DAILY BYTE – The important question of WHO?
Today we will be moving onto a second question to interpret this week’s text - the question of WHO.
From beginning to end Jesus reminds us how deeply personal prayer is.
In fact, Jesus makes it clear that the WHO question is the very foundation of prayer. He begins his teaching on prayer in Luke 11. 1-3 with the word ‘Father’ and ends it with the image of a loving parent. We will really struggle to even begin praying and entering God’s heart if we do not believe that heart is loving and kind and deeply concerned with who we are in turn.
It’s like the little boy who got scared one night during a thunderstorm. He yelled out to his dad to come and sit with him. His dad came into his room to see him and said, ‘Don’t be afraid my boy. God is with you.’ To which the little lad replied, ‘I know, but I sure would like someone with skin on!’
Well, in this teaching Jesus ‘puts skin’ on God by reminding us of exactly WHO God is – that God is more loving and kind than even the most loving parents.
The term ‘Father’ had been used before in the Old Testament but the connotation was always that of a ruling Father, someone who was in charge and who gave orders. As far as we know, Jesus’ particular concept of God as a Father is utterly unique in spiritual history. Jesus often used the word ‘Abba’ to address God which is a term of intimate affection, like ‘papa’ or ‘daddy’.
It comes from the earliest babblings of Aramaic children. ‘Abba’, you see, is easy for a little one to pronounce, like ‘Dada’. The Talmud confirms this when it says that when a child is weaned, “ it learns to say ‘abba’ and ‘imma’ ” which means, ‘daddy’ and ‘mommy.’” Of course, since many Jews did not like to even address God by his name, this kind of familiarity might have been shocking to some.
Now this may get a little complicated but it is well worth the telling. Jesus begins with the vocative word for father. It is difficult for English speakers to recognise the power of the vocative because in English it is the exact same word as the nominative. For instance: ‘Father said for me to come,’ uses the same form of the word as in ‘Father, come!’ The form Jesus uses is the latter, ‘Abba,’ it is a call, a cry, a pleading. Father! Only the tone of the voice denotes the pleading in English, like a child crying out at night. Jesus is saying here, ‘Dad! Listen to us! Hear our prayer!’
This is all a reminder to us that prayer is not something abstract and impersonal like the writing of a formal letter to someone. Often we struggle to pray because we labour under the misconception that only beautifully worded prayers filled with words like ‘Thee’ and ‘Thou’ are appropriate. By repeatedly using a phrase like ‘daddy,’ Jesus taught us that in fact, prayer can be deeply personal and therefore quite informal. Remember that informal does not necessarily equate to disrespectful. If you deeply love someone, you may use an informal nickname to describe them but it will always be said with tenderness and respect.
If we want our prayer lives to know depth and substance then we need to hold tightly onto those tender images presented to us by Jesus. The more we recognise just how much and how tenderly God loves us, the easier we will find it to pray.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Dad! Thank-you for the wonderful message Jesus brought of your love and care for us all. Help us to learn that we don’t have to know any fancy words or phrases to be able to pray properly. Help us to have the courage to speak to you like we would anyone else that we love and respect. Help us to learn to pray like Jesus prayed. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Luke 11. 1-2 (NRSV)
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ’Father!’
