KXTM Radio Message Today
KXTM 104.9FM Tejano Radio in Corpus Christi, Texas (thanks Sylvia D) has been so gracious by letting me speak on their airwaves via my cell phone to share nuggets from the Word of God. The theme for the week is the Lord’s Prayer and because there is only about 10 minutes allotted I’ve got to be quick and to the point. I pointed out to the listening audience that one of the things that must be kept in mind when reading a particular teaching of Jesus is to consider the context in which such teaching arose. The Lord’s Prayer is found in Luke 11 and Matthew 6.Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." Luke 11:1
Keep in mind that the disciples are Jews. So they were not men who knew nothing of prayer. They had been taught very early on how to pray, but the reason they ask Jesus to pray is because they notice that the manner in which he prays is vastly different than the religious leaders of their day (The Pharisees). According to Jesus, one of the reasons the Pharisees prayed was so that they could place their religiosity on display. They wanted people to see how “spiritual” and “godly” they were. Jesus employed a metaphor to describe this practice.
Like today, entertainment was part of the culture and the individuals who performed in plays were called “play actors”. We call people who star in movies “actors” because they are pretending to be somebody else. They are playing a role. The word “play actor” is not inherently negative. Just like most all other words the usage of it will determine whether it is positive or negative. So guess what the English word for play actor is in the New Testament? It is the word hypocrite. This is a transliteration of the Greek word.
The unfortunate thing about the word hypocrite is that most people are quick to use it when they perceive someone to be acting contrary to their professed beliefs. Jesus’ initial criticism was not that the religious leaders were not living up to their own standard, which was true, but that when they prayed it was not sincere and it was not aimed at pleasing God by praying God’s will be done. Their prayers were everything, but that.
So what does hypocrisy have to do with the Lord’s Prayer? Jesus’ model prayer is a way of countering play acting. If hypocrisy means only not living up to one’s own standards then everyone is to one degree or another a hypocrite. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day lived as if the world was a stage and they aimed to attain popularity and admiration in the same way celebrities do so. But they sought admiration for their supposed holiness.
1"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites [play actors] do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites [play actors]. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But when 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.
7"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites [play actors], for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:1-16
2 "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites [play actors] do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites [play actors]. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But when 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.
7"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites [play actors], for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:1-16
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