Private, not public, prayers parallel Christ’s teachings

The contemporaries of Jesus did not like what Jesus had to say about public prayers. I doubt if many people want to hear what Jesus has to say about prayer in the 21st century.

The core of the teaching of Jesus about prayer is found in chapter 6 of the Matthew gospel. As recorded by the Matthew writer, Jesus began his short treatise by denouncing the prayers that were so much a part of public religious life. He called the people, who did public prayers, hypocrites. He instructed people, if they were serious about communicating with the almighty, to go home and pray in the privacy of their closet.

Reports of Jesus praying are very sparse. There is no report of him ever having a prayer meeting with his disciples. His work with his disciples and with the crowds that followed him was characterized by teaching, not praying. The writers of the Jesus story represent him as leaving the crowds and his disciples and withdrawing to the hills for private prayer. At the time prior to his betrayal and trial, he went to the Garden of Gethsemane and told his disciples to leave him alone so that he could pray.

The recollection of the early church was of a Jesus who was a teacher and a healer. His followers did not think of him as a practitioner of public prayer.

There is one very long Jesus prayer that is reported by the John writer. In John chapter 17 Jesus is reported to be all alone and to pray a long plea for the unity of his followers. The prayer was written two full generations after the death of Jesus and reflects the fragmentation of churches at the end of the first century CE. John did not report a Jesus prayer. He wrote a theological treatise about the unity of the church and put them in the mouth of Jesus in the form of a prayer.

In the light of the teachings of Jesus, I confess that I am embarrassed by the public prayer practices of many Christians.

How many times have I seen a devout family in a public restaurant pause and a family member gives an audible prayer before eating? What are they doing? If they are truly thankful, God already knows. Do they want others in the restaurant to take note of their public devotion? That is the point of the Jesus critique. Our religious practices are not for public show!

The tradition of many groups starting their meetings with a prayer is another case in point. Rotary? Kiwanis? Lions Club? Even political gatherings and legislative sessions are plagued by the curse of public prayers. These public displays of religiosity have nothing to do with sincere faith. In fact they are an embarrassment to sensitive followers of Jesus.

Of special note is the complaint about the absence of prayer in public schools. Some well-meaning Christians feel that verbal, public prayer should be an essential part of public school life. They are tireless in seeking to restore praying in public schools. They should check their Jesus play book.

Our courts on every level have agreed that non-required courses on religious subjects can be legally taught in public schools. Such courses are a legitimate part of education. The same courts have consistently ruled that public schools are off limits when it come to verbal, public praying. Incredibly this is one that the courts are getting right, and people who claim to follow Jesus have it wrong.

I grew up in a small Midwestern town. Almost every church had a midweek prayer service on Wednesday evening. My family attended them with regularity. Add the numerous ministerial prayer meetings that I have attended and I can lay claim to attending my full share of prayer meetings. I have heard a lot of holy moaning and groaning. I strongly suspect that the words uttered bounced right off the ceiling.

The gospel records are quite clear. Jesus was a person who cultivated his prayer life. His ongoing conversation with his heavenly father was very important. The instructions that he left are very clear. Over and over, we choose to ignore his instructions.

The key words of Jesus’ teaching about prayer are these that are found in verse 6 of chapter 6 of the Matthew gospel. “Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father, who is in secret, and your father who sees you in secret will reward you.”

It was good advice to the disciples of Jesus and is still good for his followers today.

The Rev. Howard Bess is pastor of Church of the Covenant, and American Baptist church in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.