Our Father 6: Hallowed by your name

In Matthew 6:9, Yeshua taught his disciples to pray, “Hallowed be your name.” To hallow means to honour as holy. That is, to set something apart from the ordinary, to regard and treat it as holy—to sanctify it. So, an alternative translation is, “Let your name be sanctified.”

In biblical culture, one’s name is one’s reputation. Your name represents all that you are—your “essence and character,” as Toby Janicki says[1]. So, we sanctify God’s name by behaving in ways that bring him honour and glory; or we profane his name by rebelling against him. In Leviticus 22:32, God commanded Israel not to profane his holy name, “so that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites.” Then he says that he is the one who sanctifies them. Kiddush HaShem (sanctification of God's name) takes place either by someone glorifying God publicly or being martyred for the sake of the Name [2].

Like the Our Father, the weekday Amidah prayer also sanctifies God's name (in its third blessing, the kedushah) before making petitions for earthly things.

[1] Janicki, Toby. The Way of Life. Jerusalem: Vine of David, 2017:317.

[2] Eby, Aaron, and Toby Janicki. Hallowed by Your Name. Mayim Chayim. Marshfield, Missouri: First Fruits of Zion, 2008:208.

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.

Our Father 4: Compassion and community

The creator is not just an impersonal deity, “the god.” He is God, but he is a personal being and his role as Father in the relationship indicates that he has a stake in our lives: our pain is his pain; our success is his success. (Success is to be, or become, like God's unique son, Yeshua, and to fulfill his purpose for your life.)

The title for God used in a prayer typically highlights the particular attribute of his which is most relevant for that prayer. “Father,” as a title, brings to mind God’s compassion [1]. In Psalm 103:13, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.” Note the intimacy in the relationship, yet the objects of the LORD’s compassion are especially those who fear him.

The address (“Our Father”) also shows that the relationship is not individual but communal, even when the prayer is said alone, "in secret.” The relationship is one-to-many: one Father, many children. Being children, we are to live as a family—a community set apart (sanctified/made holy) for our Father God. Psalm 133:1 says, “Look, how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell in unity!”

[1] Eby, Aaron. First Steps in Messianic Jewish Prayer. Marshfield, Missouri: First Fruits of Zion, 2014:107.

Our Father 3: Address—Avinu Shebashamayim

The address that Yeshua (Jesus) uses to invoke God is meaningful in itself: Avinu Shebashamayim—Our Father.

“Our” instantly speaks of some relationship, and “Father” indicates the kind of relationship it is: very personal, but not one of equality. There are senior and junior partners in it, with the Father being the authority. As children, we must show respect for our Father. (Incidentally, Luke 11:2 omits “Our” in the address.)

It’s not a casual address, like “Dad”. In fact, as Toby Janicki [1] points out, early Christians took it formally: the Apostolic Constitutions (an early Christian writing) instructs believers to prepare before reciting the prayer, “that you may be worthy of the adoption of the Father.” It draws on a warning from Malachi 1:6 where God asks Israel—his “firstborn son”:  “If I am a father, where is my honour?” The Constitutions go on to say, “the glory of the fathers is the holiness of their children.” Just think about that—our holiness brings glory to our father!

[1] Janicki, Toby. The Way of Life. Jerusalem: Vine of David, 2017. (See my endorsement of the book here.

Our Father 2: Language and Title

As we turn our attention to the words of the Our Father, keep in mind that the tradition of the time was to pray in Hebrew—“the holy language.” Both prayers and parables were always said in Hebrew, even if day-to-day language was in Aramaic. As Matthew (6:9-13) records it, Yeshua (Jesus) said,

Pray then like this:  “Our Father in heaven,  hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come,  your will be done,  on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread,  and forgive us our debts,  as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation,  but deliver us from evil.”

Ancient Jewish tradition names a prayer or reading from its first word or two it contains. Thus, the Lord’s prayer is often suitably called the Our Father, or Avinu (one word in Hebrew). It’s not uncommon to find this word in Jewish literature, e.g. Avinu Malkaynu (our Father, our King) or Avinu Shebashamayim (Our Father who is in Heaven). Its usage continues even in our day. In fact, the same address was used in 1948 by Rabbi Isaac Hertzog when he composed a prayer for the new state of Israel. It starts like this:

“Our Father, who is in Heaven,
Rock of Israel and his Redeemer,
bless the State of Israel,
the first flowering of our redemption.”