The Prayer Jesus Taught

In this article, I will be building upon the article titled “The Prayer Paul Taught” written by Seamus McGowan, where he argues based on 1 Corinthians 11:2 that Paul taught those of the church of Corinth to pray the Amidah (Shemoneh Esrei). I highly recommend reading through his article before reading mine; however, I will do a summary of what the Amidah is and what its contents are. Click here for a link to Seamus' article, and here for an English translation of the Amidah itself.

What is the Amidah?

The Amidah is a central prayer in Judaism that one is called to recite three times a day during the morning, afternoon, and evening prayer¹. Amidah is the Hebrew word for “standing”, and it gets this name since the prayer is to be recited standing, legs together, in an almost military-like stance. The Amidah is also called Shemoneh Esrei (Hebrew for “eighteen”) because it is composed of eighteen different benedictions to God. Listed below is a summary of what each benediction covers:

1. God of our fathers

Praises God as the protector of the forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Expresses confidence in God's ongoing love and redemption of Israel’s descendants.

2. God's might

Acknowledges God's power in sustaining life, reviving the dead, and supporting the fallen

3. God's holiness

Proclaims the holiness and transcendence of God

4. Requesting Wisdom

Requests wisdom, understanding, and discernment from God

5. Repentance

Asks God to facilitate sincere repentance and return us to a righteous path

6. Forgiveness

Appeals to God's mercy to pardon sins and transgressions

7. Redemption

Asks God for deliverance from personal and national troubles

8. Healings

Asks God for physical and spiritual healing

9. Good harvest

Requests a blessing for prosperity and agricultural abundance

10. Gathering of Israel

Seeks the gathering of dispersed Jews back to Israel

11. Restoring the Judges

Prays for the restoration of righteous judgment and fair governance

12. Against Enemies

Asks for divine judgment against heresy, evil, and those who seek harm against Israel. This blessing is technically the “19th blessing”, and was actually added to the Amidah around 70 AD² (the destruction of the Jewish temple). Many have speculated it was in response to the Sadducees³.

13. Protection of the Righteous

Requests God's support and blessing for righteous individuals, scholars, and leaders

14. Rebuilding Jerusalem

Prays for the reconstruction and eternal establishment of Jerusalem

15. Arrival of the Messiah

Asks for the reestablishment of the monarchy and the coming of the Messiah son of David

16. Accept our Prayers

Asks God to accept and answer all personal prayers and requests

17. Restoring the Temple Service

Prays for the restoration of sacrificial worship and the return of God's presence to the Temple

18. Thanksgiving

Offers gratitude to God for continuous miracles, kindness, and everyday blessings

19. Peace

Requests divine peace, harmony, and welfare for Israel and all humanity

Another unique aspect of the Amidah is that it has several rules pertaining to the method in which one is supposed to pray it⁴. Quoted below are the rules given in the preface to the Amidah found in the Siddur (prayer book) produced by ArtScroll.

“Remain standing with feet together while reciting Shemoneh Esrei. Recite it with quiet devotion and without interruption. Although it should not be audible to others, one must be able to hear his own prayers” ⁵

The Amidah was a prayer transmitted orally, composed roughly around 515-332 BC⁶. However, it was formally written down under the commission of a man named Rabban Gamliel II⁷ (Nasi of the Sanhedrin at Yavneh) who lived from the end of the 1st century to the 2nd century AD. The reason for it being transcribed is largely because there was a growing fear of the oral traditions being lost due to the mass persecution of Jews at this time. If the name Gamliel sounds familiar to you, this is likely because Rabban Gamliel II is actually the grandson of the Gamliel⁸ we read about in the book of Acts, who Paul said was his teacher and Rabbi.

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors. Being zealous for G-d, just as all of you are today” Acts 22:3 NASB

What is most crucial to understand is that the Amidah, although formally written down toward the end of the 1st century, certainly existed before this, and would have been known by 1st-century Jews.

As Seamus did an excellent job pointing out in his article, there is much internal biblical evidence to display that the apostles of Jesus continued to practice the Jewish traditions long after his ascension, including the obligation to pray the three daily prayers⁹. However, for the remainder of this article, I will hone in on the teachings of the Master himself to outline the precedent that Jesus intended his followers to pray the Amidah.

Jesus’ teachings on Prayer

Jesus had much to say on the proper conduct of Prayer, all of which is consistent with the concepts taught in relation to the Amidah.

Praying for our Enemies

Jesus emphasized praying for those who persecute us, and not repaying their evil with evil. This is something also mentioned in the Amidah, where one is called to ask God to give them strength to refrain from speaking evil, specifically towards those who persecute us¹⁰.

"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44 NASB)

“My G‑d, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceitfully. Let my soul be silent to those who curse me; let my soul be as dust to all.” (Amidah, Peace)

Not Praying in Public

Jesus taught his followers not to pray like the hypocrites, who pray openly so that their prayers may be heard by men; rather, Jesus taught us to pray to God in private. This is very similar to one of the laws concerning praying the Amidah, which states one mustn’t pray loud enough that anyone else can hear.

“5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6)

“Although it should not be audible to others, one must be able to hear his own prayers…” (The Complete Artscroll Siddur, p. 103)

Not Praying with Meaningless Repetition

Jesus taught his followers not to pray like the Gentiles, who he says pray using “meaningless repetitions”.

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:7-8)

The Greek word utilized in this passage for “meaningless” is battalogeo. The Thayer’s Greek lexicon defines the word as:

“To repeat the same things over and over, to use many and idle words, to babble, prate”

Was Jesus in this text condemning the practice of repeating a prayer daily, such as the Amidah? I don’t believe so, as I will now explain. The connotation of the Greek word battalogeo is not just the number of words, but also the quality of them. Remember, the comparison he uses is that of the prayers of the Gentiles. This is further demonstrated when he goes on to say that they hope to be heard because of their “many words”. Here, Jesus uses the Greek word polylogia, which is only used once here in the NT, and one other time in the LXX of Proverbs 10:19, which states:

“When there are many (polylogia) words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19 LXX)

In this word’s usage in Proverbs, it explicitly has the connotation of many meaningless words. Speaking an abundant amount of truth is certainly not what the author is talking about. In fact, the whole book of Proverbs is a compilation of the many wise sayings of Solomon. What Solomon is talking about, however, is someone who speaks a lot of empty, meaningless, and idle words, which can result in sin.

Thus, it is clear that Jesus was taking issue with repetition when it is not backed by a sincere and intentful heart. In fact, this is exactly what the preface laws of the Amidah say in regards for proper prayer conduct.

“Recite it with quiet devotion…” (The Complete Artscroll Siddur, p. 103)

It appears then that in Jesus’ condemnation of those performing idle repetition, he was, by extension, condoning sincere repetition (something I will expound upon further).

Asking God

Jesus also teaches his followers that when we ask our heavenly Father for things, he is loving and generous to grant us them. The entire Amidah itself is a collection of 18 (technically 19) blessings and supplications to God, many of which involve us asking God for things that benefit us and the world.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matthew 7:7–8 NASB)

“Pardon us, our Father, for we have sinned;...Heal us, O L-rd, and we will be healed…Bless for us, L-rd our G‑d, this year…etc” (Amidah)

Jesus’ Model Prayer

After exploring Jesus’ teachings on proper prayer conduct, this leads us to the climax of his expositions, where he gives a model prayer that satisfies every requirement. In Christianity, this prayer is most commonly referred to as the “Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father”, and it reads as follows.

“9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

"1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread. 4 ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:1-4)

One who is familiar with the Amidah can immediately notice many similarities between it and Jesus’ model prayer.

Our Father

“Our Father” is the first thing Jesus opens with in his prayer, and it is a phrase used multiple times in the Amidah.

“Cause us to return, our Father, to Your Torah…”

“Pardon us, our Father, for we have sinned…”

Who is in Heaven

Jesus made a point to mention that our Father is transcendent, divine, and dwells in the heavens above. When the Amidah is recited by a minyan and a chazzan (a group of ten Jewish men, and a prayer leader), the prayer Kedushah is inserted after blessing four (requesting wisdom). Kedushah is a blessing modeled after the prayers of the angels in Isaiah 6:1-3, where they exalt God in heaven, saying “holy, holy, holy, is Hashem, Master of Legions, the whole world is filled with his glory”. And, they also say “Blessed is the glory of Hashem from his place" (Ezekiel 3:12). Hashem’s place is nowhere other than heaven.

“We will hallow and adore You as the sweet words of the assembly of the holy Seraphim who thrice repeat "holy" unto You, as it is written by Your prophet: And they call one to another and Say, (Cong. and Chazzan:) "Holy, holy, holy is the L-rd of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." (Chazzan:) Those facing them offer praise and say, (Cong and Chazzan:) "Blessed be the glory of the L-rd from its place." (Chazzan:) And in Your holy Scriptures it is written thus: (Cong. and Chazzan:) The L-rd shall reign forever; your G‑d, O Zion, throughout all generations. Praise the L-rd.” (Amidah, Kedushah)

Hallowed be your Name

Jesus also makes mention of the holiness of God’s name, something which the Amidah has an entire blessing covering.

“You are holy and Your Name is holy, and holy beings praise You daily for all eternity. Blessed are You L-rd, the holy G‑d. (During the Ten Days of Penitence substitute: the holy King.)” (Amidah, God’s holiness)

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be Done, On Earth as it is in Heaven

The Amidah has two entire blessings dedicated to asking God to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, as well as the Davidic Monarchy under the Messianic Era. These things are all part of God’s kingdom coming to earth¹¹.

“Return in mercy to Jerusalem Your city and dwell therein as You have promised; speedily establish therein the throne of David Your servant, and rebuild it, soon in our days, as an everlasting edifice. Blessed are You L-rd, who rebuilds Jerusalem. Speedily cause the scion of David Your servant to flourish, and increase his power by Your salvation, for we hope for Your salvation all day. Blessed are You L-rd, who causes the power of salvation to flourish.” (Amidah, Rebuilding Jerusalem, Arrival of Messiah)

Give us this Day our Daily Bread

The “daily bread” referenced here by Jesus appears to be an allusion to the bread (manna) God provided for the Israelites when in need during their 40 years of wandering the desert¹². Just as God provided for his people then, God will provide for his people now. Jesus instructs his followers to beseech God for the daily provision he offers each of us as his children. The Amidah is replete with examples of asking God for provision; however, in my opinion, the two most notable examples are the prayers for prosperity and mercy.

“May Your mercies be aroused, L-rd our G‑d, upon the righteous, upon the pious, upon the elders of Your people, the House of Israel, upon the remnant of their sages, upon the righteous proselytes and upon us. Grant ample reward to all who truly trust in Your Name, and place our lot among them; may we never be disgraced, for we have put our trust in You. Blessed are You L-rd, the support and security of the righteous.” (Amidah, Protection of the Righteous)

“Bless for us, L-rd our G‑d, this year and all the varieties of its produce for good; and bestow (During the summer season say:) blessing (During the winter season say: dew and rain for blessing) upon the face of the earth. Satisfy us from Your bounty and bless our year like other good years, for blessing; for You are a generous G‑d who bestows goodness and blesses the years. Blessed are You L-rd, who blesses the years.” (Amidah, Good Harvest)

And Forgive us our Debts, as we also have Forgiven our Debtors

Just like Jesus’ prayer¹³, the Amidah similarly has a whole portion focused on asking God for the forgiveness of our sins.

“Pardon us, our Father, for we have sinned; forgive us, our King, for we have transgressed; for You are a good and forgiving G‑d. Blessed are You L-rd, gracious One who pardons abundantly.” (Amidah, Forgiveness)

While the Amidah does not explicitly mention the forgiveness of others as being vital in God’s pardoning of us, this concept is not foreign to Judaism by and large.

“Rava understood this verse differently and said: With regard to whoever forgoes his reckonings with others for injustices done to him, the heavenly court in turn forgoes punishment for all his sins, as it is stated: “He bears sin and forgives transgression” (Micah 7:18). Whose sins does He bear? The sins of one who forgoes his reckonings with others for injustices committed against him.” (b. Rosh Hashanah 17a:14)

And do not lead us into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil.

Jesus' clause asking God to protect his people from sin, temptation, and evil is echoed by several statements in the Amidah, which similarly deal with preserving the children of Israel from sin and evil.

“My G-d, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceitfully. May my soul be silent to those who curse me; and let my soul be like dust to all. Open my heart to Your Torah and let my soul pursue Your commandments. And for all who plan evil against me, quickly nullify their plans and frustrate their design…may I not become angry today, and may I not anger you. Rescue me from the evil inclination and place in my heart submissiveness and humility.” (Amidah, Peace)

For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory Forever

The belief that God has his kingdom, power, glory, dominion, and praise forever, expressed here by Jesus here is also seen in the Amidah.

And in Your holy Scriptures it is written thus: (Cong. and Chazzan:) The L-rd shall reign forever; your G‑d, O Zion, throughout all generations. (Amidah, Kedushah)

You are holy and Your Name is holy, and holy beings praise You daily for all eternity. (Amidah, Holiness of God)

We thankfully acknowledge that You are the L-rd our G‑d and G‑d of our fathers forever. You are the strength of our life, the shield of our salvation in every generation. We will give thanks to You and recount Your praise, evening, morning and noon, for our lives which are committed into Your hand, for our souls which are entrusted to You, for Your miracles which are with us daily, and for Your continual wonders and beneficences. You are the Beneficent One, for Your mercies never cease; the Merciful One, for Your kindnesses never end; for we always place our hope in You. And for all these, may Your Name, our King, be continually blessed, exalted and extolled forever and all time. (Amidah, Thanksgiving)

Three Times Daily

While Jesus does not mention praying the Lord’s Prayer three times a day in any of the canonical gospel accounts, an early Jewish-Christian work known as the Didache explicitly does. Didache in Greek means “teaching”, and it gets its name from the opening sentence of the book, which reads:

“The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles through the twelve Apostles” (Didache preface)

It appears some early Christians considered it to be canonical, such as Clement of Alexandria¹⁴, Origen while he lived in Alexandria¹⁵, and the groups of Christians mentioned by Eusebius who did accept it as scripture¹⁶. While the book has fallen out of use today, it was evidently very influential in the first few centuries of Christendom¹⁷. The general scholarly consensus is that it was written anywhere from the mid-1st century to the early 2nd century AD¹⁸, placing it around the time of composition of the canonical gospels. In this book, we get another record of Jesus' model prayer:

“Do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, like this: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (or, evil); for Thine is the power and the glory for ever. Pray this three times each day.” (Didache ch. 8)

This early Jewish-Christian work, making the connection between the Lord’s Prayer and the recitation of it three times a day, is an explicit parallel to the commandment of praying the Amidah three times a day¹⁹. In Luke's record of the prayer, the disciples had asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples". Did the apostles not know how to pray, or were they unfamiliar with the liturgical prayers that were standard in the Synagogue services (such as the Amidah)? This is highly unlikely. Earlier in chapter 4, Luke says that Jesus "came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read." Jesus was clearly familiar with the Synagogue service, and in fact, him being chosen to read the parsha (Torah portion) and haftarah (Prophets portion) suggests he was considered not only a legitimate, but a respected Rabbi by those who ran the Synagogue (suggesting Jesus was a Pharisee). Thus, it would make sense for his disciples to also be familiar with the liturgical prayers that comprise the three daily prayers of Judaism, as we can see by their participation and involvement in various Synagogues.²⁰ So what were they requesting of Jesus when they asked him to be taught how to pray like John taught his disciples? There is evidence that many Rabbis taught their disciples short personal benedictions to pray immediately after they recited the Amidah.²¹ Thus, it appears that the apostles also desired their own short prayer that was exclusive to Beit Yeshua (the house of Jesus). In this manner, the Our Father was meant to serve as a conclusory prayer that disciples of Rabbi Yeshua would pray after the Amidah three times a day. This would explain why the Didache commands believers in Yeshua to pray it three times a day, and why it possesses such striking similarities to the Amidah. The two prayers were meant to be prayed in tandem.

Conclusion:

After a concise overview of the Master’s “halacha” on proper prayer conduct, intent, structure, and formulation, it is clear that his teachings were in line with the contemporary ones concerning prayer; more specifically, those concerning the Amidah. It is evident that Jesus never intended for his followers to depart from devout Orthodox practice, and in fact desired for them to live in accordance with man’s obligation to praise God every morning, afternoon, and evening.

---

Citations and References

[1] Berachot 26b; Daniel 6:10

[2] Berakhot 28b-29a

[3] Berakhot 28b in The William Davidson Talmud (Koren - Steinsaltz)

[4] Orach Chayim 61-96

[5] The Complete Artscroll Siddur, p. 103

[6] b. Megillah 17b-18a

[7] b. Berakhot 28b-29a

[8] b. Shabbat 15a:10

[9] Acts 10:2, 9; Berachot 26b:6

[10] Ruach Chaim on blessing 19 of the Amidah

[11] Daniel 7:13-14, 27

[12] Exodus 16

[13] See also Mark 11:24-25; Matthew 6:14-15

[14] Stromata 1.20; Quis Dives Salvetur 29

[15] First Principles 3.2.7

[16] Ecclesiastical History 3.25.4

[17] Rufinus, On the Creed, 38; see Toby Janicki, The Way of Life: The Rediscovered Teachings of the Twelve Apostles (Marshfield, MO: First Fruits of Zion, 2017), p. 1-4

[18] Walker, A Pre-Marcan Dating for the Didache: Further Thoughts of a Liturgist, Studia Biblica 3 [1978]: 404; Aaron Milavec, The Didache Text, Analysis, and Commentary, ix

[19] m.Brachot 4:1

[20] Matthew 12:1–9; Mark 1:21–29; Luke 4:31–37; Acts 13:5, 13:14, 14:1, 17:1–2, 17:10, 18:4, 18:19 all depict the apostles and disciples being present in the synagogues.

[21] Berakhot 16b-17a