By Ben McEachenSunday 2 Apr 2023The Lord's PrayerPodcastsReading Time: 3 minutes
The start of The Lord’s Prayer has more to do with Jesus than it first appears.
While the “father” part is an amazing revelation about who God is, digging deeper into the end goal of the opening line points to the Son of God.
Recorded at the middle of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-13), what has become known as “The Lord’s Prayer” is a framework and fuel for our prayers.
The Lord’s Prayer podcast is dedicated to delving deeply and usefully into the world’s most famous prayer.
In the second episode of The Lord’s Prayer podcast, Hope Morning’s Ben McEachen chats with theologian and author David Hohne about the intimate and cosmic scale of the first line.
The big idea
“It’s a huge deal. No one refers to God as father like Jesus does,” David said. This intimate connection extends to “whoever believes in Jesus” as they are “given the right to be children of God”.
“The first line of the Lord’s Prayer is fulfilled” when God’s name is ulitmately honoured through Jesus recognised as Lord by everyone.
Talking points
- With the Old Testament presenting trace elements of God as father, Jesus changes everything by proclaiming his heavenly father and the possibility of deep relationship with him.
- Using language of its time, the Bible describes “the universe in three layers” – Heaven, Earth, Under the Earth. Heaven is “above the clouds, where God dwells”. Earth is where we are. Under the Earth is “where the dead go; maybe evil spirits as well. There’s chaos going on there”.
- Priority of God the Father indicated by the order of The Lord’s Prayer. “God is so far above us in every way because he is actually the source of all life in the universe and outside of it,” David said.
- God the Father made “accessible” by his Son Jesus coming into the Creator’s creation.
- Consider how Philippians 2:5-11 links with Exodus 3, and the crowning of Jesus as Lord being the ultimate form of honouring the name of the LORD God the Father.
- Stop to reflect about each area of your life and ask: “What does Jesus, Lord and Saviour, deserve here?”
Explore more
- 2 Samuel 7 – God’s promises to David about establishing an ongoing kingdom for his descendant, who will build a house for God’s name and God “will be his father and he will be my son”.
- Exodus 3 – The name God gave himself.
- John 5:17-18 – “My father has been working until now and I have been working”.
- Philippians 2:5-11 – The humility and exaltation of Jesus Christ the Lord that “every knee should bow and tongue confess… to the glory of God the Father”.
Let’s pray
Our Father in Heaven. Your name be honoured as holy. You are above and beyond everything, yet you gave me everything I have. May my knee bow and tongue confess that your son Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Saviour. Prompt me to spend time in reflection about what Jesus deserves in every area of my life. Fill me with gratitude about being your child, thanks to Jesus. Amen.
Listen to the full Our Father in Heaven, Your Name Be Honoured as Holy episode in the player above or the video below. Subscribe to The Lord’s Prayer podcast.