Our Father 8: Magnified and sanctified

The request, “Let your name be sanctified,” is not a petition for personal benefit, nor even for the community of the faithful, but simply because of the intrinsic value of God’s name. His name is worthy of special treatment. But there is also a nuance in which God himself sanctifies his name. Here’s the explanation:

• The appeal is similar to one of the most frequently recited prayers in Judaism: the Kaddish. The Kaddish begins: “Let his name be magnified and sanctified [hallowed] in the world that he created according to his will.”
• The words “magnified and sanctified” (gadal and kaddash) may be linked to Ezekiel 38:23. Both Hebrew verbs are reflexive, indicating (at least in Ezekiel) that the LORD will be the one who sanctifies his name. In the next verse, we see that God will do this by regathering Israel from exile [1].

Incidentally, the word gadal, magnified, aligns well with the Greek word megaluno that we find Miriam/Mary using in Luke 2:46, “My soul magnifies the Lord”. In this case, she is clearly also hallowing/sanctifying God’s name by using a circumlocution, “the Lord,” rather than pronouncing his name.

[1] Eby, Aaron. First Steps in Messianic Jewish Prayer. Marshfield, Missouri: First Fruits of Zion, 2014:108.

Our Father 7: Saying God's name—or not!

In Matthew 6:9, Yeshua (Jesus) honoured a Jewish tradition that was well-established by that time: he avoided pronouncing the name of God altogether, even while offering a petition that the name be sanctified/hallowed. The apostles continued this tradition: In writing the New Testament they could easily have transliterated the Tetragrammaton—the four Hebrew letters spelling God’s personal name—into Greek. Instead, they feared God and followed Yeshua’s example of using circumlocutions like “Father,” “Heaven” or “Lord” in place of God’s name. Christian tradition has continued the practice to this day, which is why we see “the LORD” (in capitals) in place of the holy name throughout the “Old Testament” of Christian Bibles. While the holy name is one of the most common words of the Hebrew scriptures (appearing 6828 times), it does not appear in the New Testament at all.

This should give us reason to regard the use of circumlocutions for God's name as a Christian tradition just as much as it is a Jewish tradition (at least since the close of the Hebrew scriptures). Rabbi Yeshua kept Jewish tradition regarding the avoidance of speaking of God's name, and so did his apostles. So, what should you do?

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.”

Our Father 1: How and how not to pray

As we approach a study on prayer, we should consider Matthew's approach to the Our Father (or the Lord's Prayer): he first recorded some of Yeshua's instructions on prayer, including both negative mitzvot and positive mitzvot. We read them in Matthew 6:5-8:

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! But whenever you pray, enter into your inner room and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. But when you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the pagans, for they think that because of their many words they will be heard. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Who are the hypocrites?

The Greek word used in Matthew 6 is hypokrites. To some extent it is what linguists call a “false friend;” we should not presume to know what it means because of the similar word, hypocrite, in English—even though it derives from the Greek hypokrites! In modern English, “hypocrite” indicates a person who tells others how to behave and live rightly, but does not do so himself. In the first century, the word primarily denoted a pretender, an actor or stageplayer: someone who puts on a performance by faking particular behaviour.

We see this in Matthew 6:2, where the hypocrites make a public fanfare of their giving; in Matthew 6:5, where they stand in prominent places (both in houses of worship and on street corners) to pray where they can be noticed; and in Matthew 6:16, where they deliberately look somber and  unkept to show they are fasting. It’s all an act! Even if they are giving, praying and fasting, they are doing it for human recognition, not to magnify the Father in heaven.

How should we pray?

We should pray:

1. Not like hypocrites—like actors, “in order that they may be seen by people.”
2. In private—in secret! (This does not prohibit public, communal prayer, as the Bible clearly demonstrates. However, private prayer is commanded.)
3. Without repetitious babbling (like the pagans)—“because your Father knows your needs before you ask.”

Kiddush: Sanctification of Shabbat

Every erev Shabbat (Sabbath eve) is sanctified (made holy) with the recital of kiddush (sanctification): a piece of liturgy that includes a few verses of B'resheet; a blessing recited over the wine; and a blessing for Israel's sanctification, inheritance of Shabbat, and election (chosenness).

Traditionally, the biblical quote often includes B'resheet/Genesis 1:31b-2:3. The narrative tells of the original Shabbat observed by HaShem upon completion of creation. At this point of the text, the creator is still anonymous; he is simply referred to as Elohim (God). The quote says that God shavat (he rested) from his work of creation. In Hebrew, the letter v is the same as the letter b, so it is easy to see that the word Shabbat is related to shavat. It was on account of this rest that God "blessed the seventh day and made it holy"—the first time anything (or anyone) in the Bible is referred to as holy.