A Study of the Lord's Prayer

All materials in these studies that are not otherwise attributed are © 1999 by Mark Vitalis Hoffman. Expressed permission is hereby granted to download and print these materials for personal use only. If you wish to use any of these materials for a group or other purposes, please contact me (orders@crossmarks.com) for permissions. In all cases, include my copyright notice and email address with any versions of the material. Thank you. 

For Openers:

• What is your favorite food to eat?
• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
• What is the longest time you have gone without food?

For Your Information:

• The renderings of the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew and Luke are slightly different. Compare the following literal translations. Are any of the differences significant?
  Matthew: Our daily bread give us today
  Luke: Our daily bread keep on giving us each day.
• Though Jesus did fast at times (Matthew 4.1-2), he was not an ascetic like John the Baptist was. On John’s peculiar diet, see Matthew 3.4; on Jesus’ reputation as one who ate and drank, see the negatively exaggerated claim in Matthew 11.19.
• When Jesus tells us to pray for "bread," does he mean it materially (that is, actual bread and anything else we need for daily life such as shelter, clothing, etc.) or spiritually (that is, the bread in the Kingdom of heaven which is to say, salvation)? Note that the choice depends somewhat on how one interprets the adjective which is discussed next.
• The word which we usually translate as "daily" (epiousion) is a rare word which appears first in the Gospels. Based on its stem roots, the following possible meanings have been suggested:
  - daily, for the current day, for today (according to military rations, a daily ration of bread was one loaf)
  - necessary for existence
  - for the following day, for tomorrow
  - future, is coming, next
  - which pertains to, which belongs to
  - supernatural
  
  Plug each of these possible translations into one of the following:
  "Give us today our _______ bread" or "Give us today our bread __________"
  
  Compare the various meanings each gives.
• Where else in the Bible are there stories about "bread"? Be sure at least to look at the following passages and consider how they might relate to the petition in the Lord’s Prayer.
  - Genesis 3.17-19
  - Exodus 16.1-35
  - Ecclesiastes 11.1
  - Luke 12.22-31
  - John 6.1-58
  - Matthew 26.26
• Read Luther's explanations to the 4th Petition of the Lord's Prayer.

For Your Consideration:

1. This is the first time in the Lord’s Prayer that we directly give a command to God. (The earlier petitions use a third person command which is vague about who fulfills the requests.) What gives you the right to command God?!
2. In the prayer, we tell God to "give" us daily bread. Does that mean we don’t have to work for it? To put the question another way, how does God "give" daily bread?
3. What are some things you need for daily life? What are some things you want for daily life? What is the difference between wants and needs?
4. If the bread for which we pray has something to do with daily rations, what would you say is a sufficient ration? Could the size of the ration you need differ from day to day or at different periods in your life?
5. A story is told about a famous rabbi who was asked what kind of curse it was in the creation story for the serpent to have to eat earth, since this was a food that would always be available. He answered: "Humans are condemned to eat bread by the sweat of their brow, so that if they weary of their labors they will cry out to God. Especially in their distress they remain linked to God. But God has given the serpent everything it needs, so that it will never turn to Him again." How would you relate this anecdote to the petition in the Lord’s Prayer?
6. What is the point of the story in Exodus 16.1-35 regarding manna in the wilderness? Does it offer any insight into our interpretation of the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer?
7. Think about how you have interpreted this petition. Now consider whether it makes any difference to your interpretation because it says "our" daily bread instead of "my" daily bread.
8. Does this petition encourage us to not worry about or plan for the future? (Is there a difference between worrying and planning?) For example, if God takes care of all our daily needs, should you be buying life insurance?
9. In light of John 6.1-58, is it more important to desire the bread needed for this life or the "Bread of Life"?

For Later:

• Examine your life style and carefully consider how much really is enough for you. Make plans on how you can rightly use and distribute the rest.
• Pray the Lord’s Prayer when you first awake, sometime during the day, and just before you go to sleep.
• Parents: teach the Lord’s Prayer to your children. Godparents: remember that you promised to teach the Lord’s Prayer to your godchild when s/he was baptized.