Listen! The Messiah is Praying...

Intimate Portraits in Jesus' Prayers
by Lynn Reddick, Ph. D.

History bears record of the rejection of Yeshua (Jesus) as the promised Messiah by the first century leaders of Judaism. This is due primarily to Rabbinic teachings prevalent before and during the first century, particularly those originating from the intertestamental period. Out of the vortex of messianic hopes during this period, two concepts of Messiah emerged: (1) the Messiah would be the national king of Judah and deliver her from her oppressors and (2) the transcendent Messiah would establish the Kingdom of God on earth.1

Rabbinic teaching concerning the expected Messiah differed vastly from the unified Old Testament messianic picture and that portrayed by Jesus of Nazareth. A case in point is Original Sin.2 The Rabbis did not believe in Original Sin, hence there was no need of a Redeemer- Messiah. "In the absence of felt need of deliverance from sin, we can understand how Rabbinic tradition found no place for the Priestly office of the Messiah, and how even His claims to be the Prophet of His people are almost entirely overshadowed by His appearance as their King and Deliverer."3

What were the Jewish expectations of the Messiah? What was taught in the Synagogue about the nature, person, and qualifications of Messiah? First, the union of the divine and human nature in Messiah was totally foreign to rabbinic thought. Secondly, their expected Messiah would be far above human form, resembling an angelic or kingly type.4 Certainly, the Messiah of the rabbinic world would not need to pray or acknowledge any dependence upon Jehovah. Yet, in precisely this manner, we see Jesus’ messianic nature and mission revealed in eight recorded prayers.

Here are some of the portraits of Jesus in the gospels revealing him to be the Messiah.

u Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Messiah who fulfills the Old Testament.

u Mark portrays the drama of Jesus as the Son of God in a fast-paced story. He came to suffer and die to set all men free from the bondage of sin.

u Luke believes that Jesus as Messiah is God’s only way to salvation for Jew and Gentile alike. He must be embraced as personal Savior and Lord.

u John’s stated purpose in writing his Gospel is that everyone might believe that Jesus is the long expected Messiah, fully God and fully man. Personal belief results in abundant life, both temporal and eternal.

The Synoptic Gospels5 make frequent reference to the prayers of Jesus,6 but only on rare occasions are we informed of the contents of his prayers. In fact, only eight prayers are recorded during his estimated three and one-half years of ministry. These prayers, listed below in the context in which Jesus prayed, reflect his intimacy and honesty with the Father and, more importantly, reveal his messianic identity and mission.

1. In Jesus’ thanksgiving to the Father, he said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (Luke 10:21-227).

2. At the tomb of his friend, Lazareth, Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me" (John 11:41-42).

3. Jesus was making his triumphal entry into Jerusalem when he prayed, "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name" (John 12:27-28).

4. Jesus prayed the "high priestly prayer" in the upper room, his longest discourse with the Father that most clearly reflects his messianic identity and mission (John 17:1-26).

5. On the Mount of Olives, Jesus said, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). The "cup" was a reference to his forthcoming sacrificial death.

6. On the cross, we hear the first of three prayers: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). This cry reflects the desperation Jesus experienced when bearing the sins of the world.

7. Jesus prayed for those who had crucified him: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). His role as Forgiver and Redeemer is echoed during his execution.

8. His final prayer was expressed in a loud voice: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). Having finished his mission for man, Jesus then returned to the Father.

Jesus’ prayers reflect his messiahship in several ways:

First, Jesus has an intimacy with the Father unlike any man. They are united as one. The promise in Isaiah 9:6 states that the Messiah will be called, "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Jesus fulfilled this in his prayer, thanking the Father that "we are one" (John 17:22).

Second, Jesus is the representative and instrument of Jehovah God. Jeremiah foresaw the Messiah as the King in David’s lineage reigning wisely in Judah as Jehovah’s representative. He is called, "The Lord Our Righteous" (23:5-6). In his prayer, Jesus stated that God had sent him (John 11:42) and that he had completed the work. "It is finished," he shouted from the cross (John 19:30).

Third, Jesus is the bearer of the Spirit of God. It was the prophet Isaiah who wrote: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him–the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge" (11:1-2). Not only do we see these characteristics in the life of Jesus, but in his prayer he states that he and the Father are one (John 17:22), thus he bears the Spirit of God.

Fourth, Jesus suffers and dies for all mankind. This is the heart of the mission of Messiah, to suffer and die in man’s place. Isaiah envisioned the Suffering Servant upon whom the Lord "laid the iniquity of us all" (53:6). Jesus said this is the "very reason I came to this hour" (John 12:27). Completing his messianic mission, he said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).

Fifth, Jesus brings forgiveness and peace. The Servant-Messiah brings peace to people by his suffering and punishment in their place because "the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus acknowledges

edges the authority God gave him to grant eternal life to people. "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3).

Sixth, The Son existed before creation. "In the beginning God . . ." (Genesis 1:1). This plural form of God (Elohim) carries the meaning of power and majesty and encompasses the New Testament revelation of the triunity of the Godhead. This is echoed in John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Thus, Jesus stated that He and the Father are one, existing together from the beginning, before creation (John 17:22).

Seventh, the Messiah frees people from Satan’s power. What began with conflict between Satan and man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15) is settled in fulfilled prophecy through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Messiah, Jesus. He frees us from the deadly grasp of the Evil One and intercedes for our continuous protection in the high priestly prayer (John 17:15).

1. We can have an intimate walk with God and with other believers. Jesus prayed that we might have a deep intimacy with God just as they have with one another. "Just as you, Father, are united with me and I with you, I pray that they may be united with us, so that the world may believe that you sent me" (John 17:21). Also, he said that we could have unity with fellow believers as "the one new man" (Ephesians 2:15).

If our relationship with the Father is understood as a daily walk, he becomes more real and present in our lives. We can learn to hear his voice and discipline ourselves to speak with him many times during the day. This is what the Bible calls "prayer"–speaking with and listening to our Lord. Frequent conversation becomes characteristic of our walking with God.

2. Jesus, the Messiah, bore the Spirit of God. So do we. One of his last wonderful promises was to dispatch the Holy Spirit who would live inside each person who receives Jesus. Since the Spirit is "holy," this holy anointing is transferred to believers who seek, knock, and ask.

3. We are the representatives and instruments of God– His ambassadors on this planet. Most people struggle with four great personality destroyers: fear, guilt, hate/resentment, and inferiority. Part of the solution, even after redemption, is seeing ourselves as God sees us "in Messiah." He says that we are his ambassadors, priests, kings or queens; more than conquerors–new creatures– impregnated with his peace, and destined to rule and reign with him in eternity! With this paradigm shift and the renewing of our minds with the Word of God, a new self-image can emerge.

The prayers of Jesus allow us to see his intimacy with the Father and his messianic nature and mission. Although this revelation has been hidden from most people, increasing numbers are now embracing Yeshua as Messiah.

Jesus reveals himself in his prayers–who he is and why he came to earth. As his ambassadors we are commissioned to lite him up, to help reveal him, God’s Messiah, to others.

1 David Wallace, Baker’s Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1960), p. 350.

2 The origin of sin in the human race is attributed to the fall of Adam and Eve in Eden (Genesis 3).

3 Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Vol I (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1943), p. 167.

4 Ibid., p. 171.

5 Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called "synoptic" because they take the same view of the Good News about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah.

6 Mark 1:35; 6:46; 14:32-39; 15:34; Matthew 14:23; 19:13; 26:36; 27:46; Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28; 11:1; 22:41-45; 23:34, 46.

7 All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

Dr. Lynn Reddick is president of Open Church Ministries, a work of restoring New Testament principles of community interaction and worship experience to the body of Christ internationally. Open Church Ministries stresses the home as the locus for spiritual development and the importance of interactive learning and worship as strengthening and maturing the church. Lynn and his wife Linda, who teach and minister as partners, live in Statesboro, Georgia.

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