Our Father 5: Who is in Heaven

Why does Matthew (Mat 6:9) include the phrase, “who is in heaven” when Luke (Lk 11:2) leaves it out? I suggest it may be on account of the different audiences these two evangelists were addressing. Matthew’s audience was certainly Jewish, and Jews often refer to Abraham as “our father.” So perhaps that’s why Yeshua clarifies whom he is addressing right from the outset, as recorded in Matthew's gospel. Maybe Luke left it out it because it is obvious for his audience.

Theologians speculate about the location of God's presence. The Our Father keeps it simple: he is “in heaven.” It's not an abstract theological claim about God's transcendence (his otherness, being distinct from everything created); it's just a clarification of whom the prayer is addressed to. But it does remind us of that quality of God—he is holy, completely set apart from creation. Just because we are, in some sense, his “children” does not mean that we may be casual with him. Our love for our heavenly father must be matched by our fear of him.