Leader’s Notes
Living the Lord’s Prayer
Week 4 "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts and we forgive our debtors." Welcome & Prayer Allow class to gather and have fellowship. By 10:00am at the latest, convene everyone for general announcements and attendance. o Be sure to introduce yourself to the class. If guests are present, it would be appropriate to go around and have everyone introduce themselves (just names for brevity). Remind everyone about the First in Focus series and how it works. For instance: o “First in Focus is a special six-week Sunday School series designed to generate churchwide conversations around important topics in Christian faith and theology. In weeks 1 and 6, all participants gather for a lecture in Fifield Hall. In weeks 2-5, participants meet in their individual Sunday School classes to explore the topic further with the help of a curriculum.” o “This is week 4 and in it we’ll be exploring the first two "we" petitions in the prayer focused on requesting daily bread and forgiveness.” Lead class in a brief prayer. o Given the subject of this series, you may wish to start with the Lord’s Prayer itself. Introduction Handout this week’s curriculum (printed copies are available in the classroom). o Please note that e-book versions of the participant’s guide are also available on the web at: https://firstpresatl.org/livingthelordsprayer/ Read, or have someone else in the class read, the Introduction, which can be found on the front cover of the Participant’s Guide Then read, or have someone else in the class read, the conversation starter. o For sake of time, you may wish to skip this question and start with the content on the next page. I. “Our Daily Bread" Background: The first "we" petition in the Lord's prayer is a request for "daily bread." This petition is unusual in Jewish prayers of the time. Since this is a fairly unique feature of the Lord's Prayer and scholars have little to compare with it, interpreters have been split on how best to understand this line. Read, or have someone else read, the opening text. Assign the three Biblical texts to three people. Have them read each individually and explore the questions given: o "Bread": the Greek word in the Lord's Prayer used indicates the bread that one eats (artos) o This word is used to describe actual bread (e.g. we might imagine "Wonderbread"), symbolic food (e.g. bread means the access to nutrition more generally), and as divine nourishment (e.g. Jesus as the "bread of heaven").
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Leader’s Notes
Living the Lord’s Prayer
Read, or have someone else read, the next block of text that describes the possible translations of "daily" Invite the class to discuss the merits and risks of these translations o REMEMBER: all five are real possibilities. The prayer may even be understood as alluding to several of these translations at once. For instance, the gospel of Matthew is known for its "double entendres" which present two truths within language that has dual meaning and can be validly translated in multiple ways. o Of these options - Which do they prefer? Which do they find less convincing?
Read the next block of text. o While we traditionally recite the Lord's Prayer as "Give us today our daily bread," the evidence leans toward the early Christian understanding as option #4. In a society rife with food instability, a constant food supply could not be assumed. o That said, it is likely that this line contains layers of meaning of which one is physical food and which also points to symbolic images of nourishment. o While most of us do not have direct experience of famine, famines do still occur in our world. Famines are frequently referenced in the Old Testament, for instance: Gen 12:10, Gen 26:1, Gen 41:57, Ruth 1:1, 2 Sam 21:1, 1 Kgs 18:2, 2 Kgs 4:38. o William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas in Lord, Teach Us, note: "Most of us perish from too much bread rather than too little, filling the gnawing emptiness within through ceaseless consumption." (p. 75).
Discussion Question #2 o Have the class suggest other language for this line of the prayer – for those with stable food sources. o Two correctives to consider: We might pray "Give us this day our daily bread" with our hungry brothers and sisters in mind. This reorients us to the real need for physical nourishment in our world. It also invites us to consider how we might be part of alleviating hunger. We also might pray "Give us this day our daily bread" in a way that recognizes that this petition is not for a new car, a nicer home, or some marker of status or belonging. We petition God for what we need and only as much as we need for the day.
II. “and Forgive us…” Background: ` The second "we" petition of the Lord's Prayer is a request for forgiveness. The importance of repentance and forgiveness is a key teaching of Jesus. The forgiveness described in the Lord's Prayer has two parts: our forgiveness of others and God's forgiveness of us. Both are in view in this prayer. Read the first block of text. Read or have someone else read the first scripture and questions o Luke 6:32-37 addresses being merciful to others. While this teaching is not specifically about forgiveness, it connects human mercy to God's mercy. o Matthew 18: Jesus says one should forgive seventy-times-seven. This statement is best interpreted as a figure of speech similar to "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times…" Seven is a symbolic number in Jewish tradition that indicates completeness (e.g. seven days of creation). We might understand this encounter as Jesus challenging Peter 2
Leader’s Notes
Living the Lord’s Prayer
to forgive until that forgiveness is "completely complete" or, say differently, until all is forgiven.
Read or have someone else read the second block of text. o Both Luke and Matthew use the Greek verb aphesis in their Lord's Prayers which can mean "forgive" as well as "release." o Luke uniquely includes the word hamartia ("Forgive us our sins") which means "sins" where Matthew uses the word opheilemata ("Forgive us our debts") which means debts. o Why do Matthew and Luke differ? Matthew is written for an Aramaic-speaking audience. In Aramaic, the word for monetary debts and sins is the same word. Linguistically, these are very closely related for Aramaic speakers and the play on words would have been understood. Luke is written for a Greek-speaking audience. In Greek, no such connection exists between debts and sins. Luke's use of hamartia would have been more understandable to his audience. o What about "trespasses"? The word trespasses is found in Matthew 6:14-15 in a proverb that is connected to, but follows, the Lord's Prayer. Matthew reiterates the connection between human forgiveness and God's forgiveness: "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. The Book of Common Prayer also used trespasses. As a result, many Catholics and Protestants use "trespasses" in their prayer. Why is "trespasses" preferred by some instead of "debts" or "sins"? It is possible that early English translators found "trespass" to be better analog to "sin" in their context. One scholar writes: "To forgive trespasses is therefore to forgive offenses of a wide and inclusive range." (Nicolas Ayo C.S.C., The Lord's Prayer: A Survey Theological and Literary, 1992) o The value of forgiveness to Christian living George Herbert (a Christian writer) says, "He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for every one has need to be forgiven." Christian forgiveness is a response to our being forgiven by God. Forgiveness is an intentional act of mercy that mirrors God's intentional mercy toward us. In this way, juxtaposing forgiveness of "debts" with forgiveness of sins is helpful. To forgive a debt, one must absorb the loss and clear the books such that no further payment is due. Forgiving a sin requires similar action to acknowledge the wrong done, move past it, and clear the grudge.
Final Discussion: Read Deuteronomy 15:1-2 o Share and Pair: have each class member turn to a partner to discuss the two questions. o After 3-4 mins, regroup and ask for a few volunteers to share what they discussed with the whole class.
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