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One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive
everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
- Luke 11-
It was the tradition of the Jews at the time for rabbi to teach young men Scripture, and from among them select the best to become fellow priests. These students would follow the rabbi around, hanging on his every word, and gleaning from experience all they could for the job that was soon to be theirs. These men were called disciples.
Jesus' disciples ask him, "Lord, teach us to pray," - a legitimate question from the men standing around Jesus with the expectation of becoming future priests. They simply want to know how to do their jobs, for at the time the carefully ordered prayer of a priest was significant in that prayer of priest was the connection between God and the people.
As it had always been since the time of Israel's conception and the building of the temple.
But their teacher replies with a simple, ineloquent verse:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us our daily bread.
And forgive our sins, as we forgive those indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.
At this point, Jesus starts into parable discussion about one of his disciples who needs something in the middle of the night and has to go wake a friend for help. You must imagine the disciples' confusion, for upon asking a occupational question they are given a picture of a rather odd domestic ruckus.
What is it that Jesus is trying to get his disciples to see? Is he vision-casting a priestly life of frequent midnight-cup-of-sugar runs; a life of forgetful hospitality? Well, no, this is probably not the case. His message to these students is this:
"You are asking what to say at the party, not who to stand by. This practice of prayer is not going to be as it was with the Levites, but a relationship between God and man for every person: I am soon cutting the strands of the temple and replacing it with personal communication."
He wants them to envision a world in which prayer is the everyday, constant breath and speech with God. His message hearkens back to the time of Adam, who walked and spoke with God in the garden in the cool of the day, face to face as if he were speaking to his neighbor. This is the reason for Jesus' story about the man visiting his neighbor for help. His story is exactly about prayer; not in what to say but who to talk to.
