by Mr. Titus Menezes
This evening we are going to reflect upon the words – Our Father, Hallowed be Thy Name. This text is taken from the Lord’s Prayer which appears in Mt 6:9-13, is a part of the Sermon on the Mount preached by Jesus consisting of Ch 5, 6 & 7. There is a resemblance between the Sermon on the Mount and the Ten Commandments but there is a difference in perspective (viewpoint). On Mount Sinai God appeared to Moses and his people in clouds and thunders (Ex. 19ff). At the Sermon on the Mount, God is incarnate (in person) – in the human form of Jesus.
On Mount Sinai guidance was given through the Ten Commandments which were negative in form – thou shall not. In the Sermon on the Mount guidance was given in the affirmative/ positive, uprooting evil intentions (seed) rather than waiting to destroy the fruits. Example adultery – everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Open Mt. 6:6 - Before we go on to the study of our text, a few important things we should bear in mind:
- whose prayer is it?
- how to pray?
- whom to pray to?
- what happens when we pray?
This prayer is said to be the Lord’s prayer. Did the Lord pray this prayer? Because we read in v12 forgive us our debts or trespasses, in other words sin. But Heb 4:15 says He was without sin. So this was a prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray.
How to pray? V6 Whenever you pray – whenever – no time specified. This is not to be understood in the physical realm – of throwing your family members out of the house for you to pray but it is to be understood as shutting the doors of our minds and our hearts to the noise that is carrying on inside us. Ezekiel 44:23 - They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.
Mt 6:8 for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. It does not say what you ‘want’ but what you ‘need’ for your survival. Galatians 4:6 - And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" He is present in His Spirit already inside us – in our hearts and the channel for communication with the Father is opened up. So even when we pray, all three, the Father, Son and the Spirit are involved. Romans 8:27 - And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Whom should we pray to? V6 Pray to your Father. Two things here:
- Pray to your Father. Jesus did not say pray to My Father, which was also right, but your Father.
- Jesus did not say pray to me – He directed his disciples to pray directly to the Father.
At the breaking of the bread, at Lazarus’ tomb – John 11:41-42 - And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me" why did God answer the prayers of Jesus always – because Jesus knew His mission – “I have come to do the will of my Father”, “not my will but Yours be done”. This is an important statement for us - when our prayers, our requests, our will are in sync with the Father’s will: prayers will be answered.
What happens when we pray? Scripture says - your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Other ancient authorities say ‘will reward you openly’.
A couple of weeks back, Ruby spoke to us on the Eucharist, I was going through an inner turmoil but as I listened to the word being spoken I lifted my head upwards and my eyes fell on the message in front Psalm 55:22 - Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. The same morning on the way to office, I opened the Bible and was shown Ps 34 – Praise for deliverance from trouble. That is answered prayer.
Jesus then goes on to give us the prayer to be prayed to the Father. This prayer is so universal and can be recited by people of any faith. Now many of us have the understanding that Jesus began this prayer by praising the Father – Hallowed be Thy name after which the petitions followed. After the understanding and invoking the relationship of parent-child, we are directed to these seven petitions, seven blessings;
- I. "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
- II. "Thy Kingdom Come"
- III. "The Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven"
- IV. "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"
- V. "And Forgive us Our Trespasses, as We Forgive Those Who Trespass against Us"
- VI. "And Lead Us Not into Temptation"
- VII. "But Deliver Us From Evil"
The first three draw us toward the glory of the Father. The last four as ways towards him, commend our wretchedness to His grace CCC 2803
The first series of petitions carries us towards him, for his own sake:
- Thy Name Thy Kingdom Thy Will CCC 2804
In none of these petitions do we mention ourselves but in a way think of the one we love first, later us. The burning desire of Jesus to see His Father’s glory seizes us. We have to read it as
Hallowed Be Thy Name - on Earth as It Is in Heaven
Thy Kingdom Come - on Earth as It Is in Heaven
The Will Be Done - on Earth as It Is in Heaven
The second series of petitions is the offering up of our expectation to the Father of mercies:
- Give us
- Forgive us
- Lead us not
- Deliver us
The first two concern our life as such – to be fed and to be healed of sin. The last two concern our battle for the victory of life – the battle of prayer CCC 2805
In the OT, God was referred to by many different names:
- Yahweh
- Elohim
- Adonai
- Jehovah
- God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob
- I Am who I Am
But in the coming of Jesus this received its rightful title – FATHER – a very close relationship. Recall the time when Moses saw the burning bush and he heard a voice Exodus 3:5. Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." “Come no closer” to Moses and with reference to Jesus: Ephesians 2:18 for through him (Christ) we have access in one Spirit to the Father.
The OT mentions a few times the title Father but it was in the coming of Jesus that this relationship received its fullest meaning. John 14:6 - Jesus said - No one comes to the Father except through me. The Father’s name is revealed to us in the Son for the name Son implies the new name Father CCC 2779
In the NT we come across the word Abba Father. How did it come about? In written Hebrew the word is Ab but in Aramaic baby language it was pronounced as Abba and so we have the word Abba which means Father. Consider the names
Ab-raham : Father of multitudes
Ab-imelech : Father of the King
Ab-salom : Father of peace
Jo-ab : Yahweh is father
In Urdu, they say Abu-jaan
When writing the NT the Greek writers retained the word Abba and followed it up with their Greek equivalent. When the bible was translated to English, we have both the Hebrew and Greek word which together we say Abba Father. Simply put it is Father, Father.
As I said the word ‘father’ brings up a lot of emotions as it speaks of a relationship, a personal relationship – a state of connectedness. Each of us here is closely associated with this word, for without our earthly fathers we would never have been born. There are three stages in any relationship and I would like to discuss it within the context of a parent-child relationship:
Involve – it is the foundation in a relationship. The first step in a relationship is the feeling by both persons that the other is interested in them and wants to be with them. Many fathers begin to prepare for this kind of relationship before their child is born. A father who seeks involvement is interested in his wife’s pregnancy and makes preparation for child birth. After birth, he is eager to hold, touch and play with the new born sending clear emphatic messages that he wants to be involved with the child. Consider what the heavenly Father has to say about his relationship with us: Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.". Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Your parents knew you only after your conception but I knew you much much before that. Not only that, I consecrated you before you were born.
The second stage of a relationship is influence… Influence – the foundation has to be built further and that's where influence steps in. In a parent-child relationship, parents want their children to listen to them and to obey their limits. While parents have to be reasonably firm at times, there are occasions they might yield to their children’s wishes for safe and enjoyable activities. Coming to our spiritual relationship once again Jn 15:5 – I am the vine, you are the branch. The vine loses its meaning if there is no branch and the branch can do nothing without the vine. This is the level of influence the Father wants to have. He wants us to listen to Him and He in turn wants to listen to us. Ephesians 6:1-4: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" -- this is the first commandment with a promise "so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
The third stage of relationship is affection. Affection – the relationship deepens. At its deepest level its love. When people feel accepted and respected in a relationship, they will begin to develop close feelings of mutual affection. Parents who are never involved with their children and are either too permissive or too dominant are not likely to become close to their children. Fathers who are disciplinarians and show no tenderness put a distance in their relationship. Many of us parents fail at this stage. The parents have to show love first so that the child understands and learns and reciprocates.
The Father states this strongly in Jeremiah 31:3 - I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Matthew 28:20 - And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." In Jer 1:5 - Before I formed you, and now everlasting; till the end of the age – the assurance of His steadfast love for all times. Hebrews 12:6 - for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts." Love and discipline are the two sides of the same coin.
My relationship with the heavenly Father took a turn for the better after the birth of my first son. I wanted to be a good, caring father or atleast a kind of good father and as I started interacting with the baby the words from Luke 11:13 came alive to me - If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father…. I started realizing this and started mapping my actions – what I do to my son and what the heavenly Father does for me – of the joy I feel when my son calls out to me and the joy the heavenly Father would feel when I would call out to him or reach out for Him. One incident that I recall regularly was my son struggling to do something and I said – I will do it for you. Within seconds my mind was refreshed when I remembered the Lord spoke to me the very same words many years back.
Next when we say Our Father we get the impression that God is masculine, a male - a symbol of strength. Jn 4:24 states God is Spirit. CCC 2779 states the God our Father transcends (surpasses) the categories of the created world. Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. God is gentle and caring and softer than all the loving mothers put together. How can He forget His own creation?
I remember the time I and my wife moved on to start our independent family and as I lay that day in bed the Lord spoke to me clearly saying from today I am your Father and mother. It does not mean He was not there before that but He was reminding me of the relationship that existed.
I know we all have an image of our father and mother – some good, some bad, some okay – what was your father like: loving, caring, outgoing, humorous, dictator, alcoholic and what we try to do is map this image onto the heavenly Father. For there is no difference in the word Father and that's where we falter. We lose out on our relationship with the heavenly Father. If you have no relationship with the heavenly Father, whose name can you hallow? Further, if you have no relationship with the Father, how can you enter his Kingdom? How many of us here will allow a stranger to enter our house? What is our reaction and words? I hope you are getting the point. The need for a relationship with the Father is a must for all the petitions we are going to make in the Lord’s Prayer and otherwise.
Who art in heaven – this does not mean a place (space) but a way of being. It does not mean God is distant but majestic CCC 2794
Hallowed be Thy Name - Remember this is a petition, the first on the list. Before His will, His Kingdom, and us His name has to be hallowed. When in heaven, we will no longer pray give us this day our daily bread for there shall be no hunger, forgive us our sins for there shall be no sin and neither temptation but the one that will be required for all eternity is to hallow the name of God, singing hallelujahs…. What does it mean to hallow? Hallow means to make holy, sanctify. In both the testaments holy comes from the root word separate or set apart from common use. For example: Keep the Sabbath day holy – it means it is set apart from the other six days.
The Greek equivalent of hallow has two meanings:
- Make holy Treat as holy
When God sanctifies us it means He makes us holy but when we sanctify God, we treat Him as holy. We cannot make Him holy for holiness is the centre of His being. The name of God which stands for the character of God must be treated as holy. Asking the Father that His name be made holy draws us into His plan of loving kindness, according to His purpose that we might be holy and blameless before Him in love CCC 2807 Eph 1:4 What does it mean to treat God as holy? What are we asking God to do when we pray that he causes His name to be holy? I would like to consider four scripture texts which speak of treating God as holy.
Numbers 20:12 - when the people of Israel were wandering in the desert they had no water. The people grumbled against Moses. God instructed Moses to command the rock to bring forth water but Moses’ spirit was bitter and he struck the rock twice and immediately gushed forth abundant water. But at the same time the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Numbers 20:12 "Because you did not trust in me, to show my holiness before the eyes of the Israelites, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them." Note the words ‘because you did not trust in me to show my holiness.’ Hallow thy name – here means to trust Him, believe Him. Instead of trusting, what God said, Moses spirit was bitter. "He who does not believe God has made him a liar" (1 John 5:10). So hallowed be Thy name means trusted be Your word.
Isaiah 8:12-13 – Do not call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. In simple words if we are in an unpleasant situation we stand by God even if it means personal loss.
So hallowed be Thy name means Father let your name be feared. Fear of the Lord - Also called "wonder and awe." This gift is described by Aquinas as a fear of separating oneself from God. He describes the gift as a "filial fear," like a child's fear of offending his father, rather than a "servile fear," that is, a fear of punishment.
Leviticus 22:31-32 - Thus you shall keep my commandments and observe them: I am the Lord. You shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel: I am the Lord; I sanctify you. We hallow the name of God when we keep His commandments and we profane it when we break them. So hallowed be Thy name means obeyed be your commandments.
Leviticus 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord meant when he said, 'Through those who are near me I will show myself holy, and before all the people I will be glorified.' So hallowed be Thy name means glorified be Thy name.
God will show His holiness only to and through those near Him, those who have a relationship with Him; others will see only the glory. Ex: food being cooked. Members of the house will eat while others can only get the aroma. If you are seeking healing and miracles you are only seeking glory. You miss out on the most important aspect of having God show Himself holy through you. God will work wonders in the lives of people who are with Him and others can only see the glory.
So when we say hallowed be thy name, we are actually praying Lord, cause your name to be hallowed i.e.
- cause your name to be trusted, believed
- cause your displeasure to be feared
- cause your commandments to be obeyed
- cause your name to be glorified
We hallow the name of God: we tell God that in whatever He already wants to do let His name be hallowed. Its not enough that we hallow the name of God, we treat Him as holy. We have a part to play.
Leviticus 11:45 - you shall be holy, for I am holy. Matthew 5:48 - Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. When our spirituality is shallow, we see only the surface of His holiness but the Lord invites us dive deeper into His holiness by sanctifying ourselves Ps 42:7 – deep calls to deep.
Rev 4:8 says The Lord Almighty is Holy, Holy, Holy – thrice holy so imagine how much deep, deep, deep we have to go. We are unable to grasp even the surface of His holiness. Isaiah 6:3 - And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." What we see is only His glory.
What is meant by Thy Name?
- His essence, his core, his fundamental nature
- Anything by which he may be known. A man is known by His name, so by His attributes of wisdom, power, holiness and goodness God is as known by His name. Exodus 34:6 - The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
- In the coming of Jesus, God received a personal name of Father.
To end, I would request that you prayerfully recite the Lord’s Prayer by replacing the word ‘Our’ with ‘My’ and ‘us’ with ‘me’ and ‘on earth’ with ‘my life’ and see the profound depth in this prayer. Amen.