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1-1-1942

Prayer in the Life of Jesus

Harold Glen Brown
Butler University

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Brown, Harold Glen, "Prayer in the Life of Jesus" (1942). Graduate Thesis Collection. Paper 348.

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 PRAYJ:m IN THE LIFB 01i' Jl!~SUS

by

HAROJill GI..Jt~N :BRm"lllf

A thesis aubrm tt.ed in p ar t LeL fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of Master of Arts
The College of Religion

Division of Graduate Instruction

Butler University
Indianapolis
1942
I '
 PRJ~FACE

This paper has been prepared in the mfu s t of' a blooa.y

confli ct whi ch has enveloped. the entlr e globe. Ln a t i'11e when

su ch g Lgan t t c f'or ce s of d e s ur uc t Lon ar e r ampan t in the world, it

may seem to many tha1i prayer is insu:tficient or u t t er Ly powerless

to cope wt nn 1ihis world-wide t naana ty .~(et it is in 1iimes of

gr ea t crises tha.t people become mor e concious of their own in -

aa.equacies and. instinctively direct tbeir thoughts to that greater,

mightier, higher power, God~

'l'he present cnao t t o e onc a t.r oris intensii'iea a Lorig= re Lt

need of the writer for a better understanaing of prayer; as a

result, this dessertation has been iorthcoming.

We are greatly Lnueb t eo "tiO our ma jor pr ore aaor , Bruce

L. Ker ahne r , for his many helpful suggestions ana co mmen1:;S.

Harold Glen Bro~vn.

Indianapolis, Jndt ana,

April, 1942.

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
PREFAC}i~ •••••• • • . • ••••• •••• ••• • •••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••• 11

INTRODUC'fION. • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • 1

I. PR.AY}jH ID1!:AL IN 'fEE JJIFE OF JESUS ••••••••••••• 2,

II. lf1ACTORS IN PRAYJ<;H••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 6

Occasion •••••••••••••.•••• ·....

· .
............ .. .............
Purpose •••••••••
Content.
Effect •••••••
Discipline •.••••.
··....... .......·.....
•• ........·..
III. AlifALYSIS OF JESUS' .. ..................
PRAYEHS.

e 1 Pr s..y er •••••••••••••••••••••••
iViod ......
Intercessory .PrHySl'•••••••••••••••• ·.....
.. . . . .. . ....... ·.. ·..
~r8yer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Prayers on Cross ••••
Minor Pr flyer s ••••••••••••••••
Other times when Jesus Prayelil
·. ...·....
·....
IV. ANALYSIS OF JESUS 'TEACHING ON PHliY:ER •••••••••• 41

OccBsion ••••••••••••• ........................

furp os e •••••..••.•••.•.•.•..•. ·....
Con t errt ••••••••••••••••••••••••• ·..
.li:ffect
•••••
Discipline. .........................
. .......
v. CONCLUSIONS. .................................. 55

BIBLIOGRAPHY. .............................................. 60

iii
 INTRPDUCTION

This dissertation is intenaed as an exposition of the

examples ana precepts of pr ay er in the life of Jesus. as l'ecoru-

ad in the four Gospels.

The American l-(evisea Standard .E:ctition of tnt) Bible \1901)

is the text used. Nothing is a't uernpt eo in the way of tex1iual

,
criticism, anc conclllsions that are hYIJo'thetica,l are avo i oec ,
Vilhere the language i t s e Lr admits or mar e than one in I"t:jL'pr
eta-

tion, the more obvious is accepted, or the passage is in'terpret-

ed in the 11gh't OT Other scrip~ure Bnd by means of the orienta-

tion of terms ana inciaents.

1'he main pnr p os e o r tntJ aisstJrt8"l,ion is 1.0 effec't a

b eu t er uncterstanding Of prt1yer through a study of pr uy er a n une

lire OT 'the lVlaster.

I
 CHAPT1~H I
Pfu'lY:B;H
IDEAL IN fll}iE LIFE OF JESUS

A study of prayer is a study of the very heart of

religion.
Religious people, students of religion, theologians
of all creeds and tendencies agree in thinking that
prayer 1s the central phenomen~n o~ religion, the
very hearthstone of all pi~y.
The countless number of treatises that have been wri tten •

on the subject of prayer is indicative of its significant

position in religion.
Because prayer is a part of the rrwstical aspect of
religion, it has given rise to even more theological speculation
and conjecture than some of the other religious phenomena. Al-
most all the writers who have deaLt with this very important sub-

ject have theorized and speculated so extensively that it is

difficult to evaluate their various subjective conclusions.
There are almost as mDny definitions of prayer as there

ar e men who define it. Hastings says that: "prayer In£.ybe

und er at ood widely, so as to include every form of address from

man to God, whatever its character,,2 Montgomery also interprets

lFriedrich Heiler, Prayer, trans. Samuel McComb,(London

New York, Toronto: Oxford Univ. Press, 1932) p. XIII.
2James Hastings, Christian Doctrine of Prayer. (New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1915), pal.

2
 3

prayer 'broadly as expressed in his hymn:

Preyer is the soul's sincere desire,

Uttered or unexpressed;
'The motion of a hidden fil'e. 1
ThBt trembles in the breast.

lnge defines prayer as: "the elevation or the mina -GO

God; ,,2 Her man chao ses to call it "Communion wi th God. ,,3 whi Le

W. A. Br own t erms it.... n the pr e.ct f c e of the p r e aen c e at' God. n4

l~one of these o.efini'tions gives us a very clear and

oogent concept of prayer. If a definition of prayer is specific

and, definite. it becomes limited and insufficienlj. If prayer is

defined broadly, t he defini'tion becomes vague or meaningless.

It is impossible to truly understand. pruyer through a study of

its etymology or by means of definitions. Prayer can best be

und er a t ood by studying a master of the art itselt. "Who can

understand music 'but the mua i c t sn , or prayer but the men who

long has prayed ?,,5

IJ arne s Montgomery.

2W. R. Inge, Personal Heligion and the Life of Devotion.

(London: Longlllttn' s , Green aM Co., 1924). p , 15.

'3E. Herman, Creative Pr av er , (New York: hichard H. Smith,

Lno , , lStDl) , p , 21.

4W. A. Brown. '.rhe Life of Prayer in ~ Ii/orld of Science.

oGeorge Buttr Lo k , Prayer. l New Yor k - Nashville:

Abingdon - Cokesbury Press, 1941). p , 27.
 4

And so to discover the true meaning or' prayer we turn

to Jesus, the mas t er of the ar t , Prayer was an Lrrt e gr a L par t

of his Li r e , 'l'hi s is not only evident from his fr-e qu.errt arid

effective use or prayer, but also from his many 'teachings 1'e-

garc Lng it. "J esus had more to say ab out pr ay er than any whose

words are recorded in OU1' Bible"l

I f we r emember t ha t not mar e than one nunnr ed of hi s

days, ana po ssibly as ff!w as f'o r ty. r e c e i ve any mention
in the f'ragmentary record of the four Gospels. the oft-
repea~ed reference to prayer is a portent.2

Jesus I life of' pr aye!' anc his teachings concerning

prayer have had a profound influence upon "the world. The model

prayer which he gave to his diciples has been a precious treasure

of the church up to the pr e s errt time, anc aha L'l doubtless live

as long as Christianity itself.

It is so b e auu t ru L, so comprehensive, and so sB'tisfying

that when the Parliamen"ts of Religions was hela in connection

with the World's Fair at Chicago in I~Y3, the representB'tivBs of

the lead ing religious fa.l ths of the worLo ac op Leo i I" to be

lCharles Brown, Why 1 Believe in Heligion. I New York

TI.'be Macmillen Co , , 1924). p , '.;14.

2Buttrick. QE. Cit •• p. AI.

used at the opening o t each session. Norte would den~ t.hat Jesus
was a master of ~reyer: yet strangely enough, few h~ve turned to
Him to learn his secret.
fl'hedisciples of JeSll.Swere pra~linp men. rl'he~,
hnd been

'brought up in an environment where pr av ar was a v t t.aI p ar t of

each day's activity. These men should certainly have had u gOOd

unc er st.anc t ng or pr ay er ; yet there vilassomething sb ou t the way

Jesus pr ac t i ced prayer 'that was so differfmt f'r ora any t h Lng they
had experienced 'that they COUld not be satisfied until they

learned His secret. It was while Jesus was praying in a certain

plaue 'that the disciples sought Him out, Bnd one of them said,
"'[,ord.teach us to pr ay " ••••• 1

So we, like those disciples, turn to Jesus -- confident

that as we analyze prayer in His life we may come to a dee~er
appreciation of 1;his profound spiritual practice, and t.he t the

true meaning of prayer will be disclosed.

Even though no definition of preyer is attempted, it is
necessary 'to identify 'that spirit1.l1.Jl
prnetice in Jesus' life which
we propose 'to analyze. As stated in our introdUc1;ion, we are
concerned only wi th those ap ec Lf'f c utterances of Jesus directed
'to the heavenly Father and His apeeLf'f.o't each i ng regarding this
spirtual practice.

1
Lk. 11: 1
 CHAPT},'R II

FACTOHS IN PRAYER

We shall approach our analysis of prayer in the life

of Jesus by a consideration of these factors: (1) occasion,

(2) purpose, (3) content, (4) effect, (5) discipline.
Occasion,

rrhe occasion of prayer per'tains to those conditions

which make the emergence of prayer ina ispensable and inescap-

able. Even the man who prays slightly acknowledges that those
occasions when prayer rises to the surface are fraught wi th

great moment.
Prayer must arise in time, but the t tne selected is
unimportant. Prayer must occur in some place, but the place
itself has little to do with the sti'uulBtion of prayer. It is
not one time rather t han another .nor. one place rather than another
which will occupy our interest, but the cri tical issues concentra.t-

ed into some situation in time which called for that prayer under

those circumstances.
Purpose
The purpose of prayer pertains to the end which the

person wants to see effected in that situation which demands

prayer. Whe'ther the person understands the tension of thnt

situation with sufficient grasp to direct his prayer to the

central difficulty will depend- upon h Lns eLf , but there can be

6
 7

no d.oubt that effective prayer must discern the single pur po s e

wrn c h C2,D.be ac c omp'l t she d in any situation th:roui_7;'ht hat means.

By pz ay i ng; to that end all of the 1'8 s of

801..11'Ce man and God

are engaged in the endeavor w i th no r e sou rc e s r emai m ng un-

u se d arid with none being dissipated. In co nm de r l ng , then,
the pur-pose of prayer, we are se?~rching for that single

direction of events which will bring to bear all of the

aVE'Lilc),ble:powers upon the pr ob Lem that has ar t sen. The

prayers of Jesus illustrate such magnificent purpose that

situcttlons charged with d l sz-up t Lon and confusion ar e untted

under the dominion of His will. With occasion we sough~ for

those c a rcurcs tanc e s wrn c h were mc s t decisive in demponding

prayer" , wi th pur po se
-"
we are seeking for that r eco na t.r uc t Lon or

an tic ipe.tion of events which will s8.ti sfy the tension p:rroduced

in ;::J given situation.

Oontent

'fhe content of prayer consists of what we Le a.rn

f r om Je sus I prayer exa.mples arid precepts in re[~8..rd to man IS

relation to God, God's expec tation of man, a.nd {nan's expec tation

of God. 'rhe unique relation ship t.ha t ex Ls t.e d be twe en Je sus

and the heavenly ]'ather is asserted in Jesus' prayers an d rri L'l.

be d.i scu s se d under can ten t •

.l:Cff ect

The eff ec t of prayer consi st s of that 'lJhic h occurred

subsequent to Jesus' prayers and in direct relation to their C011-

ten t s , and wha t He t auzh t could be ac c ompI ished t.hro ugh prayer.
 8

Discipline
The discipline of prayer is the derrsindwhich prayer

places upon the individual in order that the prayer m~y be

acceptable unto God. The teaching in a prayer, or content,
may give instruction as to how a life might be pleasing unto
GOd, but discipline pertains only to that one activity of the
Christian life, namely prayer, and discerns those attitudes on
the part of the LndLv Ldua.L without which prayer for all the

va.IuabLe content would not be acceptable unto God.

Not all these ~actors are evident in every instance-
of Jesus' pr ay er s, nor is a separate discussion of each factor

always attempted where they are easily dLac ernab Le ,

 AllfA1YSI3 OF JESUS I PHAYl~HS

r.phe Model Prayer

rl~he prByer that is commonly known as the "fJord's

so far as we knoW, a prayer of JCesus to
Praver"
,s we no t •
His heavenly Father, but rather a moael which He gave to
~e hqve chosen to treat the prayer
His disciplos to follow.
in this particular part of the analysis even though it is
a. part of Jesusl teaching on prayer rather than a direct
utterance of JesuS to God. This has been done because there
is available here an opportuni ty to nnal;yze a specific form

pr ay er taught by Jesus which is both definite ano c ornpr e>

ot~

hensive.
Oceasi~-- The Gospel records disclose thot .Jesus

taught "the prayer on two different occasions. It is the first

recorded in the Gos'pel of Matthew as a J18r t of the Sermon on

the mount. Again we find the pra,yer in a more ab'breviateo- r or m

in the eleventh chapter of Luke. In as much a s the preyer

in Matthew is mol' e comJ:Jl.ete and contains all thot is recorded

in Luke, we shall use Matthew's account when dealing with the

content.
 10

The model prayer carne as a r e spcns e to a need of

the f'o L'l ower s of Jesus for a better understanding of

prayer, Since Jesus embodied the model prayer in that

great body of ethical teachings, the Sermon on the mount,

He evidently recognized the "fact th8t a knowledge of

prayer wa.s essential to an abundant life. In Luke's

account it is the d. isciples who sense the need for a

better understanding of prayer. Jesus had already talked

to them a great deal about prayer.

But as they noticed how l~rge a place prayer hed

in His life and SO!Tle of the marvelous results, the
fact CBme home to them with great force that there
must be some fascinetion, some power 1 some secret in
prayer, of which they were ignorant.

It was this realization that prompted one of the

disciples to say. llLord teach us to J)ray.H ••••

IS. D. Gordon, (~uiet 'ralks on Pr av er , (New York

Chicago, Toronto: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1904), p. 2 & 3.
 11

Purpose. - - J e sue gave this pr ay er to his followers

because He wa.nted them to unaerstanct how to p r ay , The pr ay er

was not gi v en to serve as 8; mag I c formulf.J,

•••• to be r apea.t ed by mote, or aa Lu without number

in -rormal ways, bu.t rather In order to make luminou.sly
clear to us, by an example, the principles which under-
lie the true relationShip between God and man that
prayer implies.

It is •••• "8 form of pr ay er t ha t becomes the model

and inspiration r or all other pr ey sr , and yet always draws us

back to itself' 8S the deepest utterance of' our souls before

our God.2

Content. -- Jesus t ake s us immediately into the

presence of God and reveals His true neture to us with the words.
3
"Our Father IT. r ecogni zing t.h a't it is fil'st necessary for us

to have a knowledge of the character of the God addressed be-

fore one can properly prBy. We must first know God to hsve

intimate communion with Him. "Jesus bids us realize who it is

to whom we pray and d e af re that; this realization may be Sh81'~a

4
by all Gad's children everywhere."

lC. F. Andrews, Christ and Prayer. (New York and.

London: Harper ana. Brothers .l:'ublishers, 1937), p , 46.

2Andrew Murra.y, With Christ in the School of Prayer.

(New Yo r k : Anson D. F. Rarid o Lph and CO.-:--Itltlb) p , 24.

3Matt. 6:9.

4W. A. Brown, QE. ~., :po 61

 12

"Our" recognizes the univel'saliLY of God. It

includes saint and sinner, white ana black, intelligent ana

ignorant, rich and poor. Not only do 10:11 of us have the same
God, but because God is our Father, we become brothers. "We
are chf.Lc r en o r one home and cannot pr ay well until we try to
1
trace the ]'ather's likeness in every face."
Jesus reveals the character of God by using the term
"Father", thereby proceeding t'rorn the known to the unkriown,

There is aus t er Ltv in God. beoause of His wise

fatherhood: and there is mystery, for we ere only children;
but the salience of His nature is personal love of which
the love of a ~ise and strong earthly fether is but the
broken shadow.
knowl-edge of God's Father
'''1'he - love is the 1'irst ana

simplest, but 8lso the last and highest lesson in the school of
,,3
prayer.
4
"lNho ~rt in heaven" calls our attention to the
infinitely exalted character of God in order that we might more

fully 81) pr e cf.st e Him. The phrase daBS not restrict God from

being immanent in the world.

IButtrick, op , ci t •• P 34.

2Ibid., p , 34.
3 IVlurray,..Q.E. cit., p , 2,5.

4Matt. 6:9.
 13

"Our Father is no distant God in ~ distant heaven

•
who cannot be approached by His child.ren. He is intimately
near. ,,1

nAs in heaven. so on earth,,2 applies to the three

petitions which precede it. lt also establishes the l'(lalj.ty

or the actual ana "the id.eal. 'l'hus when ,J esus tells us to pray,

"Hallowed be thy name,n3, He -is teaching us to pray that God's

fatherly nature will be revered among men as it is in heaven.

TtTh:! kingdom come"4 has given rise to a great deal of

controversy both s.s to the nature of the kingdom and as to the

manne r in whi ch it shall be affected. The people among whom

J e aue taught wer e Lookf ng for an ear thly r u.Ler who would fr ee them

from the Homan yoke, and so man~7of' them placed a mat er Le.Lf.e t t c

interpretation upon the kingdom. Some have thought that the

kingdom referred to the church. Others he.ve believed that it

will come about in catastophic fashion. that when the world. is

in its dar ke e t hour, Jesus will return to establish his kd nguo m,

and that since consummation can only be complete when Jesus

HimselJ: reigns as King, any at t empt to change social cono t t i ons

lAndrews, .2E c i"t!. , p. 47

2Matt• 6: 10.

3Matt. 6: 9

4Matt. 6: 10
 14

on a large scale is hopeless .. and so our duty is solely to the

individual. The social interpretation of the kingdon is ex-

pressed by W. A. Brown, who believes that when we pray t'or the

kingdom, we pray for

•••• the time when God's will shall con"trol all lire,
individual and social, when righteousness and peaoe end
joy shall be the lot of all men everywhere and brother-
hOOd shall be a fact and not simply a name.l

Rob inson says:

Whether the reign of God be introducted by the

rending of the heavens and the bur at.Lng of the earth,
or whether it be slowly evolved by H process or moral
and spirit.ual illumination in ma.nkind, its nature is
the same - the supreme dominance or the will o r God.2

This is certainly true, but it does not solve the

pr o'bLern 8S to why Jesus teaches us to p:L'8y fOl' God's will to

dominate.

Jesus certainly believed that the kingaom could be

realized or He would not have asked us to pray for its coming.

If the coming of the kingd.om depended solely upon a. whim of

GOd, there would be no reason for men to pray. "Thy kingdom

come , They will be done." Ma,n must certainly have some pert

in bringing the kingdom about, and each in(iividual is ab I.e to

lW. A. Br own, .9l? City p , 62

2T. H. Robinson, The GOBl'el of' Matthew. ('''.elle Moffatt

New Testament Commentary"; Har pe r and Brothers Publishers, 1';;39)
pp. 50 f.
 -
1..j::)

retard or hasten its realization by his Bctions.

Therefore, we pr ay that the kingdom may come in its

fulness that all may bring their wills into harmony with
GOd's wi 11.

So fa,r as the prayer comes from the heart and not

iTom the lips only, it is in :part selt-fulfilling, in
part it wor ks according to the law by which God answers
prayers that are in harmony with His own will; and in
so far 8S the kingdom, though in one sense it has come,
and is in the midst o~ us, and within us, is yet far
from the goul toward which it moves, ever coming ana yet
to come, the prayer is one that never becomes obsolete.
and may be the utterance of the saints in glory no les8
than of tOilers and su~ferers upon earth.l

In heaven God's will 1s aone, ana when the Mester

teaches us to pray, "Thy will be done. as in heaven so on

earth," He 1s teaching us to ask that every act o~ every

child may respond to the Father's will. rrhis prayel' confronts

us with B problem similar to the previous one. It assumes

that God's will is in part dependent on our wills. and that

His will can not be done unless we pray.

In one sense the will of Gad, which is also the

eternal law, must fulfill itself: but is one tbing for
that law to wo rk in subduing all things to itself t another
for it to bring all created Wills into harmony with it-
self. And in really pr~.~ing for this we, as befo:r~,in
part fulfill the prayer •.

10•J• Ellicott t edl , The Four Gospels, Vol I, a.

New Testament Commentary for Engli'"ShReaders; New York: E.P.
Dutton & Co., n.d.J,p. 34.

2Ibid., p , 34,
 16

Recognizing that there are certain material things

of which we have need. Jesus enc cur ages us to ask for sus-

temmce in the prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread."l

Some have int.erpreted "breadn as being something over and

above mat er i81 substance but we feel that Jesus W8·S using

the t.erm to apply to our mater i&l need. a , Raving PI' ev t ous Ly

expr e e s ed a desire "that. OUX wills con:rormto the Father's

will, we ask for Silstenanee to 'fulfill our miSSion.

If we are asking God for those rre"terial things

which are necessary to sust.ain Lt re , vvhy should "our" be

used? Palmer answer s the question in tr1i8 manner:

r:L1flefact that the crea'tor has cr es ue d these

bodies with such want.s and has created Iood to supply
the wants clearly indicates tha~ the Iood was de-
signed for 'U,S in the same way 8S sunshine belongs to
a pilia.nt. 2

When Jesus tells us to pray to the Father that He

"for gi v e us our debts", 3 He teaches us to ask for the for-

giveness of all our transgressions, indebtedness Ior Bets

COUL'1li
tted against the will of God as well as acts OT ommiss1on

or im,.b ili ty to pay.

1Ma.tt. 6:11.

2pa1mer. ~ cit., p. 60.

3Me..tt. 6: 12
 17

"And bring us not into temptstion. but deliver us r'r om

the evil one"l has probably presented. more dift'icul ty than any

other part of the pr ayer moc e t- It does no t mean lit all that

we are to plead. with our Father not to lead us into temptation.

The heavenly Father does not lead us into temp"tBt10n. We are

conscious of' our human wealmess and our proneness to give W8"J7

in the hour o r temptation "to evil. We have just finished

asking God to "JPorgi ve us our t r eapae se a'", and we are fearful

lest we :fall in"to the same evils. And. so we pray that the

heavenly Father will so guide ana direct us that we will not

be led Ln t o u empue t Lon, b u t rather' thsl) we may be c el t v er ec

from the unr ee t eru ng evil into Which. or und er the in:'cluence

or Which. our waywar o inclina"tions are continually hurrying us.

Discipline. - And forgive us our debts. as we also

have for gi ven our d eb uo r s : ,,3: Jesus teaches us that when we

ask God for forgiveness of our debts that we must possess a

spirit of forgiveness "toward all men.

IMatt. 6:1Z.

21\!l.att. 6:12.
 18

w. A. Brown says that ••• lYGodcannot answer our prayers unless

we comply with tne conditions He has set.ttl Buttrick believes

that ••••

The prayer for 'forgiveness does no" po rn t to a

quid 12!...2. guo, 8;S though God were the keeper of' celestial
ledger's c ar e fu LIy allowing Just so much f'orgi vene s s to
men as they are willing to grant to their enemies. It
points rather to a living lew wher eby a che r ished grunge
in a man is heart per for ce ana of itself closes the door
agains" an ever-pleading God, and whereby man's grant
at' pardon of itself opens the door to God. who ever waits
and loves. 2

Even here in the region of the free grace of

GOd, there 1s a law of retribution. The temper tht:;lt
doe S not for give cannot be ror gi ven, be caua e i't is ipso
facto a proof that we do not r eLf ze the amount of the
debt we owe. 113

In other words a loving ann :tOI'giving spirit toward one's

fellow' men is S sine qua !!.2!! in effecti ve prayer tor f'or «

giveness.

Intercessory Prayer

The intercessory, sacerdotal, or high-priestly PI'~lyer

which is :tound in the sevanlit:len'th chap t er of John is unique

in 'that it gives the one supreme prayer ana meu a uet.a on o r

J eau s ,

lW. A. Brown, ..2.£. ill·, p. 64.

2Buttr ick, ..2.£ • ill·, p. 34

3Ellico'tt. p • 34.
.2.£ • c1 t. t
 19

In the deepest sense .0T all 1"tmay be oulled the

Lord's Prayer. b ecaus e the pst t ern of prayer wn i.on is
usually called by t.na 1.1 name was rn t enc ec :tor the
disciples; but in this in"tercession J!SUS Himselr holns
divine comrnunlon with His Father •••••

In no other prayer is the passionate heart of Jesus

so olearly revealed.

Ocoae Lon ;» - The prayer is u t t eren ali the moa t cr uc La.L

moment of Jesus! liTe. Jesus Teels the strain of the approach-

ing ordeal of the cross. Uppermost in His mina in His mission

in uhe wor lC1• His earthly minislJI'yis almost nt an end. He

is about to leave His disciples ana to leave His work in 'their

hancis.

He has jUSlJ finished a final comforting o t ecour ae wi th

them ana hus closea His remarks with the victorious assurance,

"I have overoome the worla."2 Jesus is anXlOUS about His

disoiples. He is thinking ab out "the great responsibility He

is placing in their handS as He prepares to make the great

sacrifice. With these thoughtS weighing heavily upon Him, He

lifts His face to God in prayer.

lAndrews. ~.~ •• p. 129.

2·In. 16 :33.
 20

Purpose. Jesus at this moment held in re~ro-

ep ectn on the ps a t and. surveyed the runur e , cone caous 0:1: the

fact that tie is ab ouu to leave His disciples, hopeful t.na t

.tiisJ!1ather's kingaom might; come throughout the worla, Jesus

prays to 1ii8 -ratiher'
f'or t he triumph of liis cause in oroer that
His Father might; be glorlileu.

Content. - - It is clear that Jesus is ~hinklng oi

Himsel:r in the ~irst five verses o~ the prayer:

UFather. tihe hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thE)
Son may glorify ~hee: even as thOU gavest him aUtihOrity
over 811 tlesh, that to all whom tihOU hasti glven him, he
should. give e uer nsI Lt re, And um s 1S IiI t:J eternal,
that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom
thou didst send even Jesus Christ. I glorified thee on
the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast
given me to do. And now, Father. glorify thou me with
thine own self with the glory which I had with th:ee be-
fore the world was.l
Jesus speaks as a son to his father as He opens His
prayer, "Father, the hour is come." He realized thHt the
climax and culmination of His life work is at hand. He is
about to die upon the cross and so he pr av s for glorification

in order that He might in turn glorify His Father. Jesus

showed His willingness to complete His mission, to die for

that which He believed in this first petition.
In the second petition for glorificstion the

emphasis is changed. Jesus is looking back in r et.r oape ct at

what He has a'Lready ecc omp Lf ahed , The fact thet Jesus

1. In. 17: 1 - 5.
 21

carried out the work entrusted to Him that He fulfilled the will

of the :B'ather in every detail will serve "the glory and praise of

the Father. All this being ac cornpl.Lehe d , the Father should now,

in "turn. receive the Son up into glory.

Jesus then prl?ys t'or His disciples as ;s:nch t1l8 t he ve

k ep t the word:

I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me

ou t. of the wor Ld : thine they wer e. and "thou gavest "them
to me; and they have kept thy word, now they know that all
things wn at ao ever "thou ha st gi van me ar e from thee: for
the words which thou gavest me I have given unto them;
and "they received them, and kn ew of a, "truth thBt 1 come
forth from thee, and they believed that thou didst send me.l

Jesus' prayer now concerns His disciples, specifically

Ris apostles. Jesus has proclaimed and taught the whole

essence and glor:l to the Father to those men who the Father han

given Him. He had sought to so imbue the apostles wi th His

ap Lr I t t.ha t they in turn would promulgate His I;os})el.

Jesus then makes a definite distinction between "the

d Le c LpLe s and the world: "I pray :for them: I pr ay not for

the wor Lc , but for those whom thou hast given me.2 Alva

Ross Br own says:

We are not warr an t ed to conclude from this u tuer anc e

tha.t the IV.lHster never prayed for the WOI' Ld; thHt He did.
not desire His disciples to do so. Obviously this is a
par t t cu Lar case; a time when His ap oe t l es were very much
in His mind since He is about to leave His war k in "their
hands. "3

lJn. 17:6 - 8. 3Alva. Hoss Brown, Our Lord's Most

Sub lime Words. (Kings}Jor 't , Tennessee:
2J n. 17: 9. Southern Publishers, Inc., 1930), p.b?
 22

In the light of' J~sus entire ministry no other

interpretation is consistent. He who came "to seek Irma. to

save that which was lost"l most certainly would include them

in His prayers.

Jesus felt thBt the ap oe t Lea were a sacred trust:

" •••• For they are thine: and all things that are mine are thine~

ana. thine are mine: and I am glorified in them.2 They could

glorify Hirn because they r eco gm ae c him as the Son of God.

Jesus evidently was projecting His thoughts so in -

t.en t.Ly Lrrt o the future "that the apostles faced. t ha t lie already

:fel"t removed from them :t"or he says, "I am no more in the world

and these ar e in the wor Ld, ,,3 He r eali zes the. t they face

an evil wor Ld of' intense 01JP081 tion to Himself: "I have

given them thy word; and the world h~lted them, be caue e they

are not of the world~ even as I am not of the world.,,4

Knowing the terrific opposition that the apostles

would face in the wor Lc, Jesus knew that if their effor ts

were going to be eucc es etu l, the same s pLr it must radiate from

each one. 'l'he apostles were to be kept; in the name at God

1 Lk. 19 :10.

2Jn. 17:9, 10.

'7.
0Jn. 17:11.

4Jn. 17:14.
 23

that unity might exist among them, unity such as ext s vs be-

tween Jesus and. the Father. Only by uhe Lr constant awareness

of GOd's presence and God's will coula they hope to meet with

success in the face of the prodigious Obstacles that they

were to encounter. Because He was soon to leave them end cou Lc

no longer watch over them~ He wanted them "to experience a joy-

f'ul intimacy wi t11 the Father such as He e xpe r ienced so that t.hey

migh"t properly carryon ilis great work and not succumb to world-

ly things. Jesus had a great task for them to perform. It

was imperative t hat they remain in the world if they were to be

successful; yet they must not yiela to worldly things. Thus

Jesus prayed, "1 prtlY not that tho'~l.shouldest take them rr om the

world,but t.ha t thou ahou.Ld e s t keep them from the evil one."l

rrhey were no t to be segregated from the world. Hathel' they

were to brush shoulders wi th all men. "they were to be in the

worla, but unlike the world. 'l'he dij'ference is "to be a

spiritual matter, a difference of motive, of clts"tom, of

character t an d not of' external appearance. 2 It is because

Jesus knows how di:!"ficult it will be for them to main"tain

this difference that He is praying for them.

IJn. 17: 15.

2Alva Ross Br own, .2.l2.. cit., p , '10.

 24

Jesus closes th~s part of His prayer by praying for

the consecration of the apostles to the work He had for them

wi th the war ds:

Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth.

As thou didst send me into the world, even so I sent
them into the wcr Ld , And for the ir sakes I sanctify
myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified
in the trut h.l

J e sua consecrated His life that He might cons e cr a te

the lives of His apostles that God's will might 11be done on

earth as in heaven."

After praying for His apostles Jesus turns His

thoughts to all those who were to believe in Him in all ages:

"Ne f ther for the se only do I pr8Y, but for them, also that

bel ieve on me through their wor d " ••••• 2 Jesus voices two

prayers for oIl -future believers, namely:

( 1) ••• 'that they may be all one; even as thou,

Father, art in me, and I in thee, t.ha t they also may
bel".leve " .
1.nllS" •••••
3
•

( 2) ••• "that they eL so whom thou hast gi ven me be

wi th me where I am, that they mv.y behold my glory which t

thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the

foundati on of the wor Id .4:

lJn. 17 : 17 - 19.
2Jn• 17 : 20.
3Jn• 17: 2,1.
4Jn. 17 : 24.
 25

It is significant that Jesus a sked but one thing for

r

His disciples in this world, but that one thing is all inclu-

sive. Complete unity would involve the loyal consecration

of every professed follower of Jesus to His work. This would

mean that the Christians of the world would present a united

campaign to win the world for Jesus. Jesus wanted His

followers to be one as He and the Father were one. Jesus was

primarily concerned with the s])iritual side of life, and so

He wa.s concerned with the spiritual unity of His followers.

'rhe exact nature of the outward manifestations of spiritual

unity has been a moot questi on, but i 1J is oer tc in that Jesus

prayed for spiritual unity.

Jesus' final yearning is that all of His disciples may

also know e t er nal life. As He pr ays " •••• that they also
1
whom thou hast given me be wi th me wher e I am" •••• , He again

is thinking of Himself as being e.l r aady removed from the war 10..

He has Looke d beyond the agony of the cross, the resurrection,

the aao enat on , to His glorified state. V\1hatwonderful fuith

Jesus displays at this moment as He asks that His followers mtly

share His glory with Him. So Jesus begins the prayer with a

1
In. 17: 24.
 26

.peti t t on for His own eternal Ii fe, and closes with fl prayer

that His disciples may share this eternal glory with tIim.

Effect. ·What followed the greatest tragedy of the

ages? rJh~\t were the effects of the envious accusations of the

priests and the cowardly decision of B time-serving judge?

Standing in the shadow of His trial and death, Jesus prayed

for Himself. His apo s t Les , and His followers. He prayed

that He might be glorified.

No other events in the world's history have been so

carefully investigated from every angle and so thoroughly

analyzed as the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. This minute

study has been prosecuted as diligently by the enemies of

Christiani ty as by its friends, and in all that ordeal through

which Jesus passed from Gethsemane until His death on the cross,

there was not one sign of weakness in his demeanor nor one

word escaped His lips to give satisfaction to His enemies or

bring shame to His followers.

He was glorified in His trials. At His hearings be-

fore both the sanhedrin and in the Praetorium His self control,

spiritual poise, and f'r ank statements attested convincingly

to His innocence, and drew from Pilate the statement, "I

1
find no crime in him."

IJn. 18: 38.

 27

'Ph e Christian religion.. is unique in that it puts

the consideration of others above the consideration of self.

The Master taught that he who renders the most service is

greatest in His kingdom. In the closing scenes of Ris earthly

life He was glorified by His strict adherence to that precept.

When the of·fi cer s eame to s r r est Him in the Garden of Gethse-

mane He healed the ear of the high priest IS s er varrt which

Peter had impetuously cut off', and stated the Law of retribu-

tion as epplied to physical violence, llFor all they that take

1
the sword shall perish with the sword."

During His anguish on the cross Chr ist with solici-

tude entrusted His mother to the care of John. He also

SP01(9 words of co rnro r t and 8SSUT anc e to the i mpLcr ing rnale-

factor nor did He fail to as k forgiveness for his enemies,

for those who crucified Ri''ll, and for everyone in that mob who

mocked end jeered Him.

Ohrist was glorified by His victory over death and

His ascension into heaven.

He has been glorified during the centuries since

Golgotha by everyone who has served humanity in His name ,

1Matt• 26 62.
 28

The Appstles for whom Jesus pr ay ed proved loyal to the

cause f'or which He died. r.rhey preached the Gospel earnestly

and c our ag e ou s Ly , He prayed Tor unity among them. 1Nhile there

were both spiri tual and doctrinal di!'ferences among them, it

is not likely that any other gr oup of' twelve or more men ever

represented a cau.se with as great a unaminity o f ap i.r t.t and

teaching.

Christ's prayer for the unity of His followers has

not been fulfilled in any great measure. As previously stated

in this analysis. the question of whether the uni ty pr ay eo for

was solely a unity of spirit or whet he r it also included a

uni ty o r mind.s a gr eeing on purposes and doctr ines i 8 d ebat ab Le ,

but there is no denying 'the fact that there is a wide d.ivergence

in doctrines among Christian sects and but little unity in

spirit and purpose.

Prayer in the Garden of Getb.semane

Occasion. -- Jesus' pr Ayel' in the Garden of Gethsemane

was made under the most unusual conditions. 1NhenHe drew apart

from His d Lac LpLe s to pray, He knew t ha t His betrayal end

crucifixion were imminent. In "fact, He had just instituteo

the Lord's Supper which would be meaningless wi'thout the

shedding of His blood.

 29

FurJ?ose.-- "My Father, if' it be possible, let this

,
cup pass awa~, fr om me: nevertheless, not HS I will, but HS thou
'It,,l•
Wl_ 'l'he r e was not in the circumstances of this prayer, nor
is there in the content the slightest inoication that Jesus was
tempted to recant or in anv way abandon the cause for which He
came into the world. \'fb:y then did He pray this pr ay er ? "He
was sorrowful even unto death.,,2 In great anguish Jesus threw

Himself upon the ground and prayed wi th such earnestness and

intensity that "His sweat became as it' it were great drops of
blood falling down upon the ground.
Jesus statements, prostrate position, and unusual
perspiration indicate that He had emotionally almost reached

the breaking pOint. He was filled with sorrow and dread.

Doubtless His emotional s'tate and mental attitude were like

that of the loyal soldier who is willing to die for his country
but who dr eads the ordeal o f suffer ing anc d ea.t h a nn seeks to
avoid them unless they are necessa.L.Yto accomplish his Jlurpose.
Realizing His great need for strength und emotional control,
Jesus sought the means by which tiewas accustomed to secure
mental and emotional discipline.

-_._--_.-------------------_ _-_._------ •..

lMatt. 26: 39.

2lJIa
tt. 26: 3 £3 •
3Matt• 26:38.
 30

Content .-- In this prayer Jesus edo r e seeu God as "My

Father" • This was the formula which He had given to His

disciples when He taught them to pray. r.phis ea Lu't a't Lcn , used
..
in this connection connotes that God is one who mav be turned

to in trouble as an earthly father is "turned "to by a dis1iI'eSsed

child.

It is not "to be inferred t he t Jesus was doubting or

questioning God's power to save Him from the cross. r.phis is

made c Le ar by l'l1.ark's version which r eao s , "Abba Father, all

things are possible unto thee: remove this cup from me; howbeit

not what 1 will,but whet thou wilt.lIl

Jesus a.s ke d for deli veranc€, from the persecution of His

enemies, only if tha"t deliverance coula be effected without

interference, alteration, or frustration of God's will.

Effect. -- Jesus was apa.r ed neither the numt Lt.a.t t on of

the trial and jeers of the mob, nor the agony o f t ne cross;

yet He was stregthened to enc ur e them. 'Ilhis ef'f'e c t was LmmedI a ue ,

Luke r e cor c a , "And there appeared unto him an angel r'ro m heaven,

S1irengthening hi~."2

ll\tlk. 14: 36.

2Lk. 22:43.
 31

Prayers on the Cross

There Bre three recorded prayers uttered by Jesus on

the cross. In the bitter throes aT death He exemplified His

teachings, "Pr av 1:'or them that persecute Y011,l when He

2
pz av ed , "Father, f'orgive them; for they know not whet they c.o ;":

'l'he ef'f'ect of' this ma.gnanimi ty was an uno y Lng emphasis on His

teachings on forgiveness.

The second prayer Tram the cross has gi ven rise to

much controversy. Skeptics have contended t ha t Jesus express-

ad a shattered 1'aith when He cried. with a loud vOice,HELoi.

Eloi t Lama sabachthe.ni? whi ch is being interpr e t ed , IVly God,

my God, why hast thou for saken me?,,3 They have called it

the cry of' despair. This prayer is a d.irect quotation of the

first verse of the twenty-second Psalm. Branscomb aay s thet ••••

In Jewish interpretation these words of t ne psalm were

not regarded a s an expr ession of despair, but as a prayer
of the righteous in the midst of adv81'sit.y.,·4

1Ma t t. 5: 44 (LK• 6: 29 )

2Ll~. 23: 34.

3Mk• 15:34 ( Matt. 2'7:46)

4B. H. Branscomb, The Gospel oj l~rJ~. (The Moffatt

New Testament Commentary"; New York: Har p er and Br others
Pub, 1isher St _!!. d. "t p p , 2~7 :f.
 32

Jesus might h av e qu o t ed the psalm in this sense. Many s cho Lar s

interpret the prayer as the last expression of Jesus J dying

human t ty.

Whatever Jesus' pur poa e in using the pr ayer , it is

eviaent the, t He had not lost confidence in God as wi tb His dy-

ing words He said, "Fa ther, into thy hand s 1 commend my spi.r it, ,,1

In this third prayer on the cross Jesus displays 13 pr orounc

faith in GOd and complete submission to His will.

Minor Pr 8y er s

.Jesus thanks Father that He hid things.

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy spirit, end

said, I thank thee, 0 Father, Lord of heaven ana earth,
that thou didst hide these things .rr om the wise end under-
stand Lng , and didst reveal them unto be b e s : Yea, Father;
:for so it was well - pleasing in thy sight.

The phrase, "in that same hour" indicates thDt the

prayer is connected with the return of the disciples.

Jesus is moved to an extraordinary height or emo"tion.

He is thrilled wi th JOY in the Holy Spirit, and just as
at His baptism the Spirit was a.ssociated wi th a personal
conciousness or divine Sonship, so here the ecstasy o~
Jesus leads up to an expression of that Sonship which
is unique in the Synoptic 1iterature.3

ILk. 23:46.
2Lk. -
10: 21-24 Matt. 11:25 - 27)

3Willia.m Manson, The Gospel of Luke. ("The J.10ffutt New

Testament Commentary."; New York: RiohBrd'l? Smith, Ino. lSl30) ,
r- 127.
 Again '''l'he }i'atherhood o f God is the starting point of
1
the consciousness of Jesus." Not only is God, Father, but

He is also "J.lord of heaven ana earth."

It is not stated what it is tha~ is concealed from the

wise and revealed to the simple. b u t it seems likely thBt

<Jesus is r e.re r r Lrig to H'i rnee Lf ana His own revelation. Jesus

has been distressed by the blindness of the theologians ana

scho lar s of the d 8;7, the scribes and Phar isees, b ut He is

comTorted in the though~ that God has willed it for gracious

eno.e , and that in as much as the revelation is given to the

simp Le , ther e is hope that some day all will grasp it.

Prayer at raising of Laza~ -- A large group of

people is gathered outsiae the village o r Bethany ar ounu a

tomb in whi ch four days b e f'or a the body of a young man ,

LBzarus, had. been laid avvay. lvlHry and Martha are deeply SOl',l:'OW-

f'u L over the d aa t h Of the ir br other. Mary is still we ep Lng

while Martha is trying to be mor e composed. 'J.lher est of the

group is pr o oab ly made up o r per so na L rr I eno s , £I cquaintances,

villagers, and others from ..Jerusalem. Jesus is deeply touched

ann also mourrns Lazarus' death. The stone at the mouth of the

tomb is rolled aa i.d.e,

lIbid., p. 27.
 34

And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said. Father. I

thank thee that tnou heardest me. And I knew that thou
heardest me always: but because of the multi t uu e t ha t
standeth around I aaf d it, t ha t they may believe t he t
thou didst send me.l

Jesus' attitude as well as His wordS, is meant to

e xpr ess that the wor k which He is abo u t to do t s one Of the

works o r His Father. It is clearly evident thElt Jesus had

been pr ev i ously pr f.ly ing in seer e t , He expr esses t.hanks to

His Father, not because the Father bad ever railed to hear Him.

but because He wan-ted those hearing the pr ay er to realize His

relation with the Father.

The effectiveness o~ Jesus' prayer is recorded by 'the

wr it er 01 the ~l'ourth Gospe 1, nHe that was dead came f'or th ••••• H2

Greek Visitors. ~ ~ Two or three days prior to the

crucifixion some Greek visitors to the Jewish feast of' the

passover sought an Lrrt er v t ew with Jesus. r.rhe request seemed

to bring to Jesus' mind a vision of the great outside world.

after which 1:1i8 heart yearned, corning to Him so e ag er for what

only He could give.

And instantly a't hwaz t that vision like an ink b Lack

shadow caDle the other Vision. never absent now trom His
waking "thought. of' the cross so aw ru'l.Ly near. ShrinltiIlS
in horror r'r om the secona vision. yet knovd ng that only
through i"ts realization couln be realizeC1 the first, ~
seemingly for'gatful :tor the moment or the bystannel'S as

IJn, . 11: 41 42.

2
In. 11:44.
 35

though soliloquizing, He speaks - "N ow is my soul tr oub Len ;

ana. what, shai'l I say? Father, save me from this hour. But
f'or this cause came' 1 unto this hour. Father, glorify thy
name. '1

Jesus again :prBys th8t His Father migh't he glorified.

ImmediR'tely His pr ay er is answer ed by a voice OU'1j or heaven,

saying, "I have both g Lor Lri ec it. ana will glorify it. £~gain.,,2

Other Times When Jesus Prayed

Those passages of s cr Lp uur e which record ~Jesusl hev -

ing prayed, but which do not reveal His exact words are in-

va.Lua.b Ls in our analysis from the s tanupo i.nu o r o eea s t cn ,

purpose and e f:fect.

Prayer at Je~ I bal'tiism. - -Jesus prayed at His

b ap t t sm, in the great initial ac t o r consecration to His

mission:

Now it came "to pass, when all the people were

p ap t Lz en ,
'that, Jesus also having been 'bep'tized, ano
praying, 'the heaven was op eneu , ana. the Holy Spirit
descended in a bodily ~orm. as a nove. upon him, ana. a
voice came out o r heaven Thou art fI\V beloved Son; in thee
1 am well pleasea.~ •

Thus 'the :first moment of Jesus minis'try is mar ked by

prayer, ana. following the preyer God recognizes Jesus as His

Son.

We cannot be oer tain or the purpo ae or the PI' ayer •

~

1Uordon, £E. cit •• p. 22b.

2Lk. 3: 21, 22 •
3
M.k. 1:35.
 36

b·ut if we assume that His prayer was the cause of' the effect,

then Jesus' prayer was ~or God1s recognition.

morning. a great While be for e day. he ro e e up and went out ,

ana. d e'par t en t rrt o a desert place, ana t.ne r e JH'a,ea.

Jesus had SIlent; the pr evious day. ~ aabba'uh day, in

Ca:per'naum. It han been a very busy day tor Him, 't ea ch t ng

in the synagogue service, the Lrrter r up t a on by e oemon - possess-

e d man, and. the casting out of the demon ami c a pain:rul s c ene :

afttlrwarns the healing of Peter' I s mother-till-law, ana then et

sun -set time the gr eEl t or owe of diseased and demoni zed. t nr onging

the narrow street un1Jil far in 'tne nl.gh't, while He wen't Bmong

them ana. healed them. '1. at in spi t e 01: this s t.r enuou s anu

exhe ua t i.ng day. Jesus arises very early t ne next morning to pl'Sy

to the r'a't he r , He eViden'tly felt a need for a private o e c ot t ons I

perion after such B busy day.

Praver in desert BIter healing 2I. leper. - - Not very

long after the scene just describt:u, Jesus had healed 8 leper

who. di sr e ga r c ing Hi s e xp r e s ae d command. no t 'LO t.e 11 une news to

anyone, published the :fact widely so that great crowds followed

Jesus to hear Him and to be healed by Him. After this incident

Jesus again felt the need for private devotion and so ~ ••• he

wi thdrew himself in the deserts and prayed. ,,1

1
Lk. 5: 16.
 37

Erayer on mountttin near Ca;pernallm. -_ And it came to

pass in these days. that he went out into the mountain to

pray; and he continued all night in prayer to GOd.II1

Gordon states that "the ti'Ile is probably about the

second year of' His pub lie mini s.tr.y.,,2 Jesus has been having

very trying times with the national leaders :from Judea who

have fo llowed Hd m, sowing doubt in the minds of the Galileans.

It was sLs o the day pr ior to His selection of the 12 men who

were to be the leaders after His deperture.

Wearied in spirit and faced with the task of select-

ing the 12 apostles, Jesus spent the entire night in prayer.

Prayers of thanlcsgiving. - - \1e have record of Jesus'

expressing thanks to His Father :for tlood on at least two

occasions. the Teed ing of the four thousand 3 and the feeding of
th~'
e _1 ve t housand.. 4 Thus Jesus recognizes by His example

our indebtedness to the Father for our material gifts. Buttrick

be Lt e ve s that there was something else that prompted JesuS to

pray at the time: "He was on guard lest he abuse his power and
5
try to reach heaven's ends by earthly means.

ILk. 6: 12.

2(;'ordon, .2.£. cit., p , 215.

3Mat t. 15: 36 (Mk • 8: 7 )

4Jn• 6:23.

5Buttric1{ - , op , c1 t ., p , 36.
-----
 38

:Prayer Qll.IDQllntain near sea of Galilee. -_ And after

he had sent the mul ti tudes away, he went up into the mountain

apart to pr ay : and when even was come, he was there a.Lorig• .,l

This incident occured •••• "about the time of the

third passover, the beginning of His Lae t year of service. H2

News had just reached Jesus of John the Baptist's death at a

time when He and His disciples vere very busy. 'l'here was a

great need. f'or rest and quiet to think over the rr~:pidly

culminating opp os t t t on , So Jesus and His disciples took a

boat and headed towards the eastern shor e of the Lake , But

the eager crowd noticed the d.irection t-aken and spreading the

news, literally "ran" around the head of the lake and "out-wentll

them. So when Jesus stepped :from the boat for rest, He was

confronted by l:1 large crowd. Wearied though He was, Jesus was

so moved with compassion that He spent the day in teaohing and

healing. After feeding the five thousand. Jesus sent them away

and withdrew into the mountain to pray. Here again we find

Jesus e e e kf.ng private meditation a.fter a hectic day of hur d work

and dis traoti on.

lMat t. 1·1: 23 (. Mk. 6: 46 )

2
Gordon, £E. ~., p. 217.
 Prayer ~ Phi1ippi.- -And it came to pass, as he was

praying apart, the dicip1es were with him.n1

Jesus and His disciples are at this time up nor th near

the Roman ci ty of Oa.e aar ea Philippi. It is evident thHt Jesus

had wi thdravm from the crowds to pra,y. lmt He had taken His

disciples wi th Hd n, perhaps to show them the frequent need for

oo mmun Lon wi th GOd.

Pra;y:er at transfiguration. -_

'And it came to pass abo ut eight days after these

sayings, that he t ook with him Peter and John and James,
end went up into the mountain to pr ay. And as he was
praying the fashion of his countenance was Hltered and
his raiment became white and dazzling. '2

The scene of the transfiguration is also recorded in

Matthew and Marl:, hut it is Luke who exp Lai.ns t.ha't Jesus had

gone U}J into the mountB in to pr' ay • But t r Lck says t hat the

prayer ••• ~was a renewal of his initial consecration. an,

3
acceptance of the dark baptism of the cross. " It is not

ne e e as ar y to consider here the nature of the transfiguration;

it is suff'icient to note the significant fact that it was

while Jesus was praying t.nc t the change came over Him.

lLk.9:18.

2Lk. 9: 28.

3Buttrick • .Q.;£ cit., p. 36.

 40

Prayer at Lost Supper.--

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he

broke it. and gave to them. saying This is ~1 bOdy which
is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. And the
cup in like mariner after supper. saying, r.rhis cup is the
new covenant in my blood, even that which is poured out
fo:!' you.l

Jesus expresses His appreciation to the heavenly Fttther

for the Lor d ' s ;3upper. He r eali ze s the tr emendous signi f'Lcan ce

of this event ana thanks God for all thvt it means.

Prayer for Peter. -- Shor tly a fter the T.-8st Supper and

just prior to His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemnne, Jesus

said to Si~on Peter:

Simon, Simon, behold, Saten asked to have you, that

he might sift you as wheat: but I mad e aupp Lf ea t I on for
thee, that thy faith fail not; find do t hou , when once
thou hast turned again, eat.ab Lt ah th:7 l~rethren.2

Jesus does not prey that Peter will not deny Him for

he later predicts this denial explicitly, but .1e8u8 preys that

Peter will remain 8tedfast after he hus repented of his denial.

'I'he effect of the pr aye r is shown by Peter's great

career as an evangelist. Of the original twelve disciples

Peter stands foremost as a proponent of the Gospel.

ILk. 22:19, 20. DAle 14:22, 23; Matt. 26: 2G, 27).

2 Lk • 22:;32 e
 ANALYSIS OF JESUS' '1'1'~A0In:N{;S ON" PRAYER

Occasion

Jesus does not particularize in His teachings; rather

His precepts are so general in nature that they are applicable

to human life regardless at' time or environment. Because of this

fact, we find that there are no precepts of Jesus regarding

occasion. Instead. of mentioning specific occasions when we

should pray. Jesus admonished us to persevere in prayer -- to

"watch and pray." Perseverance more logically falls under the

factor of' "discipline" and we shall discuss it under thBt heading.

Purpose

Pray for workers.-- Jesus instructed His disciples to

pray f'or workers to spread His Gospel: "The ha.r ves t indeed is

plenteous. but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord

of' the ha r vee t , t ne t he send forth Lab or er s into his harvest."l

Jesus was at this time engaged on an evangelistic tour

through all the villeges a.nd towns, and He saw that He could not

meet all the needs of the people. He was deeply touched by

their need for healing and for B. message of peace ~mtl hope.

The world was one wide harvest-field await-

lMatt. 9: 37, 38.

41
 42

..ing the reaper s, Seeing that His disciples wer e the agents to

meet this great need, Jesus tells them to pray for workers to

reap the harvest.

"That they may stand before the Son of ~." - Follow-

ing Jesus discourse on things to come, IRe admonishes His

disciples: "But watch ye at every season, malcing supp Li oe t i.on,

the. t ye m:::\~y prevail to escape all these things t.hat shall come

to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.,,2 In view of on

coming peri Is and woes. the fo L'l oweza of J e sue must constantly

keep "wa t ch "; praying t.ha t they may stand before the Son of man.

Content

"Pray E ----
tht-J.t it be not in wf rrt er s "-> In Jesus"
------ dis-

course on things to come, He tells His disciples: "Pray ye

that it be not in the winter, ,,3 referring to the ca.Lamat Les

that ar e to come. This sta.tement is of little value in helping

us to understand Jesus' attitude toward prayer, but it is a

recorded incident of Jesus' teaching on content and so we

include it.

1Lk • 21: 20 _ 35.

2Lk. 21: 36.

3Mk• 13: 18, 19 (Matt. 24:20-22)

 43

Pray for persecutors. - "Ye have heard that it was

said, 'l'h ou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but

I say unto you, Love your enemies. and pray for them uha t
I
persecute you. IT

rrhe com-nand to love our neighbots is extended to in-

e Lud e even those whom natural impulse prompts us to hate, and

the a t r e s s is ••••
"laid on prayer a s the highest utterance of that love.
In such cases, circumstances mt!y preclude acts which would
be r e j ec t ec : and words that would be met with scorn, but
the prayer that they too may be delivered. from the evil
which has been their curse is always in our power. andi'rls')
so praying we ~-re drawing near to the mind of God_,and '_ ,
asking that our wills may be as His. '2

Effect

J esns teaches that prt:?yer has an ab ao Lu't e and unqualified

effect. but He clearly limits His teachings pertaining to

effect by expressed or implied conditions. He a.Lway a expresses or

implies certain conditions that mlst exist before the effect

of prayer can coincide with the prayer itself. We shall further

discuss these precribed conditions 1lllder "discipline": we shell

treat them here only in so far es they will help us to under-

stand what can be ao c ompLi ahe d through prayer.

1Matt• 5:43, 44 ILk. 6:27, 28)

2Ellicott, ~. cit., p. 30.

 44

Asle, t::lnd it ,shall be given unto you.-

'Ask, and it ah a I L be given unto you; Seek, end ye shall

find; knock, and it shall be opene d unto you: for every
one that asketh r ecei veth; and he tha t seeketh findeth; and
to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or wha t man is
there of you, who, if his son shell ask him for a loaf,
will g~ve hi~ a stone~ or if he shAll ask for a fish, will
give h Lm 8. s er pe nu ? It' ye t.h en , being evil, know now to
give good g i rue unto yOIU' children, how much more shall
Y01ll' :['8t he r wh~ is in heaven give go oc things to them
that ask him"?'

Here we have defini 10e a aeur an ce tiha t the heavenly Father

will answer our pr ay er s , This does not mean that God will

always grant us exactly what we ask. Would an earthly :t'a.ther

give his son a stone i~ his son asked for it, mistaking it for
'bread? Would he give ~is SOll a serpen10 if his son asked for

it, mistaking it for a fish'? An earthly father denies his

children when they ignorantly ask what is not good. As an

eBrthihy father denies his ch LLd.ren the harmful things for which

they ignorantl;.tl aak , that they may learn what is truly gocc ,

so does the heavenly Father. God will answer our prayers in

His own good way. At the moment it. may seem as though our

pr ay er a are unanswered. but as time goes on we preceive, if we

hold f'ast; to our ideals, how God has all the while been bring-

ing about a Largar BOO ncb Ler e r f'e c t t.nan even we imagine.

1lAs t t. 7: 7 - 11 (Lk • 11: 9 - 13)

 45

"Believing. ~ shall receive."-- "And &11 things,

whatsoever ye shall ask in pray er, believing, ye shElll receive.

Here aga Ln "there is the implied co nu a vf.on vc na.u what is asked is

in harmony wi un God's VJill ana laws. "If iT, wen) not so 1't

wouln not be ae ked in 1'ai vn and e veL'y true pI' ayer involves

the aubnu ae t on , OJ: what i"t asks 'to the divine juagment."l

"'iJVhfl-"tsoeV8L' ss shall ask in ~ ~': "If ye shall

ask any t ha ng in my name,t.h8't will j_ do;,,2 If ye abide in

me, and my WOL'US ab ru e in you, ask wna us oe ver ye Will, ana

i'G shall be o one urrt o you; ,,3 ••••• '.rhat wnc.uaoev er ytJ sna.Lf ask
4
of une 'i'ather in my name, he may give 1t "to you";

Ver i1y, v ert Ly, I say unco you, If' ye shall ask
any't.rung of line 1!'ather, he will give it to you in my
name • .H.ither-'to na v e yo asked no um.ng in ~ name:
ask. ~nci ye shall r e oe r v e, l.iI181j yOUJ.' JOY map o e mane
l'ull:5

"Jtgain I say un 1,,0 yo LL, una n l.:t 'GWO or you shall

agree on e ar nn as ucucm ng an,yL!1l.ng una t "tney shall
ask, iii Shall be n orie f or vne m o f my ]'8·ther who is
in heaven. J:!'or whe r e 'two OL' "tnTe e ar e ga t ne reri i"o-
g e t he r in my name , "the!' e am 1 in "the rm c s t of them. ,,6

In all of these statements, Jesus is teaching that all

things asked of the Father in the spirit of Jesus ( or accord-

ing to the will of the Father. will be granted. In other words,

1
Ellicott, 2E.~., p. 131 4Jn.15:16.

2Jn. 14: 13 - 14. 5Jn. 16: 23, 24.

3Jn. 15: 7. 6111att. 18: 19, 20.

 46

Jesus again is sHying that we must pray in harmony wi t.h God's

will and laws if' we expect the effect of' the prflyer to coin-

eide with the prayer itself.

Curing of the e1]i1e£ti.o boy ..1t!!.2uShl?raye~. - After

Jesus had dr i ven out t he "unclean ap ir it" that possessed the

afflicted boy, His disciples asked Him, "How is'that we could

not cast it out? And he said un no them, rl'his kind can come out

by nothing, save by :pl'ayer .nl

Discipline

Jesus in Bis precepts regarding prayer calls us to

glad expectancy. "but He r ernd.nu s us that there ar e certain

r e quis i 't e s :for eff'e cti ve prayer.

Faith. _- Faith is one of the essentials Tor effective

prayer: "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,

2
believing, ye shall receive. n

"So the praying man mus t make his venture. scorning all
Lns tnue.ut ng doubts. He must believe that man is free. that
God is near and good and mighty, find that the war ld will
yieln to their co-working. He must cleave to the tai th
that any good thing is too good to 'be untrue. end that God 3
will bring it to pass. '.rhese were the e.ssumptd one Jesus made."

ll\llk• 9: 28, 29.

,

2Uatt. 21:22 (Mk. 11:24).

3Buttrick, ~. cit., p. 32.

 47

Humili ty. --
'Always there is a demand for reality, lest faith should
become a poor make-believe. Prayers that ere ostentatious,
like the blowing of trumpets on a st;reet corner, are self-
co nd ernne d s " 1
"And when ye pr ay , ye shall not b e as the hvpncr t t.e e :
for they love to stand and pray in 1.he synagogues end in
the corners OT the streets that they mEy be seen of men.
Ver i ly I say unto you. 'rhey have race tv ad their r ewar o v 2

Jesus furt:her taught the necessity for humility in

prayer l.r the v i v Ic parable of the PhBrisee and the publican:

"Two men werrt up in"to the temple "to pray; the one a
Pha.r t e e e , and. the other 8 publican. The Pharisee stood
and pr?elyed thus with himself, God. I uh anlc thee, that I
am not as the rest of men, ext;ortioners, unjust, aa.ulterers,
or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I
give tithes o'f all that I get. But the publican, stand-
ing afar off', would not lift up so much s.s his eyes unt o
heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merci-
ful "to me a sinner. I say unto you, This man went down
to his house justi:fied rather th~tn the other: for every
one that exa1 'teth himsel:f shall be hUffinled; but he thHt
nunb Le t b himself shall be exal"ted.'3
In this parable Jesus inculcates a lesson by contrasting

two types of character, each appea.ring separately on the stage.

The Pharisee t.ypifies an extreme form at self conscious

virtue, clain\ing pe r e ona.L merit before God, and disdaining and

condemning b11 who do not conr'ol'm to its a.o c ep't ed start.da.rds and

IIbid., p , 32

2Ma.tt. 6:f:i.

3Lk• 18: 10 - 14:.

religious practices •.

In conur e.e t Jesus p or tr avs "the humble and brolcen-heart-

ad tax-gatherer who inconspicuously pleads wi th God to hav e

mercy upon ha-n, a wretched sinner.

The phrase, liThe Pharisee stood and prayed thus with

himself'," indicates t.h a t the Pharisee was not praying to God

at ell; he was virtuAlly praying "to himself, half-consciously

congratulating hims~lr, th~t-it was not necessary for him to

pra.y to God. :for pardon, righteousness, or pe ac e , though it was

pr op ar f'or him, by way of example, "to eXI)reSS thanks to God for

his blessings ana to perform his acts of devotion.

He does not evaluate himself in "terms of the infinite

perfec'tion or the God to whom he was praying, but in "terms of

the imagined greater imperfections of his fellow-men. He had

no pity for the despised tax-gatherer, and his reference to him

rings with scorn.

The publican was so filled with shame that he withdrew

:from the other wor shipper s, His downcast look is greatly in

cont.rast to the super o t Li ous expression of the Phar f ae e as he

cr ies, tlGOd be thou meec Lf'u L to me a sinner."

"The self-righteous finds the gate of pr8yer !'orever
closed; but the peni t errt , even un ougn he ha s no prayer but
to beat upon his breast and cry Ior mercy. returns "to his
 49

I
tasks in p~ace.n

Because Jesus teaches that humility is necessary for

effective prayer, there is a danger

It •••• that the temper of the Pharisee may learn to veil

i t e e Lr in the Language of the pub Lt c an , men confessing tiha.t
they are 'miserable sinners i, and resting, with a ae cr e t
self-satisfaction in the ccn rees t.on ; or t hat. , c onver eeIy ,
the publican - i. e., the openly non-z s Li g i cua man - may
cease to smite upon his "breast, and ruBy come to give God
thanks that he is not as the .l:'harisee."2

Sincerity. _- One must be sincere in prayer:

But thou, when thou pr ay es t , enter into thine inner

chamo er , and he ving shut thy door, pr ay to thy Father
who is in secret and t hv Fa.the r who seeth in secret shall
recompense thee. :,3 "

"And' J.' n praying use not vain repetition, as the

Gentiles do: for they think that they shall oe heard for their

much speaking." 4 Pr ay er e that consist or "vain repetitions"

or lengthy pro e t en s e ar e " •••• n'nariawe r ed exc ep t in their own

choas. ll
5

lButteick, .£E • cit. , p • 33

2:Balicott; , .£E. ci t., pp • 333 f.

3Matt. 6:6.
4Matt• 6:7.
5Buttr ick, .£E. $~t. , p • 32.
 50

The man who make a 8 pub Lt c display of himself in

order to Lmpr ess upon others his piety cannot pray effectively.,

GOd. is a God who does not reveal Himself to the carnal eye.

Therefore. if we are chiefly occupied with our own thoughts

ana eXercies, we cannot meet Him who is an unseen Spirit.

But to ·the man who wi t nor awe ha raseLf from all nhe.t
is 01: theworla ana men, and prepares t~ waLt upon God
a.Lorie , the 1!'ather will reveal Himself. IT

Jesus does not mean t he t we must always literally

retire into a room and shut "the door; it is the inward. silence

o~ the soul wherein we truly meet God.

Per s e1'8r ano e. rrhe ne ed for per severance in pr ay er

is forceably expressed in two parables: men should pr'a~l with

the Lmpor uuna t.y or the wj dow .who is harassed by an adversary

and does not SliOP pleading with tho unjust juage until he con-

aent s to help her; le we should persist in pr ay er as a man who

knocks and kno cks on his ne ighbor •s door at mianight asking

for b r eau because he has re ce fv ed hungry company and there is

nothing to eat in his house. 3 These two pa.r ab Les of' prayer

that Jesus related. are somewhat di!:ficult to construe.Buttriok

gives us such a sp1en~id interpretation of them that I shall

quote his entire discourse on them:

______________________________________________________________________ J r,

111
I urray, p. l(j.
.2.E. • ci t. ,
2Lk. Ie: 1 .- tl.

~?Lk. 11: 5-8.

 51

We can be aure .uha t; Jesus does not mean ua+.t o regard.

God as either a callous juage or a grudging neighbor. for
such a translatiOn woula flatly contradict all else taught
by the Gospels. Some items in the StOI'Y ar e only for
verisimili uuu e , .But "he r equirt:lment 0:[ persistence in
pr ay er is unmf s uakab Le , Why this aemand.? It is because
we honor noun i.ng cheap ana easily ga.i ned ? Gold is no t
often given in nugget, 'but in ore Which must be mined,
arne Lu eu , r e r t neo , a nn wr oug h t arrt o loveliness. Ls it be-
cause prayer is 8: great ar t ? Music is an arduous train-
ing, tt s g i rcs reserved only for disciplined seekers. ana
we rna~7 n o t hop e 'to e n t er "the tr eaeur es of pr ay er in t he
casual asking of a casual mina.. 1s it because by persisti-
ence our clamorings are purified? If desires are steaaily
r e rus ed , we ma,y wisely question their worth. Is it be-
cause prayer is a :t'I'iend.Si1i:p·? We do no t make r'r a enc a by
noc.c t.ng om' head to a man across the stree't once a month.
A friend. begins by appearing aloof'. Then through speech
ann Silence, thr ough laughter ehar eo ana danger braved.
tinr ougn "the gi ve and t ake of unsuspected self-revealings.
heart opens to ne art ana mu.uue.L loyalty is gladly pledged.
So wi'th B Friendship above "time: it grows o~ o~t-repeBted
meetings, contact, sel:t-givings, HnQ mutual "trust. }j'or
wha.t s o e v e'r high reasons, men or pr ey er must knock anc
knock -- so met t mea wi r.n b Le ec Lng knu ck'l e s in the dark.' 1

Perseverance may seem to be at variance wr un wha t

Jesus said concerning "vain repetitions." r.rhe explanation 1s

that the heathen be Lae ven an quan'tity in prayer and. r ep eat ea

their formulas, which or t en were meaningless. over anu over

again. Such a practice is abhorred by God• .But Jesus "teaches

us if' we approach God ann pour ou u our hearts to Rim and ke ep

on doing "thiS. we shall be looked upon wi"th gr ea t :favol'.

IButtrick. £E. cit., pp. 33 f.

 52

A forgiving spirit. -- Jesus taught very clearly the

ne cessi 'ty .ror 8 f'or gi v ang ap a r i li • At the conclusion of the

model p r ay er , he aa.Lu , "For iT you f'o r gi ve men 'their 1ires-

passes, your heavenly Father will also fo~give you. Hut iT

ye f~)'rgivt:l no c men 1ihei.l'L.reSpSsses. neither will your .B'ather

forgive your 'trespasses."1 Marlr r e e or lis a e i nu Lar statement.

"Ana. whensoever ye s t ann praying. f'or g i v e , it' ye hav e augm,

againt anyone; 'that your 2rather also who is in heaven may for-

give you your trespasses.IIB

lillien Peter asked Jesus. I1Howoft shall my brother sin

against me, and I for gi ve him? until seven t Lmes ?'", 3 Jesus

replied, "I say not unto thee, until seven times; but, Until

seventy times seven."4 Jesus used the expression, "seventy

times seven". to mean that for giveness must be granted ad

infinitum.

For gi veness
is not so much an act as an attitude. If
a man wer e to count up to' seventy time s seven I find at the
four hundred and ninety-first offence say. 'Now iJ: have
fulfilled my duty; I need not forgive again, he wo u Ld
thereby prove t he.t he had never reall;V forgiven at all.
It does not matter how often the forgiveness is needed; it
must be granted every time.IS

IMatt. 6: 14, 15.

2Mk• 11: 25.

3Ma t t , 18: 21 •

4TJIatt 18: 22. <

5Robinson. o~
.t' ~..
't p , 156.
 53

This general lesson is reinforced by the parable of

the unmerciful servant, who ~fter being forgiven of his debt

by his king, hod no mercy on his fellow-servant and had him

cast into prison becvuse he could not :ray his debt. When the

king heard of the unmerciful action of the servant, he was

"wroth" and handed him over to the torturers, until he should

pay all that he owed. Jesus m.ommen

ts at the close of the

parable: "So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if

ye for gi ve not everyone his brother from your hearts. nl

The question as to whether God's for gi veness is

directly proportionate ,-
to OUX forgiving spirit was dealt
/ t
With earlier in this dessertation; therefore, we shall not

discuss the problem here.

- -- ---
"In His Name".--

Verily, v ert Iv , I say unto you, If ye shall ask any-

thing of the Father, he will give it to you in my name , Hitherto

he.vB ye asked nothing in my name : ask, and ye shall receive,

that your joy may be made full.,,2

.Tesus also said: "If ye shall ask an;vthing in my

name, that will I do.,,3 This d.oes not mean t.ha t we can make

1
Matt. 18:35.

2Jno. 16: 23, 24.

3Jn• 14: 14.
 b4

our prayers effective merely.by closing them with the words,

"In Jesus name." Praying in "J esus mlm~"is not a magi.c

formula just as the model prayer e.Lso is not Ell magic forrnule·.

To prs.y "d n the name of Jesus'! means to pray as one whose

mind is Jesus' mind; whose will is Jesus' will; whose

attitude towards God and His Kingdom is Jesus' attitude. If

we would ask anything in the name of Jesus t we must first be

certain that we are ourselves in that name, our lives being hid
in His life. our name in His name. We :pray that just in so far

as our prayer is in accordance with Jesus' mind it may be

granted.
 CHAP~.eEHv

CONC.LUSIONS

We ha ve sought to analy ze the examp Le s and pr ecept.sof

prayer in the life o~ Jesus from the standpoint of the factors

of occasion, purpose, content, effect,end discipline. In the

cone Lud ing chapter we ShB 11 summar ize and et'feet a synthesis

of our findings pertaining to example and precept. It is our

hope that this method will give us a better incite into prayer

in the life of the Master of pr av er , and, consequently, t ha t 8

better understanding of prayer will result.

Occasion.

Jesus prayed at the momentous moments and great crises

of His life. He prayed at the initial ect of His consecration.

He turned to God as He wa s confronted wi th the extremely im-

portant and difficult task of selectins His twelve disciples.

He prayed before the raising of Lazarus, the hea.ling of the

epileptic boy. and the 'feeding of the multitude. He was trans-

figured as He was praying. At the institution of the Lordla

Supper, Jesus gave thanks to God. Realizing the import of the

step He was about to take, Jesus prayed as He prepared to leave

His work in the hands of his disciples. He communea with His

Father in the Garden of Gethsemane as He sensed His i:npending

cruc t r f.xf.on
, Of the "few brief utterances during His ogony

55
 56

,on the cross. three were prayers.

Jesus repeatedly felt the need to withdraw Himself

from the busy life that He led in order to pray to GOd.

After strenuous and exhausting days, when wearied in body

and spir it from har d war k, opposition, arid distraction.

Jesus prayed.
Purpose
Jesus taught that we should pray for the tir I umph of

His cause which is the cause of our heavenly Father. '1'his is

really the final purpose of all prayer. 'l'her e are various

. things that we have need of to he Lp bring about the fulfill-

ment of His cause. and we should pray also for these things.

We should pray for power, for mental and emotional control.

There are times when we should pray that others might hear and

be effected by our prayers. We should pray for others thot

they may remain stedfast in the faith. We should pray for

workers to enlist in His cause. Finally. we should pray that

we may so act that we may ultimately stand before Him, the Son

of man.
Content

rl'he God to whom we pra.y is a loving Father. Conse-

quently, all men are brothers. He is a universal God and yet

He is intimately near to lis. 'Ne must recognize the fatherhood
 57

of God and the brotherhood, of man in order to pr oper Iy pr ay ,

Because of the exhalted character of God. we should

pray that His name be revered among all men.

Our prayers should include a petition for the coming of

GOd's kf.rigd om, that all men ml:lybring their wills into harmony

with God's will in order that His will mieht

'--
be done.

We should ask our heavenly Father to forgive our trans-

gressions, to guide us away from temptation, to deliver us from

the threatening evil t.ha t is all ab ou't us. and to give us our

material needs in order that we might do His will.

We should e xpr ess thanks to God for our mater j a.L and

spirituel blessings. He specifically mentioned that we should

thank God for food, for the Lord's Supper, for the power to

ae corap Lf.ah , and for the fact that the Gospel can be understood

by the simple as well as the wise.

lNe should inter cede for indi vl dua Le , am' enemies as

well as our friends. 'Ne should ask t net spiritual unity might

prevail among ell of the followers of Jesus.

Vvemay aak for diliverance from trials and hardships

so long as the deliverance can be affected without interference,

alteration or frustration of God's will.

 58

Effect

The effect of pr~yer is strikingly revealed in Jesus'

life. After praying to His heavenly Father. Jesus was able to

raise Lazarus from the dead and to heal the epleptic boy. At

the visit of the Greeks Jesus prsyed that His Father might be

glorified, and immediately a voice out of' heaven cried, "I have

both glorified it and will glorify it again." It was while

Jesus was praying that He was t r ane rf.gur ed , Jesus prayed thvt

He might be glorified, and He was glorified in His actions

during the trials, Gethsema.ne, and the cross. He was glorified

in His victory over death and in His ascension into heaven. He

has been fur ther glor i fied by all those who have been devoted

to Him. Peter, i'or whom Jesus prayed, remained s t ed f'a s t after

hie denial and preached the Gospel wi th corrrpI e t e disregard for

his own well-being, winning great victories. Jesus pr ay ed for

Hie apostles and they accomplished almost impossible things in

Ris narne , Jesus'prayer for the unity of His followers has not

yet been realized.

Jesus explicitly taught t.he t In so far as our prayers

are in harmony wi th His will, which is the will of our Heavenly

Fa.ther, we can expect them to be answered without qualifica.tion

or exception. r.rhis does not mean that our prayers will always

be answered as we might expect them to be. God knows what is

best for His ch I Ldz en and will answer our I)rHyers as it is best

that they should be answered.

 59

Discipline

Certain demands are placed upon us in order that our

prayers mav he acceptable unto God.

live must have a spiri t of forgiveness toward our fellow

men. God is ever loving and merciful but we must have an at t r-.

tUde of forgiveness toward others lest we close our minds and

hearts to Him. Because forgiveness is an attitude, it cannot
be limited in any sense.

Faith is necessary for effective prayer. If we do not

have fai th in the God to whom we pr av , then our prayers are
empty and meaningless.

It is impossible for one to truly pray to the Father

unless one is humble in spirit. How can one rightly come into
His presence without a profound sense of imperfection and
limi ua't i on?

Sincerity is also essential for effective prayer;

otherwise prayer is a hollow mockery. Lengthy pretense and

hypocrisy are antithetical to real prayer.

We must persevere in order that we may come to know God

better. We must knock and knock at the door where God is ever

listening.

And finally. we should pray in the "name of Jesus; our

minds should be His mind, our wills should. be His will, our

atti tiude toward God and His lcingdom should be Jesus ' attitude.
 BlBLIOGRAPHY
Books

}ndrews, C. F. Christ and Prayer. New York and London:

Harper and Brothers Publishers. 1937.

}xndt, W. Christian ~rnyer. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing

House, 1937.

justin, Mary Hunter. Can Prayer Be Answered? New York: Farrar

and Rinehart, 1934.

;1ible. American Standard Edition, Revised Version, 1901.

-arovm, Al va Ross. Our Lord's Mo s t Sublime Words. Kings]Jor t,

Tem1.essee: Southern Publishers, Lnc , , 1930.

-arown , Charles Reynolds. Wh:v1. Believe .i!1 !i_eligion. New York:

'The l"lacmillsn Company, 1924.

:Brown, William Adams. The Life of Prayer in ~ vVorld.of Science.

New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1927.
Buttrick, George Arthur. Prayer. New York-Nashville: Abingd.on -
Cokesbury Press, 1941.

Cle,rk, Glen. 1Will Lift !!.E Mine .li.)es. New York and London:
Harper and Brothers, 1937.
Clark. GleJj.. The Soul's Sincer e Desir e. Boston: The A tlftnti o
Monthly-press, 192b.

Clarke, James Freeman. The Christian Doctrine of Pr ave r ,

Boston: Americhn Unitarian Association,lt374.

Crane. Aaron Martin, ~ ~ Reoeive. Boston: Lothrop. Lee

and Shepard Co., 1920.
Decker, Frank H. Chr iol' s E!]?er ience of God. Boston, New York
Chicago. The Pilgrim Press, 191~
Farmer, Herbert H. The World and God. New York and London:
Har pe r and fuother s , 1936-:--

60
 61

FOSdick:, Harry Emerson. The Meaning of Prayor. New York and

London: Association Press, 1915.

Goguel, Maurice. 11he Lit'e of' Jesus. (translated by Olive Wyon.)

New Yor lc: '.rhe lVlcmilltoLllCompany, 1933.

Gordon, S.D. Quiet Talks on Prayer. New York, Chicago,

Toronto: Fleming H:-Reve11 Company, 1904.

Harrison, Norman B. His in!! Life of Prayer.

The Bible Institute Colportage Association, 1927.

Hastings, James. The Chr isti&n Doctrine of Prayer. New York:

Charles Scribner's Sons, 191b.

Heiler, Fr edr ich. Prayer. (translEtted and edi ted by Samuel Mcyomb)
London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1932.

Herman, E. Creative .1:'rayer. New York: Richard H. Smith Inc.,1931.

lnge, IN. H. Pe~sonal Religion ~ "the ~ of Devotion. London:

Lo ngrnan s , Green and Co , , 1924.

Kern , Pau L B. The Basic Beliefs of Jesus. Nashville: Coksbury

Press, 1935.

Kirkland, Winifred. Let Us Pray. New York and. London: Harper

Brothers, 1938.

Martin, Alexander. The Finality .2! Jesus for Faith. New York :
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1933.

Milligan, H. The Scheme of Red empt Lori, Cincinnati: R. W.

Ca.l'xoll and Co., 1tJ69.

Murray . , Andrew.
Anson D.
With Christ
F. Randolph
.!E-
the School of Pra.yer.
and Co., 1885.
New York:

Orchard, W. E. Prayer. New York and London: Harper and Brothers

Publishers, 1930.

Palmer, B. M. '.rheology of Prayer. Richmond: Presbyterian

Committee o:f Publ., Itl94.

Palmer, Francis B. Thoughts .2E the Lord's Prayer. New York:

Ea1;on and Mains. 1907.
~----

62

l?age. Kirby. Living Prayel':fullX. New York, Toronto: Fa,rrar

and P.inehart, 1~41.
Paterso New Yoxk: The Macmillan
n , Will P. The Power _of .l:'rayer.
C 0., 1920. -
Pratt J ,~ew York:
,ames Bissett. ~ Re1igiou§_ Conscl.OUs~·
The Macmillan Co. 1920.
ROYden• A• 1Ilra
lVJ.
d
U e. L raye:r:_~
Ll
_a For os ..u 'll.Tew
Yor1r
~
arid London:
G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1923.
Speer, Robert E. The Principles of Jesus. New York, Chicago
and Toronto-:--r-leming R. Revell Co., 1902.
Steers, Doug 1 as V• Prayer hors h'l.1:.
and. ~r New Yorlr..
.... ASSOC1'~tl'on
a

Press, 19Dd. ---

LaPhir, Adolph. The Lord's Prayer. Hew York. Gospel Publish-
ing House, n.d.
Sutton, J. Wilson. Our Lit'e of Prayer. Hew York, Milwaukee:
Morehouse-G·o'i:hiiniC"O:",1938.
Trumbull, H. Cla.y. Personal Prayer. New Yorl::, Chicago, Toronto:
Fleming H. Revell Co., 1896.
Ware
• Henry Jr. ]ror~ation
American Unitarian
of the L:hristian
Assooiation,
Choracter •
1873.

White Ellen G. Steps to Christ. Mountain View, Cal:

• Paci~ic Press Publishing 00., 190b.

Whyte , Alexander. Lord, r.reach Us to Pray. New York: George H.

Doran Company. 1,923. - - ~
Oornmen
tar ie s

Allen, !. c. GosEe1
'Interna.tional
Accordins .!£ st. M'.s.tthew.
Cri tics.l Com.mentary." New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons, lY07.
Beznar d , J. H. Gospel Accor.ding to st. John. Vol I & II,
"International Critical Commentary. ff, New York: Charles
Soribner's Sons, 1929.
I~--
I
63

Branscomb, B. H. 'rhe G-os12~l of Mar k , "The Mof'fatt New Testament

Oommentary.,f New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers,n.d.

Dod a , Marcus. The (;'08})e1 of St John. Vols. XV, XVI, & XVII,
The Expositor's Bible. Am. ed , New Yo r k : Funle &
}Vagne.lls Co., 1900.

Eisenlen, Oar L, et a'l , Abingdon Bible Commen t ar v , New York::

The AbingdOn~ible Press, 1929.

Ellicott, C. J. (ed.) 'rhe ll'our Gospels. Vol. 1. A New ~J.1estu-

ment Oo:rnrnentary for English. Readers. New York:
E.J? Dutton 8:: O~ n.d.
Gould, E. P. Gospel According to St I,rnrk. ITIrrt er na t t ona'l
Oritical Commentary;" New York: Char Le s i3cribner's
Sons, 1896.

Lange, John Peter (ed.) Commentary. Vols.XV, XVI, XVII.

New Tork: Scribners, Armstrong & 00., 1872.
Manson, lNilliem. ~l'he Gospel of Luke. "The Moffatt New 'l'estament
Comnentary:1T New York: Richard R. Smith, Inc., 1930.

Macgregor, G.J .C. The Gospel of St John. "The Moffa,tt New rl'esta-
ment Oommentury:IT New York. Harper and Brothers Pub-
lishers, 1932.

Plurmner, Alfred. Gospel According to St. Im.ke , "International

Criticsl Commentary." New York: Oha.r Le s Scribner's
Sons, 1901.

Rob inson, Theodor e H. 1'he Gospel of Mathew. "The Moffatt New

Testament Commentary:" New )!Iork: Happ ar and Brothers
Pub1i sher s , 1939.

Articles

D'Arcy, Ohar Le s F. "Prayer (Christian, 'Theological)".

Encyclopedia of Heligion a.nd Bthi cs. I~di ted by
James Hastings. Vol X, 1919.

Plummer, Alfred, "Prayer. I' A Dictlonsr]l_ 0-1' Christ and the

Gospels. Edited by James Hastings. Vol II,-r90S:-
 64
-
UnI1ublished Materin·l

Kershner, F. D. "Sylla.bus o:f Christian lVlysticism", 1942.

 (This certification-sheet is to be bound with the
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out at the oral e xanuna+i on , )

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Oral Lxami na t) on:

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Comrai ttee '~~~t~~ __
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ehai rman

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Thesis anproved in final form:

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(Please rehHnfui a c e rt i fi catd on-cs.he e t , alo':lg: Vii th two copies

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