POST EXILIC PROPHETS
JONAH
Jonah is one of those fictional stories in the Bible. It is meant to teach a lesson
rather than to communicate history. Jonah is a prophet with a very narrow point of
view. Only Israel will be saved. The idea that God would preach to Nineveh is
abhorrent to Jonah. The idea that the citizens of Nineveh would listen and be
converted is even more abhorrent to Jonah.
God sends Jonah to preach in Nineveh. However, Jonah goes the other way. He is
swallowed by a whale and deposited on the shore and told a second time to go to
Nineveh. When Jonah is saved he prays a prayer of THANKSGIVING (Jonah 2). The
prayer draws heavily from the book of PSALMS. Jonah vows that he will deliver on
his promise to preach at Nineveh.
Obviously Jonah expects the people of Nineveh to reject his message and incur
God's wrath and God's destruction. When they are converted and God pardons them,
Jonah becomes angry and resentful. He pouts and goes on strike. God still cares for
him and feeds and guards him. Jonah nevers seems to understand. It is one of those
post exilic prophecies which warn Israel that God's mercy can extend beyond Israel.
There are, however, other prophets who take a more narrow view
NEHEMIAH
After return from exile there was an attempt to restore the religious base of their life.
They attempted to restore the temple. One of the post-exilic prophets, Nehemiah
attempted to RESTORE THE COVENANT. This was the basis of his prayer. His prayer
(Nehemiah 1) involved an ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SIN, a PLEA FOR MERCY, a
REMINDER OF THE COVENANT. This reminder is issued both to God and to the
people. The prayer also contains a REMINDER TO GOD that the people are his
servants.
NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament there are the prayers of Jesus. There are also a few prayers
uttered by someone other than Jesus in the gospel. There are also those of the
earliest church, often the prayers of Peter or Paul. There is also Jesus’ teaching on
prayer. We will save the prayers of Jesus until last.
GOSPEL PRAYERS OTHER THAN JESUS
There are not too many prayers in the gospels other than those of Jesus. They tend
to be very short - all one liners. Most of them ask for some type of HEALING.
A leper (Matthew 8) prays: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” All Jesus need
do is want something. He does not need to pray. He does not need any anointing or
touching of the body. All he needs do is wish and it will be. It is probably one of the
simplest prayers we find in the Bible. The man is healed.
Next a centurion comes and informs Jesus that his son is ill. He does not even ask
that Jesus come or do anything. IF JESUS ONLY KNOWS. Jesus volunteers to come.
The centurion says: that’s not necessary. All you have to do is say the word.
Both of these persons were outcasts in Jewish society. The leper was so rejected he
had to ring a little bell to inform people he was around so they could avoid him. The
centurion was a Roman official and hated by most of the people. But these outcasts
recognized the power of Jesus. It was not their prayer it was the POWER OF JESUS
which served to answer their prayers.
By contrast is the prayer (Luke 1) of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. We are not
told the actual words of his prayer. We know simply that he prayed for a son. His
request is granted but Zechariah fails to believe. Because of his lack of faith he is
struck dumb. Prayer NEEDS TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY FAITH.
Another prayer (Luke 23) is that of one we have come to know as the “good thief”.
Again the prayer is a simple one liner. Lord, REMEMBER ME when you come into your
kingdom. The prayer is also accompanied by a rebuke of the other person crucified
with Jesus. His rebuke adds a dimension of FEAR OF GOD and a sense of GOD’S
JUSTICE.
PRAYERS OF EARLIEST CHURCH
Many of the prayers found in the Acts of the Apostles center around SEEKING
STRENGTH to endure their persecutions. After the first arrest of Peter and John (Acts
4) the Christian community gathers. They REFLECT on God’s long history of
protecting Israel. They pray for two things: GOD TO NOTICE the threats of the Jews
and ENABLE YOUR SERVANTS TO SPEAK WITH BOLDNESS. They recognize two
elements in their prayer: the attentiveness of God and the willingness of man to
respond even in the face of difficulty.
Many of the prayers in the Acts of the Apostles are not mentioned. We are simply that
told that the Christians or one of the leaders prayed and that it was effective. Peter
raised a woman to life. We are told simply that he knelt and prayer for her. Even the
prayer of non Christians is answered. Cornelius, a centurion and non Jew prays (Acts
10) that he might be received into the Christian church. In answer to his prayer Peter
receives a vision telling him no one is unclean. The church is to be open to all. When
Peter was chained in prison the community prayed unceasingly and he was released.
There are other cases of the Apostles parying fopr the sick, laying hands on them
and curing them.
In writing to the Romans, Paul adds a new dimension to prayer. It is an instruction on
prayer (Romans 8) rather than a prayer itself. Paul tells the Romans we DO NOT KNOW
HOW TO PRAY. However the SPIRIT WILL INTERCEDE and will do so ACCORDING TO
GOD’S WILL. Paul introduces two new dimensions to prayer. We NEED INSTRUCTION
IN HOW TO PRAY. The words we say are not that important. THE SPIRIT WILL SUPPLY
THE WORDS.
Paul later tells the Corinthians )2 Corinthians 12)that we WILL NOT ALWAYS GET WHAT
WE PRAY FOR. When we do not it because GOD HAS SOME OTHER GRACE IN STORE
FOR US.
In his last years Paul wrote to the Ephesians. In the letter (Ephesians 3) he offered a
prayer for them. The prayer was a TRINITARIAN prayer. In the prayer Paul makes
reference to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Paul asks that THE FATHER GRANT
they be STRENGTHENED BY THE SPIRIT. That CHRIST DWELL IN THEIR HEARTS and
that they KNOW that love and experience it in its fulness.
PRAYERS OF JESUS
There are two parts to the prayers of Jesus. One centers on the teaching of Jesus in
regard to prayer. The other focuses on the actual prayers of Jesus himself. One way
Jesus teaches about prayer is by parable. One of the better known parables is that of
the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18).
The Pharisee apparently gives thanks to God. Actually all he does is LIST REASONS
GOD HAS LOVED HIM. His prayer of thanks really is a prayer of SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
By contrast, the tax collector prays with another of those one liners. He asks for
MERCY and he ACKNOWLEDGES HIS SIN. His prayer is quite simple: “God, be merciful
to me a sinner.”
When Jesus is asked by his disciples to teach them to pray, he gives us the LORD’S
PRAYER (Matthew 6). It is both a teaching on prayer and itself a prayer. Prior to the
Lord’s prayer Jesus gives guidelines for prayer. Prayer needs to be PRIVATE. Go into
your room, shut the door, and TALK TO YOUR FATHER IN PRIVATE. Prayer is to be
SIMPLE and SHORT. Multiplication of words will not win a hearing with God.
Remember God KNOWS WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE YOU ASK.
If God knows what we need, why then do we need to pray? That is Jesus’ point. We
do not need to pray in order to educate an unknowing God. We do not need to pray
in order to help an indecisive God decide what to do. We pray in order to help
ourselves GET IN TOUCH WITH GOD. We need to understand who God is, who we are
and how we relate to God. Jesus also advises us to be PERSISTENT in prayer. If God
already knows what we need, our persitsence is not for God’s sake but for our own.
We need to be persistent in prayer that we MAY DISCERN THE FATHER’S WILL.
OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. If God is Father, then we are his children. We are not
unknown quantities to God. We are his children. In one of his teachings Jesus raises
the question: “If you ask your father for bread will he give you a snake?” We need to
approach God as a Father, not a military general who is more intent on discipline or
victory than the welfare of his troops.
If God is OUR father then all of us are sisters and brothers. If our father is in heaven,
then heaven is our father’s home, it is our home. We need to think in terms of
heaven rather than in terms of earth. Our life makes sense in terms of uniting with
our father rather than in stumbling about on this earth.
HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME. Some commentators suggest Jesus is asking for a
display of God’s power that will manifest the holiness of God’s name. They see this
prayer as a prayer directing our thoughts and minds toward the last days. However,
in most other actions and thoughts Jesus is very much attuned toward the
immediate, the present. If we take it to be a prayer for the present, then Jesus seems
to be asking that this day we recognize the holiness of God’s name.
YOUR KINGDOM COME. Again we see the possible conflict of interpretation in this
text. Jesus’ kingdom is an eternal kingdom that will only be realized at the end of
time. However, his kingdom in a primative state already exists today. While we do
pray for the final coming of Jesus’ kingdom we also pray that HIS KINGDOM EXIST IN
OUR OWN HEARTS THIS DAY.
YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN. Who will do God’s will if we do not do
it? This prayer is more of a COMMITMENT than a request or petition. If in praying this
prayer we do not commit ourselves to do God’s will then our prayer is a
contradiction. It would not make sense for us to pray that God’s will be done and
then turn around and refuse to do that will.
GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD. For me, this prayer recalls the manna in the
desert. The Lord provided it. But the people had to pick it. And they were not to take
more than they needed. If they took more than was needed for the day, the excess
would rot. This prayer is a prayer of FAITH. It is for our DAILY BREAD, the bread we
need this day, not eveything we will need for the rest of our lives.
This petition sums up much of the spirit of the Lord’s Prayer. It is a commitment on
our part to SHARE, NOT WASTE, and BELIEVE GOD WILL PROVIDE.
FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. If we doubt that the Lord’s
Prayer is a commitment on our part this particular petiton should allay any of that
doubt. Whether we are praying about today or about the “end times” the meaning of
the prayer is the same. We ask God to forgive us the way we forgive others. We say
to God: do not forgive me until I have forgiven my friend, family member, co-worker,
enemy, or whoever it is I fail to forgive.
DO NOT SUBJECT US TO THE FINAL TEST. This particular petition definitely links the
Lord’s Prayer to the “end times”. Be with us especially then. After 2000 years most
Christians are no longer concerned about an imminent “second coming” of Jesus. So
we have translated this part of the prayer “Lead us not into temptation.” But it is not
the Lord who leads us into temptation. We lead ourselves and we lead others in
temptation. Again, the prayer is a commitment on our part. We commit ourselves to
avoid this day whatever might jeopardize our union with Jesus this day and in the
“end times”.
DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE.
Just as it is not the Lord who leads us into temptation, the Lord is not the one to
hand us over to the evil one. This petition is a commitment on our part to avoid being
the victim of the evil one. This particular petition will form the basis of much Jesus’
later prayer.
Matthew 11:25-26
Jesus seems overwhelmed by the evil and the complacency he sees about him. He
stops briefly in his ministry, reflects on the presence of the Father. He prays thus:
“Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to you I offer praise; for what you have
hidden from the learned and the clever, you have revealed to the merest
children. Father, it is true. You have graciously willed it so.”
This prayer is almost like a meditation. It is a form of comtemplative prayer. As he is
faced with the evil about him, Jesus is able to take himself out of his own situation
and focus on the presence and the goodness of the Father. As he does so he is
aware that others have the same need as he does.
Jesus is aware that others fight the evil they see about them. He is aware that not
everyone has the grace and the ability to be present with the Father. In his own
suffering Jesus offers himself to others who also suffer. by his prayer, he delivers
himself from the evil one.
THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN
Jesus is faced with the realization he may die. He knows he has some alternatives.
He can stop teaching, stop healing, stop making trouble for the powerful people who
would like to kill him. He also knows by doing that he will not be true to who he is. He
will not be true to his Father. Twice he prays “thy will be done.” One of the elements
in the “Lord’s prayer”.
His first prayer (Matthew 26) is “let this cup pass from me.” Jesus states very
definitely his preference. But quickly adds: “thy will be done.” Later he prays a
second time (Matthew 26). By now he probably realizes that this cup will pass from
him only if he abandons the mission on which he started. Now he no longer states his
preference but says: “if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
ON THE CROSS
Jesus experiences many feelings on the cross. Some of them are expressed in his
prayers. There is a sense of being abandoned by the Father. That is one of his
prayers: “why have you abandoned me?” But Jesus has learned that he cannot
simply focus on himself, his own problems. He is about to die, he will come face to
face with the father. How will Jesus face his father? Angry because he has been
abandoned by the father? Angry at those who killed him?
Jesus speaks to both sentiments as he is about to die. “Father, forgive them.” and
then “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23) As in the other prayers
of Jesus life, those at the time of his death focus on the presence of the Father
(even when he seems to be abandoned) and the need to communicate that presence
to others.
The prayers as Jesus dies also reflect parts of the “Lord’s prayer”. “Forgive us as we
forgive others” and “do not subject us to the final test.” The “Lord’s prayer” is not
simply a prayer Jesus spoke. It is a prayer he lived.
THE RAISING OF LAZARUS
"Father, I thank you for having heard me. I know that you
always hear me but I have said this for the sake of the crowd
that they may believe that you sent me."
This is a unique prayer. Jesus states in the prayer (John 11) that he does not offer it
for himself or his own need. It is a prayer of thanksgiving. It is a recognition that God
always hears him. It is offered not because Jesus needs to be reminded of the
Father hearing. It is offered that the crowd will believe Jesus was sent by the Father.
THE FINAL HOURS ACCORDING TO JOHN
John is the only evangelist who does not tell of Jesus' agony in the garden. For
John, the final hours are a time of Jesus' glory, not his suffering. As Jesus is about to
enter this time of glory, he prays quite simply: "Father, glorify your name." (John 12)
Jesus then washes the feet of the apostles and tells them they are to wash the feet
of one another. He begins a period of intense instruction of his apostles. Jesus
teaches them the meaning of his life and the death he is about to undergo. He
concludes with the "prayer for the church" in chapter 17.
PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH
The prayer (John 17) begins, as Jesus' prayers usually do, with an act of submission
to the Father's will, an acknowledgement of his mission. "The hour has come" Then
he asks for the strength to complete his mission. "Give glory to your son." He is not
asking for personal glory and esteem. He asks that the Father glorify him "that your
son may give glory to you".
As in his other prayers, Jesus does not dwell on himself and his own needs, his own
accomplishments. Jesus' thoughts quickly turn to his followers. Jesus will soon
leave this world. His followers will not. They will be the ones who will have to carry
on the work of Jesus. To these men Jesus has made the Father known. Jesus has
entrusted his message to them. They have believed that the Father is the One who
sent Jesus.
Jesus now prays for them. It is in them that Jesus is glorified. Jesus will leave this
world but they will not. Father, protect them against the world. I am sending them just
as you sent me.
Finally Jesus prays for those to whom he is sending them. He prays that all of his
followers, the ones to whom he is sending his apostles. Jesus prays that these
become one just as Jesus and the Father are one. He prays, finally, for the entire
world that all may know the Father because of the love of these followers.
In a word, Jesus' prayer for all his followers is that all of us pray as he prayed. First,
we recognize the will of the Father and attune ourselves to that will. Second, we
recognize that in living out that will we are called to reach out to others and make the
Father's will and His love known to all.
THIS ENDS THE PAGE ON PRAYER IN THE BIBLE.
THERE ARE 4 INTER-CONNECTED WEBSITES. IN ADDITION TO THE IMMACULATE
CONCEPTION CHURCH WEBSITE WE HAVE A WEBSITE FOR CHARENTON HERITAGE
MUSEUM, A PART OF THE CHURCH'S OUTREACH . WE HAVE OPTION PRESS WHICH
FEATURES SOME OF THE PASTOR'S WRITINGS. AND WE HAVE A WEBSITE ON THE
IRAQI WAR SPOSORED BY THE PAX CHRISTI GROUP OF OUR CHURCH.
To continue viewing the church website press To Continue
To look at material from our museum press charenton heritage
To view books published by the pastor press optionpress
To pursue material on war press war
To return to home page
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed the website and come back often.
Each individual page has our name, address, phone number, and immediate access
by e-mail.
We'd like to hear from you email us at bill crumley
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH
3041 CHITIMACHA TRAIL
P.O. Box 278
CHARENTON, LOUISIANA 70523
337-923-4281