Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 6:9

"After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." — Matthew 6:9 (ASV)

What follows now is commonly called “the Lord’s Prayer,” not so much his own prayer (Jn 17 is just that) as the model he gave his disciples (“This is how [not what] you should pray”). The first three petitions are cast in terms of God’s glory, the rest in terms of our good.

The fatherhood of God is not a central theme in the OT. Where “father” does occur with respect to God, it is commonly by way of analogy, not direct address (Psalms 103:13; Isaiah 63:16; Malachi 2:10). Not till Jesus is it characteristic to address God as “Father” (GK 4252). Jesus himself addressed God as his own Father (Mark 14:36), and he teaches his disciples to do the same. Such an address to God could only appear familiar and presumptuous to opponents who were used to emphasizing God’s transcendence.

Jesus’ use of Abba (“Father” or “my Father”; Mark 14:36) was adopted by early Christians (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6); and there is no evidence of anyone before Jesus using this term to address God. Throughout the prayer the reference is plural: “Our Father.” In other words, Jesus teaches a prayer to be prayed in fellowship with other disciples (cf. 18:19), not in isolation (cf. Jn 20:17). We must pay attention to Jesus’ use of pronouns with “Father.” When forgiveness of sins is discussed, he speaks of “your Father” (6:14–15) and excludes himself. When he speaks of his unique sonship and authority, he speaks of “my Father” (e.g., 11:27) and excludes others. The “our Father” at the beginning of this model prayer is plural but does not include Jesus, since it is part of his instruction regarding how his disciples should pray.

This opening designation establishes the kind of God to whom prayer is offered: He is personal. That he is “our Father” establishes the relationship that exists between Jesus’ disciples and God; in this sense he is not the Father of all people indiscriminately . That he is “our Father in heaven” reminds us of his transcendence and sovereignty.

God’s “name” is a reflection of who he is. Therefore to pray that God’s name be “hallowed” (GK 39) is not to pray that God may become holy but that he may be treated as holy (cf. Exodus 20:8; Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:15) and that his name should not be despised (Malachi 1:6) by the thoughts and conduct of those who have been created in his image.