{"id":4526,"date":"2017-12-06T10:49:24","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T16:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thewaywesee.com\/religiondetoxnetwork\/?page_id=4526"},"modified":"2024-05-14T14:48:40","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T19:48:40","slug":"prayer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thewaywesee.com\/religiondetoxnetwork\/mystery\/symbols-signs-types-copies-shadows-and-patterns\/prayer","title":{"rendered":"Prayer ***"},"content":{"rendered":"

INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT PRAYER<\/strong>
\nChristians claim to be followers of Jesus. When we examine their lives, however, these claims are empty.\u00a0 Actually, according to recent research, they are more like Pharisaical Jews than like Jesus. <\/a>Anyone who doubts this research only needs to look at Jesus’ teachings and practices about prayer where they will find that they are not like him at all and do not follow his teachings — including teachings about prayer. Jews make no claims to be like Jesus so they are not hypocrites but they still are Pharisaical in all of their religious activities because their religious emphasis is on obedience to religious rules<\/a> in public view<\/a>. These practices for both Jews and Christians violently contradict Jesus’ teachings on prayer as seen in this scripture:<\/p>\n

Matthew 6:5-9<\/a>\u00a0 “But you, when you pray,\u00a0go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: This verse reinforces the private, even secret nature of prayer that God affirms and rewards. Unfortunately, most people wrongly interpret the secret inner room (verse 6 in the NASB)<\/a> as a physical room which many intercessors like to call their prayer closet<\/a>. Applying their rigid literal interpretation skills, they miss the symbolism of inner room or closet as the heart where they speak to God with spiritual words<\/a> that only God can hear. It is only this kind of internal, spiritual prayer that qualifies as praying without ceasing and praying in the spirit <\/a>which has been wrongly interpreted to be some sort of babbling prayer language for which Pentecostals and Charismatics are known.<\/a> See Tongues<\/a> for criticism of this phenomenon.<\/p>\n

Some people who do pray in secret still violate this principle by forecasting to others that they will pray for them or by reporting after the fact that they have been praying for them. They cannot be trusted to keep a secret between themselves and God. They are compelled to tell others about their prayer life so that they can earn points for their religiosity.<\/p>\n

Despite the clear message in verses 5 and 6, religious Christians insist on praying in public and totally negate their claims to be followers of Jesus. It is unthinkable that Jesus, who chastised the Pharisees for their public prayer habits would violate his own principles of when, how and where to pray, but they have no trouble with such violations. See this link<\/a> for a review of Jesus’ teaching on prayer and his prayer habits.<\/p>\n

STUDY TIP: See General Conditions for Prayer<\/a> for more commentary on these verses.<\/p>\n

7 “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: People who pray in public are very likely to pray long, rambling prayers that touch on many subjects or explore the finest details of need within a specific subject. Their many words play well for others who are in the same public prayer setting, but God is not positively influenced by their recall of many prayer issues or their eloquence in asking him for help.<\/p>\n

Repetition of prayers from day to day or week to week also qualifies as “heaping up empty phrases.” Praying over and over for the same issue does not reflect faith that God will answer the prayer. Rather, repetition reflects trust in the prayer’s faithfulness to pray often as though God is looking for an unspecified quantity of prayer before he will answer.<\/p>\n

These words of Jesus have special application for people who practice praying in unknown tongues. Not only are the phrases empty but they are repetitious. The matter is made much worse when groups of tongue-talkers\/prayers do it together in loud voices. Religions that advocate such practices wrongly build names and reputations for themselves on these practices. Their rewards for such practices is recognition of men and women for their super-spirituality.<\/p>\n

STUDY TIP: See General Conditions for Prayer<\/a> for more commentary on these verses.<\/p>\n

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: How much clearer could Jesus be? Christians who pray in these ways proves that they are hypocrites because they do not obey what Jesus has commanded.<\/p>\n

This verse also explains why those kinds of prayers are unnecessary. God already knows what people need. With knowledge that God knows what people need, faith is exhibited more clearly by not praying than by praying.<\/p>\n

9 Pray then like this: See The Lord\u2019s Prayer<\/a> for a detailed explanation of this prayer.<\/p>\n

Matthew 6:16-21: <\/a>“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward<\/a> in full.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: At first glance this appears to be instruction about rules for fasting. It does, however, apply to all sorts of religious activity.<\/p>\n

The general rule here is that religious activity, of which fasting is only one kind and prayer is another, should not be conducted in ways that will be noticed by others. This rule places severe restrictions on all religious activity.<\/p>\n

Jesus says that the reward for such public, religious display is the attention and praise that it earns for the religious person. Saying that they have their reward in full means that they will receive no rewards from God for the religious things they do.<\/p>\n

See Sabbath, Fasting, and Rest<\/a> for understanding of what God means by fasting.<\/p>\n

<\/a>17<\/strong> “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face <\/span><\/span>18<\/strong> so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: This is another caution against public religious displays — including prayer. It says that the only one who should see your religious activity is God who sees what people do in secret. The secret place this is referring to is the spirit\/heart within people that only God can see because he alone knows what is in the hearts of men.<\/a><\/p>\n

19<\/strong> “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: Earthly treasures (i.e. pride<\/a>) are the rewards that religious people receive from other religious people who see them performing religious activities and honor them for the things they do. These rewards do not last.<\/p>\n

20<\/strong> “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: See Kingdom of God\/Heaven<\/a> for understanding of heaven. Since heaven is God’s dwelling place, and since God is spirit, treasures that last and cannot be stolen are purely spiritual treasures. They are otherwise known as the fruits of the spirit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

See Faith, Grace, Mercy, Peace, Love, Heart, Glory, Blessing, Spirit and Truth <\/a>for more about the fruits of the spirit that New Covenant disciples enjoy.<\/p>\n

21<\/strong> for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: The heart can be focused on either earthly, fleshly matters or on spiritual matters. Both are treasures of the heart. It is best, however, to value spiritual treasures rewarded by God that cannot be seen more than fleshly treasures rewarded by men that can be seen.<\/p>\n

From these scriptures and commentaries we see that public displays of all religious activity, including prayer, are not what God expects from his people. What he wants and expects, however, is quiet, invisible spiritual activity in the heart where only he can see it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

EXAMPLES OF JESUS PRAYING<\/strong>
\nKnowing what Jesus taught about prayer we should expect that his personal practice of prayer would be in alignment with his teachings. We can learn from the following scriptures:<\/p>\n

Matthew 11: 20-30:\u00a0<\/a> Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. <\/span>21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. <\/span><\/span>22 “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. <\/span><\/span>23 “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. <\/span><\/span>24 “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. <\/span><\/span>26 “Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. <\/span><\/span>27 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. <\/span><\/span>28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. <\/span><\/span>29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. <\/span><\/span>30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: At first glance, verses 25-26 appear to be a prayer. Upon closer inspection of the original Greek language, however, we see that they may only be part of Jesus’ teaching to his audience. We are able to make this judgment by reading only the highlighted words and overlooking the other words in black which are words that the Bible editors have chosen to insert to make the scripture more understandable. In doing this, however, they have made some assumptions that have the effect of making verses 25-26 read like a prayer rather than a simple statement about God.<\/p>\n

Matthew 26:36-46:<\/a>\u00a0 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”<\/p>\n

Mark 14:32-42:<\/a>\u00a0 They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 34 And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37 And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”<\/p>\n

Luke 22:39-46<\/a>: And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. 45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: Again this story would at first appear to be an example of Jesus not following his own teaching by allowing others to hear his prayer. Since he would not do that, we must look for an explanation that does not condemn what he did.<\/p>\n

The first thing we notice is that the location is on the Mount of Olives. While we tend to think of this and other proper place names as a unique geographical places, we should always look for symbolism in the names if we want to learn from the scripture. In this example, when mountain is in the name, it is a clue to us that<\/p>\n

The way we see it, Jesus satisfied the intent of his teachings about praying in secret by separating himself from his disciples. Apparently they still heard him pray, but that was not because of his failure to separate himself.<\/p>\n

Matthew 27:46:<\/a>\u00a0 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”<\/p>\n

Mark 15:34:<\/a> At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: Again this story at first appears to be an example of Jesus praying in public. The way we see it, this is not in fact a prayer but is a legitimate cry of pain and desperation. Jesus is not petitioning God for deliverance. He is only asking\u00a0 a question.<\/p>\n

Luke 10:21<\/a>: At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: The wise and intelligent are Old\/First covenant religionists who do not understand what it means to be a New Covenant disciple<\/a>. Infants, and children, on the other hand, are New Covenant<\/a> disciples that do understand.<\/p>\n

Luke 22:31-32:<\/a> “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: Here Jesus is reporting that he previously prayed for Simon. Normally we would say that reporting on prayers that have been made draws attention to the one who has prayed so that he\/she might be commended for their religiosity. In Jesus’ case, however, he does not need any commendation from people because his glory comes from God — not from people<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Luke 23:46<\/a>:\u00a0 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: This is not so much a prayer as it is a simple statement of resignation to God. It is worth reporting because it exemplifies a condition to which every person must come.<\/p>\n

John 11:41-42<\/a>:\u00a0 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: The way we see it, this is not so much a prayer as a teaching opportunity.<\/p>\n

John 12:27-28:<\/a> “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour ‘? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: This is not technically a prayer. Jesus is rhetorically asking his disciples if he should ask God to save him from his impending death. And he answers the question by saying in effect that he would not ask for deliverance because he came to die.<\/p>\n

We tend to consider that God’s voice coming out of heaven was an audible voice that could be heard by everyone in the vicinity. God does not speak with an audible voice. He speaks with a small voice <\/a>which is his spirit speaking to our hearts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

John 17:<\/a> Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. 6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 “Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9 “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12 “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. 14 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: As in other examples, this is not so much a prayer as an opportunity for Jesus to teach on important issues. He obviously is not telling God anything that God did not already know. So the benefit of what Jesus said is exclusively for the people. And as we said above, Jesus did not worry about others hearing him pray\/teach because he did nothing to bring glory to himself.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0PRAYING IN JESUS’ NAME<\/strong>
\nThe following scriptures have fueled the belief that any prayer that begins or ends with “in Jesus’ name” will be a powerful, effective prayer.<\/p>\n

John 14:13-14<\/a>: 13<\/strong> “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.<\/span> <\/span> 14<\/strong> “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

John 15:16<\/a>: “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

John 16:23-26<\/a>: “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.<\/span> <\/span> 24<\/strong> “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.<\/span> <\/span> 25<\/strong> “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.<\/span> <\/span> 26<\/strong> “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
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The problem with the belief that praying the literal words “in Jesus’ name” is effective is that it puts all the attention on the spoken words while ignoring the issue of faith without which it is impossible to please God or expect to have prayers answered.<\/a> Adding “in Jesus’ name” to a prayer is the equivalent of speaking a magic incantation where the power is in the words. If that is all that is required to receive an answer from God, anyone — even someone without faith — could do it. God would not allow himself to be manipulated like this.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

PRAYING AND BLESSING<\/strong>
\nIt is safe to say that the most common occasion for prayer is at mealtime. Christians follow Jesus’ lead by blessing the food before the meal<\/a>. Jews have a tradition of blessing God after a meal as commanded in Deuteronomy 8:10<\/a>. Here are examples of Jesus blessing food:<\/p>\n

Matthew 26:26:<\/a> While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: See Bread, Food, Wine and Oil<\/a> for understanding of the symbolic meaning of bread and eating bread. Also see this link for the spiritual meaning of giving a blessing.<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew 14:19:<\/a> Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds,<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: See this link<\/a> for understanding of the spiritual meaning of this miracle.<\/p>\n

Mark 6:41<\/a>: And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: See this link<\/a> for understanding of the spiritual meaning of this miracle.<\/p>\n

Luke 9:16:<\/a> Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: See this link<\/a> for understanding of the spiritual meaning of this miracle.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

WHERE JESUS PRAYED<\/strong>
\nGiven Jesus’ teachings about the private nature of prayer, we would expect that he would not pray in violation of those teachings. We find this to be true in the following reports of where Jesus prayed. We will not be able to understand the examples, however, unless we first understand the symbolism of mountains.<\/p>\n

Hebrews 9:24:<\/a>\u00a0 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: The holy<\/a> place is a clean, pure heart<\/a> which is also called the kingdom of God and heaven<\/a>. The “us” for whom Christs (i.e. messiahs) pray is people with evil, impure hearts<\/a>. The heart attitude (i.e. prayer) of messiahs is embodied in the Lord’s Prayer.<\/a><\/p>\n

See Kingdom of God\/Heaven<\/a> for understanding of heaven.<\/p>\n

Matthew 26:36-46:<\/a>\u00a0 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: Even on this occasion of extreme stress, Jesus did not pray with his disciples. This is not how religious people respond to times of stress. They usually want to hold a prayer meeting. This is not what Jesus did.<\/p>\n

Luke 22:39-46<\/a>: And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. 45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: Again this story told in Matthew 26:36-46<\/a> and Luke 22:39-46<\/a>: would at first appear to be an example of Jesus not following his own teaching by allowing others to hear him pray. Since he would not do that, we must look for an explanation that does not condemn what he did.<\/p>\n

The way we see it, Jesus satisfied the intent of his teachings about praying in secret by separating himself from his disciples. Apparently they still heard him pray, but that was not because of his failure to separate himself.<\/p>\n

Mark 1:35-36<\/a>: In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. 36 Simon and his companions searched for Him;<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: Jesus went out of his way to make sure that his friends could not find him praying. This contrasts with religious people who want other to know that they pray.<\/p>\n

Luke 9:18:<\/a> And it happened that while He was praying alone<\/a>, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: It seems to be a contradiction that Jesus could be praying alone<\/a> and that the disciples were with him. It is not a contradiction, however, if Jesus is praying in the spirit and not praying verbally. Because prayer is a heart attitude and not audible human words, it is possible to pray while being in the company of others.<\/p>\n

Luke 11:1: <\/a>It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: It is interesting to notice that the place in which Jesus prayed in this scripture is not specifically identified. The “certain place” is a symbolic reference to praying in the spirit (i.e. in his heart). In other words, the physical location in which he was praying was not important because he was praying in his spirit.<\/p>\n

John 6:15:<\/a> So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY:<\/p>\n

See this link for understanding of the mountain of God.<\/a><\/p>\n

Mark 6:46: <\/a>After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: See this link for understanding of the mountain of God.<\/a><\/p>\n

Luke 6:12-13<\/a>: It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: See comment above.<\/p>\n

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PRAYING IN THE HOLY PLACE<\/strong>
\nJews and Christians believe that religious buildings are the preferred locations for public prayer. This is wrong thinking. The kind of prayer God wants happens in hearts — not in buildings. Hebrews 9:1-25 explains:<\/a><\/p>\n

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1<\/strong> Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. <\/span>2<\/strong> For a tent was prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence; it is called the Holy Place. <\/span>3<\/strong> Behind the second curtain stood a tent called the Holy of Holies, <\/span>4<\/strong> having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, which contained a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; <\/span>5<\/strong> above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. <\/span><\/div>\n
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6<\/strong> These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the outer tent, performing their ritual duties; <\/span>7<\/strong> but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people. <\/span><\/div>\n
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8<\/strong> By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary is not yet opened as long as the outer tent is still standing <\/span>9<\/strong> (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, <\/span>10<\/strong> but deal only with food and drink and various ablutions, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. <\/span><\/div>\n
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11<\/strong> But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) <\/span>12<\/strong> he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. <\/span>13<\/strong> For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, <\/span>14<\/strong> how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. <\/span><\/div>\n
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15<\/strong> Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. <\/span><\/div>\n
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16<\/strong> For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. <\/span><\/div>\n
17<\/strong> For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. <\/span>18<\/strong> Hence even the first covenant was not ratified without blood. <\/span><\/div>\n
19<\/strong> For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, <\/span>20<\/strong> saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” <\/span><\/div>\n
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21<\/strong> And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. <\/span>22<\/strong> Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. <\/span>23<\/strong> Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. <\/span><\/div>\n
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24<\/strong> For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. <\/span><\/div>\n
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25<\/strong> Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own; <\/span>26<\/strong> for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. <\/span>27<\/strong> And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, <\/span>28<\/strong> so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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This is a complicated scripture to explain. The essential summary is this:<\/div>\n
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