Day Six

Matthew 6:13

For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

We are probably all familiar with these closing words, or at least some variation of them, and they do just roll off the tongue as we approach the end of this prayer, however we must acknowledge that these closing words have the potential to cause some controversy amongst Christians, although that really should not be the case. The question is should they really be included in the Lord’s Prayer at all? This question should not divide us nor cause us to worry about what the correct way is to pray this prayer.

Some older English translations of the Bible such as the King James Version include this longer ending, but more recent English translations do not include it. Does this mean that the older versions are guilty of adding something to the Bible that should not be there, or that more recent translations are guilty leaving out something that should be included? Not exactly. Lots of Greek manuscripts have been found which put it both ways, however some of the oldest of these, and therefore those closest to the time the New Testament was written do not contain this longer ending. On the other hand, we also have records going back to the late first century which include a version of these words. There are some really significant figures from the early church who quote these words in their writings, and other significant figure who don’t acknowledge them at all. So, which is the right answer? Should we include this ending and pray these words or not?

If Jesus did not say these words, then how did they end up in the Bible? As records show they were a part of church tradition which was practiced by Christians as early as the late first century, just a few decades after Jesus’ ascension. The Bible is our supreme authority and tradition is not equal to Scripture, nevertheless church tradition can be helpful so far as it agrees with the Bible and does not teach anything false. Therefore, these words serve as a fitting conclusion to the Lord’s Prayer as they flow from and serve to summarise everything that has come before.

J.I. Packer perfectly capture the relationship between prayer and praise. “Prayer and praise are like a bird’s two wings: with both working, you soar; with one out of action, you are earthbound.” Just as this prayer began with praise through the hallowing of God’s name so too it now closes with praise as it once more seeks to give God the glory. God’s Kingdom and power are emphasised throughout the Lord’s Prayer and these closing words remind us of these great themes. It is also important to remember why Jesus taught this prayer to His disciples. It was in response to the religious hypocrites who made prayer into a performance because their only interest was their own glory, but these final words do not give any glory to men but to God alone. Prayer is not a performance. It is a relationship. God does not want a show. He wants sincerity. Whether or not Jesus spoke these words we still can and should pray them because they are biblical, helpful, faithful, and true.

Finally, notice how the Trinity works throughout this prayer. We hallow the name of the Father, desire to see the Son Build His Kingdom, and we live by His will as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. We depend on the Father who provides for our daily needs. We find pardon through the Son who paid our debt. We are protected by the Holy Spirit who guards us from danger. This prayer finishes in the way that we have all been taught to finish our prayers, with the word “amen.” This is not just a random word that we use to signal when we are finished praying and that could be substituted with any other word. The word amen means “truly” or “so shall it be.” To pray amen is not to wish but to have an assurance that as we bring these words before our loving Father, He hears us, He knows our need before we ask Him, and He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think (Eph 3:20).