Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “Pray then in this way: 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. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:5-13 NRSV
Prayer is central to the Christian life; it is an act of worship and a core way that twe Christians offer ourselves - our hurts and hopes - to God. Prayer is the gift of connection, friendship, and the experience of the presence of God here and now. Christians pray for as many reasons as there are needs and joys in their lives. Christians pray alone and together, in various forms and styles; some rote and repeated, some extemporaneous, some as a loud cry of anguish or shout of thanksgiving. In worship, pastors offer the prayers of the people, putting voice to the needs and joys of the community of faith they lead. In all these ways, prayer connects us with God, whom we know now in part, and are promised to know one day in fullness.
In Matthew 6, Jesus warns his disciples against ostentatious prayer, makes a strong statement about the need to pray in private, and warns them about the quantity of words used in their prayers. This passage, full of admonishments, leaves us grappling. How are we as Christians, to understand Jesus’ words in Matthew 6? Are we never to pray with other people? Is it sinful if someone compliments our prayer? Is Jesus speaking to his disciples only for their specific time and context or are these words of Jesus meant for all disciples for all time all the time? Is Jesus speaking of impossible ideals in modern times?
This text is positioned at the center of the Sermon on Mount, a discourse given by Jesus to his disciples on a mountain. The Sermon on the Mount is the longest piece of teaching from Jesus found in the New Testament. As such, it is an integral part of Matthew’s narrative. It presents Jesus as an authoritative teacher of God’s desire and will. Jesus’ teaching on prayer is bracketed by declaration of “fulfillment of law and prophets” (5:17 and 7:12), highlighting the core theme in Matthew that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
Jesus begins his teaching with the beatitudes, followed by short teachings regarding anger, adultery, divorce, and loving your enemies, among others. Jesus’ declaration about prayer begins with an admonition for them to not be like the hypocrites, “rejecting ostentatious praying aimed at applause” and demands prayer be directed to God. He starts by saying, “Whenever you pray”, which may presuppose three hours of prayer, which was the standard Jewish practice at the time. Jesus makes the point that these hypocrites are both in the synagogues and in the streets, praying both outside and inside.
What follows is Jesus’ instruction about whom one’s attention is directed to in prayer, and a prescription to pray in secret. What is at stake here is not where one prays, but to whom one’s attention is paid. Private prayer assures that the longing in the person praying is for God and not for recognition from others.
In verses five and six, we find reference to reward. Jesus says not to pray like the hypocrites, who pray in order to be seen by others. Reward for this kind of prayer is human admiration, but the reward for prayer behind closed doors is a reward God alone can give. Jesus’ teaching here is consistent with his actions in Luke 18:9-14, where he admonishes a pharisee who seeks the most prominent temple location from which to pray.
The generalized description of Gentile prayer found in verse seven is likely due to the Gentile practice of what is called verbosity. It was common practice to use an overabundance of words in prayer, as they believed it to increase their chance of being heard by the gods. The Greek word battalogeo is translated as “heap up empty phrases,” in short, babbling. Matthew, in contrast, pictures Christian prayer as an act of trust. Praying is not matter of informing or manipulating God, but of connecting with God in our need. Prayer is not for changing God’s mind or telling God our needs, but simply offering ourselves and our attention.
Because the future of the Church will depend on the example and practice of these disciples to whom Jesus is directly speaking, it is necessary that they both model and practice authentic prayer. Jesus knows authentic prayer and knows what is at stake. When one prays authentically, the reward from God is as the Psalmist proclaims, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of all who fear him he also hears their cry and saves them.”
The setting aside of pride and letting go of our need to be seen and heard has the power to turn our attention toward God. This Scripture is not primarily about praying inwardly or outwardly; not about praying alone or with others, but about the heart of the one praying.
May we, as we come before God in prayer, offer our whole selves to God in spirit and truth, and find God paying close attention to our needs.