Bugging God, Irritated Christ
Is the Lord’s Prayer a compromise for the Disciples who value recitation and repetition over relationship with the living God through the Holy Spirit?
Gospel Reading: Luke 11:1-13
For Sunday, July 25, 2010: Year C - Ordinary 17
There is a lot written about the first part of this text (1-4), so much that I barely even have any questions about it. The Lord’s Prayer, the Pater Noster, this prayer (or prayer outline depending on how you read) that Jesus teaches his disciples is not unique to him. The concepts and phrases appear at various places in the Hebrew Bible and resemble the Kaddish. The rest of the pericope, however, is ripe for Hardest Questioning.
Bugging God
The parable of the Importunate Neighbor, is often read as admonition to persistence in prayer. But I am struck by the use of the negative example: “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.” The neighbor doesn’t want to give his friend any bread, but he does — not out of love but irritation.
This is how Jesus wants us to think of prayer? So if you ask (a lot) and search (without letting up), and knock (relentlessly), you will receive, find, and have the door opened up to you.
God’s response to our needs and desires cannot be based on our tenacity, or ability to bug God, or even our ability to ask for the right things in the right way. Luther dismissed that notion out-of-hand in the Small Catechism, with his repeated phrase, “Of course, God’s name is holy in and of itself; Truly God’s Kingdom comes by itself, without our prayer; Truly, God’s good and gracious will is accomplished without our prayer.” So, what is the point here?
Accentuate The Negative
Jesus continues his slighting tone, “Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children…” Come on Jesus, what are you trying to do?—everyone knows we all give bad things to our children all the time. They want love and approval, but sometimes we give them insecurity and shame. They want time, presence, and nurture, but sometimes we give them distance and fear. What is the point of rubbing our noses in it with the sarcasm?
And then Jesus throws this left turn at the end: “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Were we talking about the Holy Spirit? Maybe it is just assumed, that when the disciples asked him about prayer, they were really asking him about the Holy Spirit. But that’s not what they asked him. They ask, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” This is the interpretive rug that I catches my toe and trips me. The disciples do many things in the Gospels, but asking Jesus to teach them is not something they do very often. I would think he would be relieved that they are finally becoming teachable instead of assuming they know, or not even listening. But Jesus doesn’t seem relieved, he seems irritated. It’s like the disciples asked him for an egg and he stung them.
What is it that bugs Jesus so much? Or, if he is not bugged, why all the negativity? I think it has to do with what is behind the disciples’ question. They don’t ask Jesus to teach them to pray, they ask Jesus to teach them to pray as John taught his disciples. It’s like the disciples want something John’s disciples have, that Jesus is not providing them. Do they want a formula for their spiritual discipline, while Jesus wants them to seek the unpredictable, unquantifiable movement of the Holy Spirit?
The Hardest Question
Is the Lord’s Prayer a compromise for the disciples who value recitation and repetition over relationship with the living God through the Holy Spirit?
Russell Rathbun is a preacher at House of Mercy in St. Paul, Minnesota, the author of Midrash on the Juanitos (Cathedral Hill Press 2010) and the curator of The Hardest Question. Watch his live videocast about the week’s lectionary texts every week at 11:30am Eastern Time right here at THQ.
I’m wondering if we’re reading too much trinitarian doctrine into the text. “Holy spirit” in the text is anarthrous (cf. Matthew 28:19). If Jesus is answering the disciple’s request, “Teach us to pray…,” with this closing comment, he may not be saying, “give the Holy Spirit” as the third person of the Trinity so much as “give a spirit of holiness” to those praying. A distinction without a difference, perhaps, but if faith is a gift to be received and experienced, why not the attitude and ability to pray… a sanctified soul / spirit of holiness.
July 21st, 2010 at 4:02 pmFollowing up on Craig Endicott’s point, one might also note that in 11.13 the phrase “spirit of holiness” is absent in some texts. I’m not competent to weigh the quality of the textual evidence, but it might add a bit of heft to the Matthew parallel. Ultimately, this is probably a bit of insider arcana, and I find your main point compelling, that the rather ascerbic tone the teacher displays at points here may well reflect a challege to move into a new type of prayerful-ness, broader than John’s, if you will. That would certainly be in harmony with the nature of many of the interactions we have already seen along the road to Jerusalem.
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:30 amThanks for the reflection and the site…just discovered this from Tony Jones’ link on Textweek’s FB page last week.
Anyway, you’ve definitely hit on some puzzling aspects of this text. Frankly I’m still puzzled. I don’t think the Lord’s prayer is a compromise, as your original question asks. Even though portions of prayer may not be original, they certainly are prayers that reflect concern outside of one’s self.
As to the nature of God reflected in these passages, and whether or not God really “delivers” on our prayer requests…I’m still wrestling and praying.
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September 21st, 2010 at 9:40 pmIm truly grateful and really impressed. Thanks for making the effort to talk about this, Personally i think strongly about it and love reading more about this topic.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:36 pmNice work, Russell. Getting me off to a good start this week. In a series on the passages found on stained glass windows in our sanctuary. Cheers.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:58 am