For the last few days, we have been examining the horizontal dimensions of the Lord’s prayer and seen how we need to pray for provision and pardon. Today we turn our focus to the last request for protection. Like pardon from past sin, protection from future sin is found in Jesus.
“AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION . . .”
The opening phrase and lead us not into temptation has confused many people. Would God ever lead us into temptation? No! Of course not! In James 1:13, 14 James is adamant, when tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. God does bring trials into our lives to reveal the quality of our faith but never so that we fall into temptation. Perhaps what Jesus means in the first half of vrs 13 is that we ought to pray that we do not succumb to temptation in the trials of life. The Greek word for temptation is peirasmos and is also translated as trials (James 1:2, 12 etc). A perfect illustration of this truth is found in Mark 14:32-42. Why did Jesus ask only Peter, James and John to come a little farther (vrs 33)? In Mark 10:35-39 James and John had claimed that they could drink the same cup that Jesus would drink and in Mark 14:29-31 Peter had promised to remain faithful even to death. Perhaps Jesus specifically wanted to correct this. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus modelled the lesson of Matthew 6:13. Jesus was staring death in the face, knowing that his fate was inescapable. How did he face it? On his knees in prayer. In Mark 14:39 we are told that Jesus prayed repeatedly. While Jesus was wrestling in prayer his disciples had fallen asleep. In vrs 38 Jesus said “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” He clearly links prayer with the ability to withstand temptation. His disciples failed. By agonizing in prayer Jesus found the strength to endure the cross. The disciples failed to prayer and when called upon to stand up for Jesus they failed. Gethsemane is as much about the power of prayer as it is about the inevitable failure that comes from prayerlessness. Gethsemane is sandwiched between the disciples promising faithfulness to Jesus and later running away. As John Onwuchekwa says, “like a vegan sandwich, the disciples present great promise, but they deliver disappointment in the middle.”
“BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE”
Many bible translations will read “deliver us from evil” whereas the NIV translates it as deliver us from the evil one. Which is correct? I suggest that at this point the NIV is quite correct because in the Greek text Jesus uses the definite article (tou ponerou – the evil). It would make more sense to understand that he had Satan in mind. The same words are used in Matthew 13:19 in the parable of the sower where seed sown on the path is snatched away by the evil one (ho poneros). When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we are not simply requesting deliverance from generic evil but deliverance from the schemes of Satan. In 1 Peter 5:8, 9 we are reminded, be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. When we pray deliver us from the evil one we are praying that we would not be led astray by the devil schemes.
We saw how Peter, James and John failed to apply Jesus’ teaching in the Garden of Gethsemane and failed him. They learned from their failures. In Acts 4:23-31 following Peter and John’s release from prison following a beating and threats to cease preaching what did they do? They summoned a prayer meeting and asked the sovereign God to give them strength and boldness to do his will. What was the response to their prayer? In Acts 4:31 we read, after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.