How Does The Lord’s Prayer Actually End? – The Lord’s Prayer Part 8

You might have been saying The Lord’s Prayer incorrectly, all this time.

Some English language translations of the New Testament do not include the final line that many of us always wrap up with.

Check your Bible right now. Turn or scroll to Matthew 6. Halfway through the chapter.

You could find “yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever” is not at the end of The Lord’s Prayer.

Hang on. Did Jesus even say “Amen”?

On the final episode of The Lord’s Prayer podcast, theologian and author David Hohne shared how the last line shatters any selfish or human-centric view of existence.

“This prayer finishes in a very different way,” David said.

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“It finishes by reminding me that what I need for my life is for Jesus to be king.

“For him to be powerful in my life and for him to be glorious in my life.”

The big idea

The kingdom, power and glory of God are anchored in and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Talking points

• Through Biblical manuscript and translation history, this final line of The Lord’s Prayer has come to be regarded as a later addition to the original text.
• Rather than fuel doubt about the veracity or authority of the Bible, “the very fact modern translators have showed this is an addition should give us confidence,” David said.
• The “kingdom, power and glory” ending is similar to the beginning of The Lord’s Prayer.
• The Lord’s Prayer reveals the sorts of stuff we can attempt to wrest from God. “Kingdom, glory and power are the things we need to give back to God in submitting to him in this prayer.”
• The theological weight of The Lord’s Prayer helps us to thread parts of the Bible together and expand our understanding.
• The death and resurrection of Jesus reveal the incredible might of God. Divine power is the opposite of the sort of powerful display expected by our world.
• When Jesus seemed most powerless, the most universe’s powerful force was being “exercised in love by God for salvation of his enemies”.
• Having “forever” in this final line reminds us of the “now and not yet” depths of The Lord’s Prayer. As we seek God’s heavenly order to be fulfilled on earth, we pray God will “perfect what he has achieved in Jesus and have that last forever, because that’s the way we want the world to be and we know that’s what the Lord Jesus deserves”.

Explore more

• 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 – “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Let’s pray

Our Father in Heaven. Your name be honoured as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Do not bring us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

Listen to the full Kingdom, Power and Glory episode in the player above or the video below. Subscribe to The Lord’s Prayer podcast.