
entreaty phrase by phrase.
The line begins with the blunt imperative, "Give us!" This is a curious
manner in which to address God. I have heard parents scold a spoiled
child for using similar language.*
The middle phrase is "this day." I suppose that Jesus intended for his
disciples to say this prayer each morning, as they looked forward to
God's provision throughout the day.**
The third and final phrase is "our daily bread," which seems simply to
mean the necessary portion of food that a disciple needed to sustain him
or herself. Apparently, Jesus taught his disciples to expect that God
would meet their fundamental needs day by day.
For the majority of Christians who live in Western Europe, North
America, and other prosperous areas, "Give us this day our daily bread"
has little relevance. As audacious as this assertion may be, it can be
easily verified: simply go to the nearest refrigerator and take
inventory of its contents. This line of the prayer is largely irrelevant
for me, too. My kitchen...
... middle of paper ...
...Parable of the Spoiled Son in Joseph Frankovic's "The Power of
Parables," Jerusalem Perspective 48 (Jul.-Sept. 1995), p. 11, and Brad
Young's Jesus and His Jewish Parables (Tulsa, OK: Gospel Research
Foundation, 1989), pp. 86-88.
**Compare Matthew 6:11 to its Lukan parallel: "Give us each day our
daily bread." Apparently, even Luke struggled with the radical
implications of Jesus' instructions to pray "Give us this day our daily
bread." See David Flusser, "Hillel and Jesus: Two Ways of
Self-Awareness" in _Hillel and Jesus: Comparisons of Two Major Religious
Leaders_, eds. James Charlesworth and Loren Johns (Minneapolis, MN:
Fortress Press, 1997), p. 72.
***This remark is based upon the portrait of Jesus that emerges from the
Synoptic Gospels. A different portrait of Jesus' attitude toward Torah
emerges from John's Gospel. (Compare Jn. 5:10; 8:17; 9:14.)
Our theme for the week of prayer has been, "Going Hard after the Holy God." Last week we focused on the Holy God. Today we focus on "going hard." The phrase is adapted from A.W. Tozer, whose little book, The Pursuit of God, has a chapter entitled, "Following hard after God." Tozer wrote this book in 1948 but if anything it is more relevant today. After showing how Moses and David and Paul and all the great hymn writers were even thirsting after more of God he writes
...hey were praying for world piece, a family member or friend, or the strength to carry out each day. The prayer that I did hear twice though, was a prayer for how thankful they were for their life.
In the early hours of D-Day, with the outcome of the battle still in the balance, the nation prayed.
Rosenbaum, David E. "With Little Ado, Congress Put God in Pledge in 1954." The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 June 2002. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Around the crown: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men - Luke, chapter II, verse 14."
" The Lord God gave, and the Lord God hath taken away; blessed be the
this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the
The Sermon on the Mount is founded in the gospel of Matthew in chapters 5-7 in the bible. Also, the Sermon on the Mount is in the new testament in the bible. The New Testament gospels were collected around 70 to 90 C.E. Jesus Christ put a huge emphasis on the Sermon on the Mount because the passage showed how Christians are supposed to live and it is described as the teaching of Jesus. In addition, the Sermon on the Mount describes the people that were blessed by god. Furthermore, the reading basically said that if you did the right things as Christian, the individual will get rewarded. This was a big focus of the reading. Many people consider the Sermon on the Mount, the most important Sermon, Jesus
Matthew 18 starts out with "at that time" to signify that within the same hour of Jesus being accused of not paying the temple tax he also explains the humility it takes to reach the Kingdom (Mitch and Sri, 226). It would logically make sense because Christ speaks about the benefits and reputation of being sons of God who is the Kingdom; moreover, this could stir the disciples to question their own rank in the Kingdom compared to other disciples (Mitch and Sri, 226). However, the authors believe that the disciples questioning of their own rank was ignited by Jesus revealing Himself to Peter more fully because he knew Christ was the Messiah and Jesus gave him a higher authority in teaching and judicial matters by electing him as the rock of the Church
In Matthew 24:43–25:13, it gives us a story of Jesus. We see Jesus painted as a thief in the night and as a bridegroom, both being mirrored images of Jesus as the returning King. The central message in both stories is to watch and be ready, because the day and hour of His coming are unknown. In Matthew 24:43-51, it gives a parable of two slaves, one whom is a wise and faithful servant, found caring for the master’s household (God’s people). The other is an evil servant whom beats the other slaves, lives among the world, and commits worldly acts. In Matthew 25:1-13, we find a parallel story, about ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and did not take extra oil, and five were prudent and carried extra oil for the trip. In both stories, we find the faithful understood that watching meant being properly prepared, servicing the kingdom, and knowing that Jesus will return at an unknown time. The unfaithful were not ready for the kingdom, they showed their true character, and thought they had more time. The Scriptures drops the message that one day the Lord will return as King to judge all. There will be a reward for the true servants and there will be punishment for the false servants.
The Lord's Prayer Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
“E se o baba, Ese o baba; kini ma fi san ore re, bi oti dun to laye mi.” (Thank you Lord, thank you Lord; how can I pay for all your good things you have done in my life)
And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
“Ta la- not today, Little One; it is not the wish of the Great Spirit.”
Once again, thank you, Lord, for allowing us to complete the construction of this building / this house of prayer despite numerous challenges encountered during the progress of this project. Today, we have no words to express our gratitude to you, because in the most difficult times, you have always supported us, encouraged us and made us victorious. Be pleased, mercifully, to dwell in this house for the glory of your name and sanctify it so that every prayer made in this house rises before you as a fragrant aroma.