prayer life of jesus tg - smyth & helwys books · jesus was also tested. through prayer, jesus...

The Prayer Life of Jesus

Lesson 1As Was His Custom: Jesus Prayed ....................................3Luke 3:21-22; 4:1-13; 6:12-13; 9:18-27

Lesson 2The Lord’s Prayer ............................................................8Luke 11:1-4

Lesson 3Perseverence in Prayer ....................................................13Luke 11:5-13

Lesson 4Pray Always....................................................................18Luke 18:1-8

Lesson 5Prayer in Crisis ..............................................................23Luke 22:39-46; 23:34, 46

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prepare Before the SessionRead the session for today in the Study Guide. Then read the options in this Teaching

Guide, placing checkmarks beside the activities you plan to include. After you have decidedwhich options to use, gather the appropriate materials.

WHAT’S IN YOUR TEACHING GUIDE

This Teaching Guide has three purposes:➤ to give the teacher tools for focusing on the content of the session in the Study Guide.➤ to give the teacher additional Bible background information.➤ to give the teacher variety and choice in preparation.

The Teaching Guide includes two major components: Teacher Helps and Teacher Options.

Teacher Helps

Teacher Options

Find Relevance helps you zero in on why each

session is important for the

adults you teach.

Seek Understandingpresents helful Bible Background

informations and insights that will help

you better understand the Scripture.

Teaching Outlineprovides you with an outline

of the main themes in the

Study Guide.

My Teaching Plan is a

convenient place for you to

make notes for teaching the

session.

Offer Illustrations presents material that will help you paint

a picture of the session. This section often presents items from

church history, current events, or interesting anecdotes that

help introduce the session.

Discussion provides teaching activitiees that will help learners

discuss the Scripture text.

Questions presents multiple collections of questions for

various kinds of adults.

Involve Learners helps learners become actively involved

with the Scripture text for a particular session.

Closure gives you a means for wrapping up the session.

You Can Choose!There is more material in each session than you can use, so choose the options from each section

to tailor the session to the needs of your group.

Find RelevanceWhy do adults care about thissession? This series of lessons

focuses on the prayer life ofJesus as a model for contempo-

rary Christians. Prayer for Jesus was morethan an act of piety; it was a lifeline.Christians today know that they shouldpray, but many rarely do. These lessonscan enrich the lives of individuals byhelping them remember the importanceof seeking God in daily prayer. Theselessons suggest that prayer contributes toa greater sense of community. Prayer canbe a means of bonding among those whofollow Christ.

Too many Christians compartmentalizetheir lives. Religion is reduced to a once-a-week activity that is not allowed to touchsecular existence. Jesus spent more timeamong the people than he did at syna-gogue, but every aspect of his life was areligious expression. Every human rela-tionship reflected his understanding ofGod’s will for him and the world. Jesusconsulted God about every decision of hislife. We would avoid many mistakes if wewere to follow his example.

Seek UnderstandingWhat do these Scripturesmean? Jesus’ mission was in

part a demonstration of how aperfectly God-conscious person

should live on this earth. Jesus was theunique Son of God; Scriptures and thedoctrines of the church also affirm thathe was human and subject to the fullrange of human experiences. Only as afully living, breathing human was the Sonof God able to show us so clearly how tolive as children of God in this world.

Truly man: Against all tendencies todeify Jesus, it must constantly bestressed even today that he was whollyand entirely man with all the conse-quences of this (capacity for suffering ,fear, loneliness, insecurity, tempta-tions, doubts, possibility of error). Notmerely man, but true man. In describ-ing him as such we insisted on the truthwhich was to be made true, the unity oftheory and practice, of acknowledgingand following him, of faith and action.As true man, by his proclamation,behavior and fate, he was a model ofwhat it is to be human, enabling eachand every one who commits himself tohim to discover and to realize themeaning of being man and of hisfreedom to exist for his fellow men. Asconfirmed by God, he therefore repre-sents the permanently reliable

1Lesson Teaching Guide

AS WAS HIS CUSTOM:JESUS PRAYED

Luke 3:21-22; 4:1-13; 6:12-13; 9:18-27

ultimate standard of human existence.(Kung, 449)

In today’s Scriptures, we see how Jesusrelied on prayer to guide him in his dailydecisions. His surrender in baptismopened an ongoing conversation withGod. His sense of the presence of Godhelped him resist temptation in thedesert. God guided him in the formationof a community with some unlikely candi-dates. All of Jesus’ relationships weretriangular in that they involved himself,God, and others. His conversations withGod led him to interactions with thedisciples.

ResourcesDonald Coggan, The Prayers of the New Testament(London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1967).

Oscar Cullmann, Prayer in the New Testament(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995).

R.Alan Culpepper,“The Gospel of Luke: Introduction,Commentary, and Reflections,” vol. 9, The NewInterpreter’s Bible (Nashville:Abingdon Press, 1995).

Fred L. Fisher, Prayer in the New Testament (Philadelphia:Westminster Press, 1966).

Hans Kung, On Being a Christian (New York: Doubleday,1976).

Alice Munro, The Progress of Love (New York:Alfred A.Knopf, 1986).

Eduard Schweizer, The Good News According to Luke(Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1984).

Charles H.Talbert, Reading Luke:A Literary andTheological Commentary on the Third Gospel, rev. ed.(Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2003).

My Teaching PlanIntroduction: As Christian people, we arecalled to follow our Lord in ministry.Baptism, for Jesus, was in essence his ordi-nation to ministry, his beginning point. Wemust remember, however, that despite hisobedience to God’s call, despite his abili-ties, despite his relationship with God,Jesus was also tested. Through prayer, Jesusgrew in wisdom and power.I. Jesus submits to God in baptism.

A. God acknowledges his surrender witha blessing.

B. The Spirit takes control of Jesus’ life atthe time of baptism.

C. Jesus is immediately tested in thewilderness.

II. The Spirit guides Jesus in the formationof the new community.A. Jesus listens to God.B. He takes time to make the right

decision.III. Prayer is a means of growth in under-

standing and power.Conclusion: We should follow our Lord’sexample, dialoguing with God in every deci-sion of our lives.

4 Lesson 1

Offer IllustrationsHow can I help learners think about the issues?

❍ ListeningIn George Bernard Shaw’s play Saint Joan,the Dauphin discusses with Joan thevoices she hears. He laments that he neverhears any voices. Joan chides him withthese words: “They do come to you, butyou do not listen. You have not sat in thefield in the evening and considered theirmessage. When the Angelus rings, youcross yourself and are done with it; but ifyou prayed from your heart and listenedto the trilling of the bells in the air, afterthey stopped ringing you would hear thesame voices as I do.”

Questions➤ Did Jesus hear God in any way that is

not available to us?➤ How does God communicate with us?➤ How often do you listen to God in

prayer?➤ How might you reorient your prayer

life so that you can hear the “voice” ofGod?

❍ Praying Like Jesus“My mother prayed on her knees atmidday, at night, and first thing in themorning. Every day opened up to her[opportunities] to have God’s will done in[her life]. Every night she totted up whatshe’d done and said and thought, to seehow it squared with Him. That kind oflife is dreary, people think, but they’remissing the point. For one thing, such alife can never be boring. And nothing canhappen to you that you can’t make use of.Even if you’re racked by troubles, and sickand poor and ugly, you’ve got your soul tocarry through life like a treasure on aplatter. Going upstairs to pray after thenoon meal, my mother would be full ofenergy and expectation, seriouslysmiling.” (Munro, 4)

Discuss with your class members theconsistency of this woman’s prayer life.Ask how we can benefit from communi-cating with God at regular intervalsduring the day.

Teaching Guide 5

DiscussionHow do I lead learners to dialogue about the session?

❍ BaptismAsk members of the group to share theirconversion or baptism experience. Didthey have a sense of God’s presence? Whatwere the early challenges to their faith?

Watch the baptism scene from the movieTender Mercies. Describe to the group thescene and the conversation of the littleboy and the man as they go home in thepickup after baptism in the little church.The boy asks the man if he feels differ-ently after baptism. The man responds,“Not yet.” Should people have a differentfeeling after baptism?

❍ Church DecisionsAsk the group to think back to majordecisions made in the life of your church,such as, calling a minister, deciding torelocate, building a new building, or start-ing a new ministry. Reflect on the role ofprayer in making those decisions. In deci-sion making, what role should prayer playin the life of the entire church?

QuestionsQuestions about Scripture➤ Why do you think God was pleased

with Jesus’ baptism?➤ What temptations did Jesus face in the

desert?➤ What similar temptations do we face?➤ Why do you think some persons were

not chosen as disciples?

Questions for All Adults➤ Would you consider thirty a late start

for Jesus?➤ Why do you think he did not begin at

an earlier age?➤ What do you know about the lives of

the apostles?➤ Did God ask them to make mid-career

changes?

Questions for Mature Adults➤ What poor choices in your life might

have been avoided with preparatoryprayer?

➤ How does age reshape our prayer lives?➤ What can we learn from Jesus about

teaching others about prayer?

Questions for Younger Adults➤ How are the study of Scripture and

prayer connected in the desert experi-ence?

➤ Who do your friends say Jesus is?➤ How do people talk about prayer

outside the church?

Questions for Adults with Children➤ What do you think Mary and Joseph’s

role was in teaching Jesus about prayer?➤ How can prayer produce or increase

faith?➤ Are certain settings more conducive for

prayer? Why or why not?

6 Lesson 1

Involve LearnersHow can I lead learners to explore the session together?

Discuss with your group the role of prayerin their lives and their perceptions of therole of prayer in your church. Discussreasonable expectations in prayer. Whatdoes God care about in our lives? What isappropriate to ask of God?

Distribute writing materials and paper. Atthe top of the page, suggest that eachperson write the things for which theyshould pray in the next week. Tell them inadvance that they will not have to disclosetheir list to anyone.

Then, ask them to make a list of prayerrequests for your class and the church.Write these requests at the bottom of thepage. Talk about ministry needs in thecommunity and in your church. Compilea master list on the board. Keep it in viewfor the next several weeks as you discussthe prayer life of Jesus. Then take time topray; remember to pray for each memberof the church staff.

❍ Modern DisciplesConsider yourselves modern disciples ofJesus. Think about your life experiencesas followers of Jesus. Think about yourfamily, friends, and co-workers andimagine that Jesus has asked you whatthey are saying about him. Consider alsoimages in the media and discuss howthese images portray Jesus. Then compareall these ideas with what the Scripturestell us about Jesus.

ClosureAsk the class to recall the questions thedisciples asked Jesus. Do we ask the samekinds of questions? In the early days oftheir ministry together, Jesus seems tohave done all the praying for the group.Who does our praying? Suggest thatmembers talk to Jesus each day during thecoming week not about “holy things” butabout everyday concerns. End the sessionwith a prayer. Pray that group memberswill involve Jesus in every aspect of theirlives, especially in the coming week.

Teaching Guide 7

2Find Relevance

Why do adults care about thissession? The Lord’s Prayer

provides us with a pattern ofpriorities for living. It is worth

memorizing because it is a summary ofJesus’ teachings that can quickly be calledto mind in all circumstances. When weare weary, sick, stressed, or confused, it isa prayer that can be a part of us andremind us of the presence of God. We canpray the very words of the prayer or usethe ingredients to inform the composi-tion of our individual prayers.

This prayer teaches the relationship oneshould have with a loving heavenlyparent. It demonstrates that personalpetition and intercession for others areappropriate for our conversations withGod. The prayer suggests the vast rangeof God’s concern, from providing ourdaily bread to establishing the kingdomof creation. It maintains a tensionbetween what is and what is yet to be. Thefact that the prayer is used by persons indifferent denominations and culturessuggests that its study can help us tran-scend human barriers to unify God’speople.

Seek UnderstandingWhat do these Scripturesmean? At the major turning

point of his ministry, Jesusresponds to the disciples’ request

to teach them to pray. He has turned hisface toward Jerusalem and the cross. Theapostles are becoming increasinglyperplexed about his teaching and thepublic’s response to him. It is a time oftesting for them, and they need all thehelp they can get. This prayer serves theirneeds in a number of respects.

This prayer is not a means for selfishpersonal advancement. The disciples whosought status will be disappointed. Thiscommunity prayer will serve tostrengthen the bond between the disci-ples. They must understand that theirwell-being is linked to the welfare of theKingdom. The prayer stresses the specialrelationship between God as lovingparent and them as children. The prayeracknowledges the reality of evil and temp-tation, and implies a life of struggle forthe disciples. An honest examination ofthe implications of this prayer makes itdifficult to romanticize the Christian life.

Lesson Teaching Guide

THE LORD’SPRAYER

Luke 11:1-4

Teaching Guide 9

ResourcesS. C. Gwynne Austin,“Why So Many Want to SaveHer” Crime:A Time Investigation, 19 January 1998, vol.151.

Church of the Providence of New Zealand, A NewZealand Prayer Book (London, Hukland:Collins Press,1989).

Donald Coggan, The Prayers of the New Testament(London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1967).



Mary Sue Penn,“Leaven of Forgiveness,” Sojourners,May-June, 1995.



Wilson O.Weldon, Our Father: Discoveries in the Lord’sPrayer, (Nashville: Upper Room, 1968).

My Teaching Plan

Introduction: Prayer is a conversation. Thedisciples watched Jesus and learned fromhis ability both to speak honestly with Godand to listen for God’s guidance. Jesus usedprayer to deepen his relationship with God.He saw prayer not as an obligation to fulfill,but as a means by which his life would findits fulfillment.I. By example, the disciples see the impor-

tance Jesus places on prayer.II. The disciples ask Jesus to teach them a

prayer that will set them apart as hisfollowers.

III. Jesus teaches them to begin by focusingon God.

A. God is Holy Father.B. God is bringer of the Kingdom.IV. Jesus teaches them to be confident ofGod’s care.A. God will meet our needs.B. God will sustain us spiritually.C. Special relationship to God meansspecial relationship to the rest of humanity.

Conclusion: Jesus offers his disciples anexample prayer. “Pray in this way...” he says.Jesus’ prayer informs all his disciples thatGod is near, that God cares, and that Godwill listen.


❍ Content and Relationship arePrimary

Years ago I read about two ministers, onequite old and the other very young, whoshared the same room at a conference.The older man was on his knees for only abrief minute, but the younger ministertarried a long time on his knees. Whenthey were both in bed, the old mancommented, “You spent a very long whilein prayer.” “Yes, I always do,” was theproud reply. The old man answered,“Well, I’m with my Father all day long,referring to Him, listening to Him,talking with Him, so that at the end of theday all I feel I need to say is just‘Goodnight.’” Does not that have a beauti-ful naturalness and simplicity suggestiveof the Master’s prayer life? (Weldon, 10)

Questions➤ Is your prayer continuous throughout

the day, more scheduled, or some ofboth?

➤ How are you aware of God’s presence inthe daily routine of your life?

➤ For what are you striving in prayer?

❍ And Forgive Us Our SinsRead aloud each of these stories and thenencourage discussion about forgiveness.KarlaIn Crime: A Time Investigation, writer S. C.Gwynne Austin reports that “Karla FayeTucker is the nicest woman on death row.She is so nice, in fact, and so well liked bypeople who know her that it is virtuallyimpossible to look at this attractive,sweet-natured, born-again Christian andimagine the gruesome crime to which sheconfessed in Houston, Texas, on June 13,1983.” At that time, she was a drug-addicted prostitute who, during aweekend with her boyfriend, hadconsumed an astonishing quantity of

drugs and alcohol. The two then took apickax and killed her ex-lover, Jerry LynnDean, 27, and his companion of themoment, Deborah Thornton, 32, whilethey slept. Tucker, who left the pickaxembedded in Thornton’s chest, boasted ofthe experience at her trial.

Tucker was convicted and sentenced todeath in 1984. On February 3, 1998, shewas put to death by lethal injection inHuntsville, Texas. “What makes her casestriking was not just her gender but alsoher apparently profound conversion toChristianity.” Because of her conversion,many unlikely supporters came to herdefense, including Thornton’s brotherand Dean’s sister, the homicide detective,several former prosecutors, televangelistPat Robertson and thousands of citizens.”(Austin, 151)

BillBill Pelke had come a long way from theday had had a vision of his murderedgrandmother while he was atop his craneat a Portage, Indiana, steel mill to the dayhe told his story to a Gary, Indiana, highschool classroom seven years later. He hadtraveled the distance between a desire forrevenge and the need for reconciliation. Itremains an unfathomable gap to some,including his close family members.When Pelke finished telling the LewWallace High School class how he hadcome to forgive—and even love—a formerstudent of their school who had brutallykilled his grandmother, some shook theirheads. Some gasped. “You must have abig heart,” one girl said. Pelke replied, “Ihave a big God.” (Penn, 38)

The words of the Lord’s Prayer include“forgive us our sins, for we ourselvesforgive everyone indebted to us.” In boththese stories, family members of thevictims have been able to offer forgivenessto the offender. In these and other similar

10 Lesson 2

circumstances, how might people react tothe family members’ willingness toforgive? How might people react to theoffenders? As the group answers, writetheir responses on the board. Thenconsider each response, discussing thestrengths and weaknesses of each posi-tion.


Why did the disciples ask Jesus to teachthem how to pray? They were already apart of a culture that included prayer as adaily routine. The Psalms of the OldTestament were prayers offered by indi-viduals and written for the use of thecommunity. Apparently, the Psalms wereused in the context of worship andexpressed ancient Israel’s greatest hopes,dreams, fears, and difficulties.Consequently, prayer was a part of eachperson’s life. Ancient Jews were requiredto pause for prayer three times every day.Prayers were offered by the eldest male forthe entire family and by the priests for allthe people and their sin. Rather thankneel, assuming our traditional posturefor prayer, the person in ancient Judaismwould generally stand, often on tiptoe,hands outstretched toward the heavens,attempting to be as close to God as possi-ble.

The Psalms and other prayers of theancient world and the prayers in Jesus’day are strikingly expressive. The Psalmistoften cries out against God and speaks offrustration with God’s seeming inactivity.The Psalmist expresses fear and angerwith the victory of enemies. Jesus seems tofollow the Old Testament example. In theGarden, for example, Jesus asks God “totake this cup from me.” From the cross, hequotes the Psalm, “My God, My God, whyhave you forsaken me?” Prayer wasconversation for Jesus, an uncommonlyhonest dialogue between Son and Father.

In what ways do the prayers you read orprayers you hear affect your sense of thepresence of God? Contrast prayer in Jesus’day with prayer in contemporaryAmerican society.

QuestionsQuestions about Scripture➤ How might the differences in Luke’s

and Matthew’s versions of the Lord’sPrayer be explained?

➤ What was the time of trial?➤ What do you think was the hardest part

of this prayer for the disciples?Questions for All Adults➤ How does the thought that millions of

Christians of all denominations praythese words (or the words of Matthew)each Sunday affect your understandingof the Kingdom of God?

➤ Does God expect people to pray? Inwhat ways do our prayers reflect ourunderstanding of God?

➤ How can a read or memorized prayer beas authentic and meaningful as sponta-neous prayer?

Questions for Mature Adults➤ How has your prayer experience shaped

your understanding of the will of Godfor your life?

➤ Have your prayers become more ritual-ized or more personal as you havebecome spiritually more mature?

➤ How do liturgical prayers in worshipcontinue to enrich your spiritual life?

Questions for Younger Adults➤ How would you respond to criticism of

“written” prayers or the use of theLord’s Prayer as a part of weekly publicworship?

➤ Paul wrote that “we do not know howto pray as we ought but that very Spiritintercedes” (Rom 8:26). Compare thisidea with the scene in Luke 11:1-4. Howdoes one passage relate to the otherand with your experience?

Teaching Guide 11

12 Lesson 2

Questions for Adults with Children➤ Does the example of your prayer life

have the same effect on your childrenas Jesus’ example did on the disciples?Why or why not?

➤ In what ways could your family benefitfrom memorizing the Lord’s Prayer andregularly repeating it?

➤ In what circumstances, if any, mightthe use of the word Father be an obsta-cle to prayer? How might such anobstacle(s), if any, be overcome?


Give each person paper and a pencil. Askthe members of your class to write atypical prayer they remember hearing inchurch as a child or a new believer. After afew moments, ask the group to name theelements most often heard in publicprayer. Compare these elements withthose of the Lord’s Prayer. Specifically,compare the focus on God, the nature ofintercession, and the purpose of prayer.

Then ask the class to form small groupsand write a contemporary version of theLord’s Prayer. After the groups havewritten their prayers, give each group acopy of the prayer below Explain that thisprayer is part of a New Zealand prayer.Ask the groups to consider the similaritiesand differences between their prayers andthis printed one. Ask them especially tonote the strengths of each.

Eternal Spirit,Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,Source of all that is and that shallbe,...Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice

be followed by the peoples of theworld!

Your heavenly will be doneby all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace andfreedom

sustain our hope and come onearth.

With the bread we need for today, feedus.In the hurts we absorb from oneanother, forgive us.In times of temptation and test,strengthen us.From trials too great to endure, spareus.From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the powerthat is love,

now and for ever.Amen.(Church of the Providence of New

Zealand, 181)

ClosureAsk each small group to choose a repre-sentative to pray the modern version ofthe Lord’s Prayer the group has written.Close your time together by hearing eachgroup’s prayer. If you have some goodsingers in the group, you might want tosing the traditional Lord’s Prayer together.

3Find Relevance

Why do adults care about thissession? Prayer is a popular

subject in America today.Popular and professional maga-

zines and journals print articles about theefficiency of prayer. In 1996, the Journalof the American Medical Associationincluded an article titled “ShouldPhysicians Prescribe Prayer for Health?”Some medical schools now offer coursesin spirituality and its effectiveness in thehealing process. National surveys reportthat between 70% and 90% (depending onthe survey) of Americans claim to pray atleast occasionally. There seems to be aninnate sense of a power beyond ourselvesthat can and will help us. This broadinterest in prayer by persons in all walksof life makes it all the more important forChristians to know what the Bible teachesabout prayer.

Today’s focus passage is one of the mostoften quoted and misinterpreted passagesabout prayer. Some preachers proclaimthat prosperity or a kind of new-agepower source awaits those who use theright prayer formula. The Gospel of Lukemakes no such claims. This passage, likeall units of Scripture, must be viewed inthe light of the whole Bible. Not evenJesus got everything he asked for inprayer. Nevertheless, we should notunderestimate prayer’s power. Many

Christians use prayer like an emergencyroom of last resort and miss out on thesustaining strength of a continual rela-tionship with God. Prayer should be apart of our daily routine.

Seeking UnderstandingWhat do these Scripturesmean? A parable embodies

theological truth in everydaylife experience. Today’s parable

can be considered a two-point parable.The first point is that those in needshould not hesitate to ask God’s help. Thesecond and most important point is thatGod is more generous and willing to helpthan even the best of earthly friends(Blomberg, 275-276).

Jesus fills this parabolic lesson with famil-iar images so that his listeners mighteasily identify with the characters in thestory. With whom do you identify in theparable, the asker or the giver? In a typicalBible study class, there may be friends inneed and friends reluctant to be inconve-nienced. Jesus teaches that God will notgive us those things that God considersharmful to us. Most of us have prayed forthings we never received and later werethankful God withheld “the scorpion”from us.


PERSEVERENCE IN

PRAYERLuke 11:5-13

14 Lesson 3

ResourcesJerry Adler,“Unbeliever’s Quest,” Newsweek, 31 March1997.

Paul Bibeau,“What We Think about When We Thinkabout God...,” Mademoiselle, September 1997.

Craig L. Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables (Downer’sGrove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1990).

Donald Coggan,The Prayers of the New Testament(London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1967).


R.Alan Culpepper,“The Gospel of Luke: Introduction,Commentary, and Reflections,” vol. IX, The NewInterpreter’s Bible (Nashville:Abingdon Press, 1995).


Peter Marshall, The Heart of Peter Marshall’s Faith (NewYork: Fleming H. Revell, 1956).



Kenneth L.Woodward,“Is God Listening?” Newsweek,31 March 1997.

My Teaching Plan

Introduction: Today’s parable is told inresponse to the disciples question to Jesus,“Lord, teach us to pray” (11:1). Jesus tellsstories of common experiences in theirworld to help the disciples understand hisanswers. This story illustrates that God isnot like a “friend” who has to be pesteredto respond or like the gods to whom peoplebegged for daily sustanence.I. Review Luke 11:1-4—Jesus’ model prayer

encourages his followers to pray as if Godis present in their lives and as if they sharea personal relationship with God. Thisnuance alone was vastly different fromthe common notion in their day of God’sbeing far removed from basic humanconcerns.

II. God is more than a friend.A. God is accessible.B. God cares about us as no earthly

parent can.C. God is active in our lives.

III. There are boundaries to God’s responseto prayer.

A. The Kingdom and the well-being of allhumankind.

B. God gives what is good for God’s children.

C. God is loving parent, not a wizard.

Conclusion: God’s responses to our prayersmay be beyond what we can understand,but by faith we know that God alwaysresponds in a way that offers both graceand hope for the future.

Offer IllustrationHow can I help learners think about the issues?

❍ Asking for the Right ThingsMimi Rumpp stopped praying for awinning lottery ticket years ago. With ahusband, two kids and a full-time job, shedidn’t have time for trivial pursuits. Butafter a doctor told her sister Miki last yearthat she needed a kidney transplant, thefamily began praying for a donor. This,Mimi thought, was a prize worth prayingfor. Less than a year later, Miki has a newkidney, courtesy of a bank teller in Napa,California, to whom she had told herstory. The teller was the donor; she was somoved by Miki’s plight she had herselftested and discovered she was a perfectmatch. Coincidence? Luck? Divine inter-vention? Rumpp is sure: “It was amiracle.” (Woodward, 57)

Questions➤ What is the difference between praying

for a winning lottery ticket and prayingfor a kidney donor?

➤ How do you discern what you “need?”➤ What do you think God considers our

“needs?”

❍ Images of God Affect Prayer“I see God as this thing I always pray tofor survival—whether on airplanes, longdrives or in the middle of the night whenI’m working late, whenever I needstrength or extra support. I don’t have aphysical image all the time—I mean, God’severywhere—but that’s who God is to me.”

—Jennifer, 28

“Sometimes when I pray, I see God as apair of big, comforting hands. SometimesI think of Him as a feeling—like crawlinginto my dad’s lap and feeling completelysafe, like I did when I was six.”

—Carla, 26

“I know this sounds weird—but wheneverI pray, I just see God as a big fluffy cloud.Go figure.”

—Sarah, 20(Bibeau, 36)

Questions➤ What image of God do you invision

when you pray?➤ How does your image of God affect the

way you pray?➤ What images of God might encourage

your prayer life?

Teaching Guide 15


Carl Sagan, the famous scientist, author,and television personality died inDecember 1996. He was only sixty-twoyears old. Sagan was an agnostic whoscorned prayer. “Does God need to bereminded that someone is sick...or doeshe know, but he won’t do anything aboutit unless someone else asks him to?” werequestions he asked believing friends whoprayed for him. (Adler, 65)

Questions➤ Should Christians pray for such

skeptics?➤ How would you respond to a friend

who exhibited this attitude?➤ What in our study of Jesus’ prayer life

addresses such questions?

Reviewing the three views of God offeredin the “Offer Illustrations” section above,discuss what kind of prayer life you thinkJennifer, Carla, and Sarah have. Discussperceptions of God in your group andhow they are reflected in prayer experi-ence.

QuestionsQuestions about Scripture➤ Who was “shameless” in the parable?➤ How might our sophistication hinder

our prayer lives?➤ Who is inconvenienced in the story?Questions for All Adults➤ In the society of Jesus’ day, what is

significant about the request for bread?➤ Considering vv. 9-13, how might you

explain why all requests in prayer byfaithful Christians are not granted?

➤ In today’s passage, what is implied inthe gift of the Holy Spirit?

Questions for Mature Adults➤ How do you pray for adult children

who are not believers?➤ When have you experienced answered

prayer?➤ How do you respond when you ask and

seek, but do not receive?Questions for Younger Adults➤ How do you pray about vocational and

business matters?➤ How do you determine the difference

between “needs” and “wants” when youpray?

➤ Is it easier for you to pray to God asfriend or father?

Questions for Adults with Children➤ How do you pray for your children?

What do you seek on their behalf?➤ What are your children learning about

prayer at church?➤ How do you teach your children about

God and God’s role in their everydaylife experiences?

➤ How do you deal with your children’swants?

16 Lesson 3


Ask the members of your class to formtwo groups. Ask the first group to para-phrase the Luke 11: 5-8 parable incontemporary language. Ask them toconsider who our friends are and whatkind of emergencies might evoke amidnight call. Ask the second group toparaphrase verses 9-13, employingmodern images.

Then ask the large group to make a list ofthings for which people commonly pray,or to list things for which people ofdifferent age groups (children, youngeradults, older adults) commonly pray.Write the responses on the board. Thenask the group to distinguish betweenneeds and wants from the list.

❍ Public PrayersDiscuss public prayer such as pastoralprayers and invocations at public events.What is considered an “appropriate”content for such prayers? Is a publicprayer constructed any differently than apersonal prayer? As a group project,construct a pastoral prayer for yourchurch. The following prayer of PeterMarshall might be helpful in thinkingabout the nature of a pastoral prayer onbehalf of a congregation:

Our Father, we are beginning tounderstand at last that the things thatare wrong with our world are the sumtotal of all the things that are wrongwith us as individuals. Thou hastmade us after Thine image, and ourhearts can find no rest until they restin Thee. We are too Christian really toenjoy sinning and too fond of sinningreally to enjoy Christianity. Most ofus know perfectly well what we oughtto do; our trouble is that we do notwant to do it. Thy help is our onlyhope. Make us want to do what isright, and give us the ability to do it.

ClosureClose with a time of prayer. Allow everymember of the group an opportunity toshare a prayer concern. Include in theprayer time a period of silence when eachperson may speak to God about issues sheor he does not want to voice aloud in thegroup.

Teaching Guide 17

Find RelevanceWhy do adults care about thissession? Most people experi-

ence times in their lives whenthey feel all alone. Some people

experience this loneliness when they mustdeal with the loss of job, home, health, ora loved one. Jesus had to deal with physi-cal pain, emotional despair, abandonmentby friends, and a sense of spiritual isola-tion. Because of his experiences, Jesusunderstands when we feel all alone in theworld. The causes of this emotion aremyriad, but in today’s parable, for thiswidow, the cause is injustice. She waswronged and there was seemingly no oneto help her. That kind of isolation is bothfrightening and difficult to handle.

At some point in life, we all experiencewhat we believe to be an injustice. Someexperiences are minor and have only asmall effect on who we are and how weview life. But other experiences of injus-tice can affect every aspect of a person’slife. Though we are called to fight againstinjustice in our world, the truth is thatnot all injustice is remedied in this life.Even Jesus failed to receive justice fromthe courts he faced in this week’sScripture. One lesson of this parable isthat there is a higher court with a right-eous judge who hears the cries of thedowntrodden and responds with care andlove and not out of necessity or conven-ience. Our prayers are not to one who

hears us begrudgingly, only out of self-interest. Our prayers are heard by ourheavenly Lord, the very Creator who caresfor us and hears our cries.

Seek UnderstandingWhat do these Scriptures mean? This

passage implies a comparisonbetween the world as it is and

the world as it is becoming inChrist. Jesus asks, “When the Son

of Man comes there will be justice, butwill there be faith?” (18:8 paraphrased).Jesus wants to be sure that no one missesthe point, he encourages his followersthat they should “always pray and not giveup” (18:1). This teaching was radical infor the early first-century world. God wasviewed by the religious leaders of the dayas holy and removed from humankind.Only the high priest could enter God’spresence (the Holy of Holies) in theTemple. To proclaim that anyone couldenter God’s presence, like the widowbefore the judge, would be heard as sacri-legious. According to the priests, a personshould enter God’s presence in prayeronly during the times assigned by reli-gious law: three times a day. Any less wasto tempt the wrath of God. Any morecould bring about God’s anger. Theassumption in this thinking is clear: Godexpects our obedience but has too muchto do to hear our concerns.Jesus, on the other hand, teaches thatturning to God in prayer, especially in a


PRAY

ALWAYSLuke 18:1-8

4

Teaching Guide 19

time of distress, is an entirely appropriateaction. The unfair arbiter in the parabletried to ignore the needy petitioner, butthe righteous God seeks the lonely anddispirited to offer comfort and hope. Infact, Jesus seems to assume a depth ofrelationship between the petitioner andGod that is completely absent in the inter-action between the parable’s characters.Jesus calls his disciples to continualprayer driven by a faith that knows Godhears, cares, and will respond.

Prayer is also a constant reminder thatthe Kingdom of God is both now and inthe future. The reign of God has begun inthe lives of believers but, at the same time,is not yet fully established on earth.Someone has suggested that being aChristian in the world is like livingbehind enemy lines. Following thisanalogy, our survival is dependent onkeeping in touch with home base and thegeneral command.

ResourcesDonald Coggan, The Prayers of the New Testament(London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1967).






James M.Washington, ed. A Testament of Hope:TheEssential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. (New York:Harper & Row, 1986).

My Teaching Plan

I. The judge…A. Did not fear God.B. Did not respect people.C. Did not want to be bothered.D. Did the right thing for the wrong

reason.II. The widow…

A. Was powerless in her society.B. Felt she had been treated unjustly.C. Refused to abandon her cause even

when it seemed hopeless.D. Received justice.

III. God…A. Will grant justice.B. Will not delay.C. The Son of Man will come.

Offer IllustrationHow can I help learners think about the issues?

❍ Pray for Justice“Even though convicted, we will not retal-iate with hate, but will still stand withlove in our hearts, and stand resistinginjustice, with the same determinationwith which we started out. We need agreat deal of encouragement in this move-ment. Of course one thing that we aredepending on, from not only othercommunities but from our own commu-nity, is prayer. We ask people everywhereto pray that God will guide us, pray thatjustice will be done and that righteous-ness will stand. And I think through theseprayers we will be strengthened; it willmake us feel the unity of the nation andthe presence of Almighty God. For as wesaid all along, this is a spiritual move-ment.” (Washington, 84)

Ask the group, What assumption is Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. making aboutprayer in the above statement? Then askyour class members to consider whethertheir personal beliefs about prayer wouldallow them to make such a statement asthis one and believe that it would happenin this way. Ask if their prayer life isconsistent with what they believe. Talkabout why or why not.

❍ Do It Yourself!I once saw a cartoon that had in the firstbox a person kneeling before an altar anda stained-glass window. The person wasdepicted as saying, “O Lord, heal the divi-sion between the races and teach us to livetogether in peace.” The scene wasunchanged in the next two blocks withsimilar words imploring God to do some-thing about poverty in one and war in theother. The final block showed the prayerin the rabble of the altar as a lightningbolt had crashed through the window andshattered all the religious trappings.Supposedly a word from God, the speechin the final balloon was in bold type: “Doit yourself, you clod!” When we pray forsolutions to the world’s problems, shouldwe not offer ourselves as God’s instru-ments by whom the prayers may befulfilled? The widow pursued the judgeand righteousness. Prayer and action arenot opposites but should be as interde-pendent as a car’s engine and its wheels.

20 Lesson 4


Luke explains that Jesus told this parablein order that we might not “lose heart.”Giving up on prayer is often giving up onourselves, not believing that God canwork with us, in us, and through us. Weshould stake our lives on our prayers,trusting God for the outcome. Ourrepeated prayers on behalf of someonewho is not a Christian keep us open toways in which we may be used of God tolead this person to Christ.

Spend a few minutes discussing with thegroup what prayer changes: God, us, thesituation, or all three? Why should we notlose heart (faith) and keep on prayingwhen our prayers seem unanswered?

QuestionsQuestions about Scripture➤ How are the events preceding (17:20-

37) and following (18:9-14) this week’sScripture related to the telling of thisparable?

➤ Was the judge just? Why or why not?➤ God’s help for the oppressed often

comes more slowly than we would like.How do we deal with the delay?

Questions for All Adults➤ Why might the early church have been

in danger of losing heart?➤ Who might the early Christians have

identified as the judge and the widow?➤ How should the idea of the coming of

the Son of Man affect the way we pray?➤ Who are the widows and judges of our

day?Questions for Mature Adults➤ Have you ever felt like the widow in the

parable? Who was your judge?➤ About what matters have you been

persistent in prayer? Are you in dangerof losing heart?

➤ Has your experience in prayer over theyears inspired you to pray more orinfluenced you to pray less? How?

➤ How important is prayer in your life?What can you do to enhance its posi-tion and effectiveness for you?

Questions for Younger Adults➤ What contemporary religious figures

claim to speak for God and act like thejudge in the parable?

➤ Why might someone avoid praying forjustice?

➤ Who are the “widows” in your church?How do you pray for them? How isaction linked to your prayers?

Questions for Adults with Children➤ How do you teach your children about

widows and judges (like those in theparable) who live in our world?

➤ In what ways do your family prayersraise social consciousness?

➤ How well can your children understandthis parable without being aware ofoppression and injustice in society?How can you help make them aware ofsocial injustice?

Teaching Guide 21

22 Lesson 4


❍ Pray for the HeadlinesBring three front-page headlines fromyour local newspaper. Display them foreveryone to see. Briefly summarize thearticles enough for everyone to have anidea of the issues to be discussed. Ask thelarge group to discuss what they couldspecifically pray for each of these issues.Then ask the class to form into threesmaller groups. Give each group one ofthe headlines, and ask them to pray forthat issue. Allow the groups about fiveminutes for prayer. At the conclusion ofthe prayer time, have the large groupreassemble and ask: “Now that you haveprayed for these issues, what do youexpect to happen?” Encourage large groupdiscussion about how God might respondto their prayers and how they can bemoved to action by their prayers.Consider the relationship between whatwe ask for in prayer and what God expectsus to do.

❍ Answered PrayerAsk the group if anyone is willing to sharea personal experience in which God hasanswered a prayer. Ask the person how heor she prayed and what was expectedwhen the prayer was offered. Similarly,ask for someone to share an experience inwhich a prayer was offered and an answerwas seemingly never received. Ask thisperson how he or she prayed and whatwas expected when the prayer was offered.Then discuss how our faith is affected byanswered and seemingly unansweredprayer.

❍ Further StudyAsk the class to form two groups. Haveone group read Luke 17:20-37 and theother Luke 18:9-14. Ask both to report onthe relationship of their respectivepassages to our focus passage. Consider

how these two passages enlarge ourunderstanding of prayer and if they followthe meaning in today’s parable: “Pray anddo not lose heart.”

ClosureOption 1Ask everyone to close their eyes and, in aspirit of prayer, to visualize God. Inviteeach to imagine how God looks. Allowtime for silent prayer, asking each personto let the image of God they have visual-ized help them better understand theirrelationship with God. Have each personpray about the matters in their lives thatmost concern them. Ask them to pray alsofor someone in the church they believe tobe in need. Ask them to pray for justice inyour community for a particular person orgroup.

Option 2Have the group name ways of praying. Listprayer possibilities on the board. If thegroup has trouble starting, remind themthat Jesus thought of prayer as relation-ship with God. Ask them how they wouldbuild relationship with anyone else suchas through: conversation, working on ajoint project, running together, sharing aquiet moment listening, painting apicture for someone. When the list iscomplete, challenge the members of yourgroup to explore at least two of the waysmentioned that they have never tried.Close in prayer, asking God to help in thisnew prayer endeavor.

Find RelevanceWhy do adults care about thissession? The incarnation is an

essential Christian belief. InJesus, God became one of us. Jesus

experienced humanity in its fullness.Nowhere is his identification with usmore obvious than on the cross. Everyhuman being must face disappointmentin institutions and people, pain, and ulti-mately death. Jesus knew what it was liketo suffer emotionally, physically, and spir-itually. Each of us will, at some point,know some of what he suffered on thecross. Richard Foster argues that the expe-rience of Jesus was a universal one in thesense of isolation and pain.

Jesus’ experience on the cross was, ofcourse, utterly unique and unrepeat-able, for he was taking into himselfthe sin of the world. But in our ownway you and I will pray this Prayer ofthe Forsaken if we seek the intimacyof perpetual communion with theFather. Times of seeming desertionand absence and abandonmentappear to be universal among thosewho have walked this path of faithbefore us. We might just as well getused to the idea that, sooner or later,we, too, will know what it means tofeel forsaken by God. (Foster, 17)

The experience of the cross probablybrought out some of Jesus’ greatest fears.

His prayer in the garden, in particular,shows his deep despair over what wasabout to occur. Prayer, however, was aresource for Jesus at his moment of great-est despair as it should be for all believers.

One of the more difficult aspects ofprayer is seemingly unanswered prayer.Individually and corporately we havemade requests that were not granted.Sometimes God does us a favor by notgranting our foolish requests. In Jesus’prayer in the garden, we see an example ofGod’s awareness of the higher good forboth ourselves and creation as a whole.Our prayers, like those of Jesus, shouldinclude an expression of willingness toyield to God’s plan.

Seek UnderstandingWhat do these Scripturesmean? Jesus was the Son

made perfect through obedi-ence. In the garden, during the

most critical moment of his life, hesurrendered himself completely to God.He was confident that God cared for himbut he was prepared to finish his mission.He sought the mind of the Father and thestrength to be faithful. Prayer is a meansof uniting one’s will with the will of God.

On the cross, we see the strength of Jesus’faith in God. Through both his physicaland emotional pain, he thought of others


PRAYER IN

CRISISLuke 22:39-46; 23:34, 465

24 Lesson 5

and prayed for them. The text challengesus to pray for our enemies even when theyare causing us pain. In death, as he had inlife, Jesus committed his all to the safe-keeping of a loving God.

ResourcesRaymond E. Brown, The Death of the Messiah: FromGethsemane to the Grave, 2 vols. (New York:The AnchorBible Reference Library, 1994).


Clyde Fant, Jr. and William M. Pinson, Jr., 20 Centuries ofGreat Preaching, vol. 9 (Dallas:Word Publishers, 1995).

Fred L. Fisher, Prayer in the New Testament (Philadelphia:The Westminster Press, 1954).

Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home(San Francisco: Harper, 1992).


E. Frank Tupper, A Scandalous Providence:The Jesus Storyof the Compassion of God (Macon GA: MercerUniversity Press, 1995).

My Teaching Plan

Significant to this story is the relationshipbetween Jesus’ obvious fear at what isabout to happen and his concern for God’swill to be done. Jesus’ unwavering faith is astriking contrast to his clearly human fearsexpressed in the garden.I. Scene One—The Mount of Olives

A. The disciples follow him but cannotstay awake.

B. Jesus goes to a familiar place.C. Jesus moves to a quiet place.D. Jesus prays…

1. For the disciples.2. For himself.3. For the will of God.

E. Jesus is strengthened by an angel.II. Scene Two—The Cross

A. Jesus prays…1. Not for himself.2. Offers forgiveness for those who

crucify him.B. Jesus is dishonored by the removal and

bartering of his clothing.C. Jesus commends his spirit to the

Father.

Conclusion: Jesus’ prayer for those who arekilling him and their lack of understandingbrings full circle Jesus’ concerns for peopleand his faith in God. For Jesus, even deathis bearable because of his trust in God.


❍ Effective Unanswered Prayer“Adoniram Judson, Massachusetts-bornmissionary of the last century, prayed tobe sent to India, but he was compelled bycircumstances to go to Burma. He prayedfor his wife’s life, but buried her and theirtwo children. He prayed for release from aBurma prison, but was kept there eleventerrible months, chained and miserable.The missionary’s petitions were notanswered, but God answered the man.Judson rendered immeasurable service tothe Kingdom of God in Burma, and hisBurmese-English dictionary is a monu-ment to fine scholarship. This is whatJudson wrote on the subject of prayer: ‘Inever prayed sincerely and earnestly foranything but it came...no matter at howdistant a day. Somehow, in some shape—probably the last that I should havedevised—it came.’ How wonderfully theman was answered!”(Fisher, 146-147)

Questions➤ How does answered prayer affect your

faith?➤ How does seemingly unanswered

prayer affect your faith?➤ Someone once said that their major

frustration with God was that Godworks too slowly. How might the disci-pline of patience positively affect ourprayer life?

❍ Prayer As a Last ResourceHarry Emerson Fosdick was one of thegreatest preachers of the twentiethcentury. In his last year in seminary, hesuffered an emotional breakdown thatresulted in a new understanding of God,prayer and self. He wrote about the expe-rience as follows:

This whole horrid experience was oneof the most important factors in mypreparation for the ministry. For thefirst time in my life, I faced, at mywit’s end, a situation too much for meto handle. I went down into thedepths where self-confidence becomesludicrous. There the technique I hadhabitually relied upon—marshalingmy wit and my volition and goingstrenuously after what I wanted—petered completely out. The harder Istruggled, the worse I was. It was whatI did the struggling with that was sick.I, who had thought myself strong,found myself beaten, unable to copenot only with outward circumstancesbut even with myself. In that experi-ence I learned some things aboutreligion that theological seminariesdo not teach. I learned to pray, notbecause I had adequately argued outprayer’s rationality, but because Idesperately needed help from a Powergreater than my own. I learned thatGod, much more than a theologicalproposition, is an immediately avail-able Resource; that just as around ourbodies is a physical universe fromwhich we draw all our physical energy,so around our spirits is a spiritualPresence in living communion withwhom we can find sustainingstrength. (Fant and Pinson, 6-7)

Teaching Guide 25


The question is sometimes asked, “DoesGod play favorites?” It seems a reasonablequestion based on various biblical storiesand our own experiences with God. Butanyone who attempts to deal with thisquestion must also ask what it means tobe one of God’s favorites. Read 2Corinthians 12:8-10 and compare thisprayer experience of Paul’s with Jesus’ inthe garden. What do these two experi-ences of two of God’s favorites teach usabout prayer?

QuestionsQuestions about Scripture➤ What is implied in the phrase “as was

his custom?”➤ For what did Jesus ask the disciples to

pray?➤ What did Luke mean when he wrote

that they were sleeping “because ofgrief?”

Questions for All Adults➤ Have you had an experience where your

ability to stay awake and pray washindered by grief?

➤ Of the three prayers included in today’ssession text, which would be most diffi-cult for you to pray?

➤ How can you pray “if you are willing”and mean it?

Questions for Mature Adults➤ What customs for prayer have you

developed?➤ When faced with a crisis, how has

prayer strengthened and sustained you?➤ When have you felt your friends had

fallen asleep and could not understandyour burden?

➤ Do you pray for anyone the way Jesusprayed for the disciples in the garden?

Questions for Younger Adults➤ When you are in crisis or facing a diffi-

cult decision, where does prayer rank in

your list of resources for support andcounsel? What resources do you putahead of prayer?

➤ How might talking about your painwith others who are suffering from thesame troubles help both you andothers?

➤ What would you say to skepticalfriends who questioned the effective-ness of prayer?

Questions for Adults with Children➤ How do you teach children the limits of

prayer?➤ What would you say to children who

pray that someone will be healed andthe person dies?

➤ When our society stresses competitionand winning, how can you teach chil-dren to follow Jesus’ example ofpraying for forgiveness for those whohad put him on the cross?

➤ Can you teach children that non-Christians fully understand what theyare doing when they behave in unchris-tian ways? How?

26 Lesson 5


❍ Responses to PrayerFrom today’s passages, identify peoplewho stood around the cross. Ask severalpeople from your group to role-play acharacter from the passages and theirresponse to the prayers of Jesus. Considerrole-playing weeping followers, mockers,and those like the centurion in Luke23:47. After the role-plays, ask groupmembers to identify “despisers of reli-gion” in their circles of contact. Ask howthese people might be affected by ourprayer practices.

❍ Learning DiscernmentAsk the group to consider people over thepast few years who have claimed to be amessiah (for example: David Koresh, JimJones). Many people scoffed at their selfproclamations of being sent by God orhaving a message from God. A majority ofpeople easily disregarded these people asfake. Might the citizens of the first-century world have seen Jesus in a similarway? How can we tell the differencebetween someone from God and someoneon a mission for themselves?

ClosureBriefly review the focus of the sessions inthis series on prayer in the life of Jesus.Ask the group if they can identify onehelpful lesson from each session. Ask ifthis series has altered in any way theirunderstanding of Jesus and his relation-ship to God. Ask what practical lessonsfor personal prayer they have learned.

End the session by saying or singing theLord’s Prayer in unison.

Teaching Guide 27

prayer life of jesus tg - smyth & helwys books · jesus was also tested. through prayer, jesus...

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