Let’s Talk about Jesus and Prayer in Matthew

The Old Testament is full of different prayers for the Jews. Deuteronomy establishes the prayer over sacrifice and gives a thanksgiving prayer. The Shema can be found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and is said usually twice a day. The Lord's prayer given by Jesus throughout the gospels, most specifically in Matthew 6:9-11, doesn’t mention the oneness of God or God’s Unity. There is a clear difference in Jesus’s prayer and the Shema, while the Shema goes into depth about the tawhid (oneness of God in Islam) the Lord’s prayer focuses on the intention of prayer, asking for forgiveness and reminding those to forgive as well. While the Shema focuses on God, the Lord's prayer focuses on the individual and reminds us to forgive, yet Jesus teaches us more in the Matthew verse than any other gospel on how to pray. We know for the fact that Jesus was not meant to abolish the law but to fulfill it or I suppose to add to it. His battle is one that rages on in any place of worship, the spiritual (Jesus) vs the literal (religious zealots). What does Matthew’s verse on prayer mean by keeping our prayer secret? What is the importance of Jesus words with empty words in prayer?

            Jesus warns throughout Matthew about hypocrites, in this verse Jesus tells the disciples not to pray like the hypocrites or Gentiles (Pagans). The hypocrites are the Jews, who pray to show off their piety.  Jesus says they “love to stand and pray in synagogues and at street corners, so that they may be seen by others”.  It is common for people to pray, to be religious, to fake their lifestyle, and etc. to show off to others. The person isn’t praying to pray, they are not thinking about God. This hypocrite is more worried about what others think than actually worrying about his own damnation of his soul. By praying in obvious spots, to be seen, the person is making prayer invalid because there is no intention. It could be argued that the Jewish priest or whatever, does believe in God and Gods wrath but the fact that they are actually praying to show off their piety invalidates their prayer.

            Jesus goes on to conclude to pray alone, with the door closed and pray in secret to God. He isn’t telling the disciples to pray secluded, otherwise, Christianity wouldn’t have any actual need for churches or Sunday mass. It is best to pray alone, then it is to pray to show off.  Your personal prayer to God should remain personal and private to God, as God is in secret. When we want to commune with God, instead of doing the obligatory prayers (i.e. sacrifice or Sabbath) we commune in an environment that allows us to fully reach God. God is our secret because not one being has felt the same thread of the divine. Everyone experiences God differently. Yet being alone, is a fundamental principle in most religious experience. God/Gods seem to like to talk to people alone. Moses experienced God alone, on top of a Mountain. Abraham talked to God alone about Sodom and Gomorrah. Paul saw Jesus alone. There are meditation practices that people do, that involves being alone.

            Giving a private prayer to God, our secret, allows the follower to actually focus on God. It allows for the complete utter devotion to God. The monkey brain of humans prevents us from focusing on one exact thing when we are in public surrounded by distractions. When praying or meditating it is easy to see what our neighbor is wearing, we can be annoyed by Susan’s heavy breathing, and even the screaming babies might all interrupt our prayer. How fundamental is it to refer to God as “who is in secret”? God cannot be seen, such as in Exodus 33:20, Christians can say we can know God through Jesus. Yet God is all our secrets and to pray in secret, is to make a secret with God.

            Another condition to prayer is not to “babble” or “heap up empty phrases” like the Pagans/Gentiles.  Jesus says its because they think they will be heard because of their many words. The Romans gave gifts to their statues, such as pouring out bowls of wine and giving an animal sacrifice. Some Gods received milk offerings, and many statues were clothed in fanciful veils. Yet it isn’t much known about what people spoke to their Gods. Looking at Buddhist and Hindus, we know for fact they do have mantras. Some mantras were said at certain times a day. Since Abrahamic faiths are very anti-idolatry, Jesus might have been referencing the empty words or worshiping objects that aren’t going to help the person praying. Since the statue is just clay or etc., then the Gentile/Pagan’s words are useless and empty. The words are just gibberish or babble.  

            The passage continues to tell us not to be like these people because God already knows what we want. Yet it may also refer to people who pray but have no intention in the prayer. For example, Jim might pray about getting an A on the exam, but he really doesn’t pray to God any other time to God. Thus, Jim’s words are just empty babbling because Jim doesn’t truly believe in the Lord. Or those who pray to God when scared but still get killed by the demon because they have no actual belief or love in their heart. When there is no actual belief in the heart then there the words of the believer are just babble, and you might as well be praying to a wall. Mark 12:30 explains that “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” When our words are just empty, like praying to a rock, and we don’t love the lord or fear the lord then prayer is empty.

            The actual prayer was given by Jesus, first explains God does what he wants, it may also explain the upcoming kingdom of heaven. While the prayer is in remembrance of God, Jesus sets up the Lord’s prayer for the devotee. The devotee asks God to forgive them of their “debts” or sins but then the next line says “as we also have forgiven our debtors”. The devotee has to remember that they may ask for forgiveness, but they also have to forgive in return. Then the verse asks God to lead humans from temptation and from evil, while God can protect humanity from things like demons. The verse is reminding the person to be aware of the temptations if this prayer is given with full intention and no compulsion than the devotee constantly is seeking Gods help. Jesus says if we forgive those of their sins towards us then God will also forgive us, because if we can not forgive why should God forgive us? When we demand forgiveness in prayer, i.e. “God please forgive me for cheating on the exam” but prosecute our students for doing the same thing then this person is nothing more than a hypocrite. 

            Yet there is no background information on why Jesus gives the Lord’s prayer or how it should be used. Nor do we know if the other prayers are now invalid, like the Shema. Instead, Jesus explains to go give prayer in private, and not show up one’s own piety, then gives us a prayer to pray. This prayer might be one that should be given when in private. Jesus is all about the spirituality of humanity, while other prayers are about praising God for etc. Here Jesus does like Jesus and reminds his followers of the transgressions of humanity. When we just pray to appear like whatever and pray with pointless words, then are we really worshipping? A person cannot truly reach God or salvation when the person actually doesn’t believe, religion is all about intention. No love for God (or Jesus), then all acts of prayer or speech become null and void. No love for our fellow mankind, then we receive no love from God.