And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” ( Matthew 6:5-7). Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. When Jesus spoke specifically about prayer, He warned the people to not pray openly to gain attention and to not pray long prayers to impress others. All these spiritual disciplines should be done in obedience to God, not to make ourselves look good in front of others. The first, when His followers give to the needy and poor. It is in this context that Jesus teaches about three spiritual practices that should be done in secret to the best of our ability. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” ( Matthew 6:1). “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Rather they should do good and righteous things in secret and God will reward them for their obedience and faithfulness. When Jesus spoke, He taught the Lord’s Prayer to those who were at the sermon on the mount.īefore Jesus began teaching about prayer, He was instructing the people to not practice righteousness and goodness in front of others to get recognition and praise from fellow humans. Scholars believe it would have taken about 10-15 minutes for Jesus to deliver this impactful, life-changing sermon. It is three chapters and is the longest recorded sermon given by Jesus. The sermon on the mount is found in Luke 5-7. Jesus taught the Lord’s prayer during His sermon on the mount. What Is the Context of the Lord's Prayer? It is no surprise that during His sermon the mount, He taught the people about prayer. He recognized the significance of having a healthy prayer life, and practiced it regularly. Jesus was often seen going away from crowds to pray and spend time with the Father. This demonstration of prayer taught by Jesus was simple, yet it shows us how we can come to God in prayer.

It is during this portion of Jesus’ sermon that He instructed the people to pray in a certain way.

In Matthew’s Gospel, during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached about many topics, one of which was how to pray. It has been learned by the majority of Christians throughout the history of the church. The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer that Jesus taught His followers to say when they asked Him to teach them how to pray. It makes sense that Jesus would have taught this prayer on multiple occasions to His disciples and followers. And lead us not into temptation” ( Luke 11:2-4).Īlthough the version of the Lord’s Prayer is shorter in Luke’s Gospel, the wording in both is nearly identical. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.

Bible study on prayer iv