Luke 11:2-4

Context

According to the Gospel of Luke, when Jesus had finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples asked, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). This passage is Jesus' answer to that request. It is set within his journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51 and following). It is immediately followed by the parable of the friend who comes at midnight to borrow bread and by the teaching "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Together these passages form a single section on prayer.

The Lord's Prayer that the church recites in worship follows the form found in Matthew 6:9-13, part of the Sermon on the Mount. The prayer in Luke is shorter. It addresses God simply as "Father" and lacks the petitions corresponding to "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth" and "deliver us from evil."

Interpretation

• Relationship between the two texts: A widely held view in biblical scholarship is that Luke's shorter form preserves an earlier version, while Matthew's form was refined through use in the church's worship. Others hold that both forms have come down to us because Jesus taught similar prayers on different occasions.
• The address "Father": Some interpreters hold that the unadorned address "Father" reflects the Aramaic abba ("father") that Jesus used. On this view, the address expresses an intimate relationship with God.
• Eschatological reading: Some scholars read "Thy kingdom come" as a petition for the consummation of the kingdom of God and "temptation" as the great trial of the end times. Broader readings that understand these as everyday temptations and trials are also common.
• Daily bread: The Greek word epiousios, translated "daily," is almost unattested outside the New Testament. As a result, interpretations of its meaning vary, including "needed for today" and "for tomorrow." Some of the Church Fathers (theologians of the early church) understood it as referring to spiritual food or to the Eucharist.

Controversies and Issues

• Forgiveness as a condition: The passage reads, "And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us." This raises the question of whether a person's forgiving others is a condition of God's forgiveness. Many Protestant traditions explain it not as merit (an act that earns salvation) but as the disposition that naturally characterizes one who has been forgiven.
• "Lead us not into temptation": James 1:13 states that God tempts no one. In keeping with that verse, this petition is often interpreted to mean "keep us from falling into temptation." In the Catholic Church, the bishops' conferences of France (2017) and Italy changed the wording of this line in the liturgical text (the official wording used in worship) of the Lord's Prayer.
• Manuscript issues: Later manuscripts, followed by older translations such as the King James Version, contain phrases harmonized with Matthew: "Our ... which art in heaven," "Thy will be done ...," and "deliver us from evil." Because these phrases are absent from the oldest manuscripts, modern translations such as the New Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version follow the shorter text. In addition, a few minority manuscripts and citations by some Church Fathers are known to contain, in place of "Thy kingdom come," a petition that the Holy Spirit come and cleanse.

In the Korean Church

The Lord's Prayer that Korean churches recite together in worship is Matthew's form with the doxology ("For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory...") appended. This passage from Luke is frequently cited in sermons and Bible studies on prayer, together with the request in Luke 11:1, "Lord, teach us to pray." In gatherings without a pastor present, it is common practice to close the meeting with the Lord's Prayer instead of the benediction.

Related Passages

• Matthew 6:9-13 — the Lord's Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount
• Luke 11:5-13 — the teaching on prayer that follows
• Matthew 6:14-15 — forgiving others and God's forgiveness
• Luke 22:40 — on the Mount of Olives: "Pray that ye enter not into temptation"
• James 1:12-14 — the statement that God tempts no one