“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.” (Luke 11: 1-4, NIV)
The master teacher
The disciples listened as Jesus captivated thousands with the authority of His teaching. They witnessed Him heal the sick. They watched stunned as He raised the dead. In awe they gasped as He cast out demons. He saved them by commanding the weather at His bidding. They partook as he multiplied bread and fish and fed thousands. They observed miracles that defied comprehension. Of all the things Jesus could have taught them, He taught them to pray. And the Lord granted them their request: “Lord, teach us to pray.”
There is no teacher like Jesus when it comes to prayer. Almost any pupil in school wants the best teacher. Don’t think for a minute that students don’t know who the best teacher is in a particular school or university. They all know; kids, students, and parents talk. They know the teacher who is tough and demanding, but fair. They know the teacher who will “press them to the mat”, stretch them for all they are worth, and yet make them relish every moment of it. The very best teachers have a unique manner of communicating their knowledge that motivates students and makes the information easy to grasp.
He commanded a band of over 300 plus students every morning at 6:30 a.m. and had the largest marching band in the state. They met on a sprawling blacktop. The weather made no difference to him, hot or cold, rain or shine, you showed up, and on time. Pom girls showed up with their hair in rollers and boys with their “bed-hair”. One morning I overheard one of the boys talking to his buddy as he looked at the line of pom girls with no makeup and hair in curlers, he said, “Scary isn’t it.” Can you image someone getting high school girls to come out at 6:30 a.m. without makeup and their hair in rollers? Now that is authority in action.
I regularly went out in the early morning to watch the master at work. He took underperforming students– any student could be part of the band–and turned them in to outstanding musicians. It was a large high school that was in a blue-collar community with a high percentage of students living in poverty. The band won numerous awards and became the symbol of success and pride for the city. They were chosen to perform before a national championship collegiate football game. As administrators, we often joked that we had to have football so the band could perform. He drew talents out of kids they didn’t know they had. Dean was a master teacher.
As a lifelong educator, I’ve recognized that the teacher is the greatest influence in the learning process. Research study after study shows the single most important factor defining the quality of the education any student receives is the quality of the teacher. Some of the marks of a great teacher are that they don’t give up easily on students, they give students opportunity to practice new skills, they develop quality relationships with students while they authentically care for them, and they are “jedi-masters” in their subject. Sound familiar to Jesus’ relationship with the disciples?
Jesus saw his disciples fail on several occasions, such as the time in Luke 9:37-56 when they couldn’t cast the demon out of the young man. Jesus even went as far to correct or rebuke them for their failure in this instance. And on some occasions they were simply “clueless” and didn’t easily or quickly grasp what He was trying to teach them. Shortly after Jesus fed thousands of people he warned the disciples to, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” (Mark 8:14, NIV) The disciples wrongly thought that Jesus was telling them that because they didn’t have any bread they shouldn’t consider buying any from Pharisee because something was wrong with the yeast they used. But, as slow of learning and mistake prone as the disciples were, Jesus was patient and didn’t give up on them.
Jesus knew that if the disciples were to fully comprehend His teachings, they must be challenged to put them into practice. The disciples would need opportunities to pray for the sick, cast out demons, and teach others what it meant to have their sins forgiven and follow Jesus. So, what did he do? He sent them out two by two and gave them instructions. And later they returned to “debrief”, reporting to Him all they had done and taught. It’s called “authentic learning”, a student takes what he is taught and applies it to real life situations. Though the disciples didn’t realize it yet, Jesus was depending on them to take His message to the ends of the earth. The disciples needed to experience the newness of life Jesus offered them, understand it thoroughly, and be able to teach it others. Just as Jesus instructed them before He ascended to heaven He gave them the charge: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20, NIV)
These classic books that address Jesus’ training of the disciples–Robert E. Coleman’s The Master Plan of Evangelism to A. B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve– highlight the amount of time that Jesus spent with the disciples. Time is always the key in any relationship. Time expresses the importance and depth of care given to develop a relationship. Jesus was with them. In discipleship it is called the “with them” principle. He established it.
Jesus knows the mind of the Father like none other. He and the Father are one in thought and action. As a man, Jesus purposed not to speak on His own, but only as the Father purposed. “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.” (John 12:49, NIV) In every action Jesus did only as the Father directed. “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself, he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19, NIV) Jesus is the master teacher. No one has His knowledge, wisdom, or understanding of the Father. Only Jesus knows what is in the heart of man.
The master teacher on prayer
On earth Jesus’ life was surrounded and immersed in prayer and the word. As a young boy He grew up in an atmosphere that was filled with the teachings of the Old Testament. More than likely He attended a Jewish school by an early age. Jesus’ study of the scriptures is evidenced as He quoted or referenced Old Testament scriptures forty-one times in the gospels.
We cannot fully understand the mastery of prayer that permeated Jesus’ life. It is part of the great mystery of the Trinity. In the endless eons of time before the creation of the world, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were one, as they are now. The mind of God was the mind of Christ. However, when God became man in Christ, in bodily form, Christ’s mode of communicating with the Father changed. He prayed now. Prayer was for Him as it is for us, the intentional dialogue with our God. His day began in prayer; His day ended in prayer. He prayed about all things. Jesus is the master teacher when it comes to prayer.
The teacher who has mastered their subject is almost always one who has authentic experience in that discipline in a very thorough and practical manner. Such as: an English teacher who wrote for a magazine, a French teacher who had been employed as a translator, a Chemistry teacher who worked in a lab, or basketball coach who played in college. Someone who has experienced the intricacies of the particular discipline best teaches a subject. Can you imagine an art teacher who did draw or paint or a music teacher who couldn’t play any instrument?
When it comes to the subject of prayer, there is no one more experienced, better equipped, or with an altogether thorough understanding than Jesus.
Prayer is what we need to be taught. It is on prayer that the promises of God are waiting to be fulfilled in our lives. True prayer will grab hold of the might of God; it will cause the gates of heaven to open wide. The promises of God are for us through prayer. So, let us enroll in this course of study—the Divine art of prayer and intercession. It is the highest and most holy work to which a child of God may aspire. There is nothing you can do that will benefit you more than prayer. And we have the master teacher waiting on us every day in the secret place.
He teaches us
Our Father: It really is about community, the body of Christ, and the church. The first thing to understand about the gospel and about what He teaches us in prayer is that we are brought into a community of believers. Christ has set before us a vision; however, we need spiritual eyes to see it, the vision of a renewed community and a people in unity.
“Our” is a first-person plural pronoun. This prayer, The Lord’s Prayer, is given by Jesus for the disciples (plural) to pray. One of His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray; that disciple didn’t say, “Teach me to pray.” Throughout Matthew’s account of the model prayer, three plural pronouns are used: our, us, and we. Matthew uses these three personal pronouns nine times in his short discourse. The picture is clear: If you pray this prayer, you are in community with all of those who call Him “Father.”
His kingdom and His will: The prayer reminds us that extending God’s kingdom is included in our decision to follow Him. He has chosen us that we would go and bring forth fruit. We pray that we might lead others to know His saving power in their lives. The kingdom of heaven is at hand, and we must pray earnestly for the Spirit’s empowerment to be His ambassadors. The scriptures are replete with examples of those who prayed for God’s purposes to come forth: Daniel set his face to pray for Judah’s deliverance; Moses prayed for the words to lead God’s people; Christ prayed, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” It seems so simple, so elementary, but it catches many of us off guard, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” Help us, O Lord, to bring our thoughts in agreement with Your thoughts, our plans in agreement with Your plans.
The three petitions: to be fed, to be forgiven, and to be protected. Can we live in this kind of simplicity, like little children? We have needs, and the Lord promises that we will be fed. “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” (Ps. 37:25, NIV) His promises are true: “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread.” (Pro. 30:8, NIV) Can we be grateful for the food set before us today? A little child does not worry where his food is coming from next week. He has great trust in a loving father. How much more should we trust our heavenly Father.
To be forgiven, you must forgive. You must live in forgiveness daily toward everyone: your spouse, friends, enemies, children, and most of all yourself. There is great freedom in forgiveness; it is the key to the kingdom—confessing our sins, seeking forgiveness, and forgiving others. Unforgiveness holds us prisoner, a prisoner to the past. It takes sin, offenses, and hurts from the past and brings them into my present and damages my future. Unforgiveness is a poison. When you forgive others who have wronged you, the person you help the most is yourself. We can face some of the most horrific situations in life that would seem to give us the freedom to be offended, hurt, and unforgiving. However, when you consider the cost of unforgiveness, God not forgiving your sins, the cost of unforgiveness is just too great. “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt. 6:15, NIV) Unforgiveness in most people eventually leads to bitterness. Unforgiveness and bitterness makes us spiritually dirty. As we forgive others we position ourselves to be washed clean by the blood and sacrifice of Christ.
For our protection, the Lord is able to chain up that roaring lion that seeks to tempt and destroy us. The enemy is subtle; he is scheming. But, the Lord knows how to save the Godly from temptation. “if so then, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the Day of Judgment. (2 Peter 2:9, NIV). There is great strength and hope in the Lord’s keeping power. “Keep your servant from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” (Psalms 19:13. NIV).
The greatest lack is the lack of prayer. We understand the importance of prayer, but our lives do not allow time for it. Prayer is work. It is intense labor, behind closed doors, away from the eyes of men, avoiding the spotlight. It is the most unglamorous of all the Christian disciplines. Yet, if we are to experience the fullness of God’s presence in our lives there must be persevering prayer. Do you count yourself among those who need Christ to teach you to pray? If so, then be encouraged. Enrollment in His school of prayer is never closed. There are no prerequisites other than faith, no SATs, no GREs, and no GPA requirements. Open enrollment. You do not need a degree. Come and learn from the master teacher.