Our Father

One man stand for one busy street corner, e raise im hands, dey pray loud so dat everybody go hear. People dey turn head. Dem dey nod, e impress dem. And Jesus talk say, e don already collect im reward.

We dey for di hillside for Galilee, for di middle of di Sermon for di Mountain. Jesus don dey talk about how to do good things for quiet, for God and no be for people wey dey look. Now e turn to prayer. Di people wey dey listen to am dey pray well well. Dem dey pray for di synagogue, for house, and for di set times of di day. Prayer na part of how dem dey live every day. So Jesus no dey tell dem make dem start to pray. E dey tell dem how, and why.

When una dey pray, Jesus talk, no be like di hypocrites. Dem like to stand dey pray for di synagogues and for di street corners, so dat people go see dem. Di word hypocrite, for dat time, na di name for actor, person wey wear mask for stage. I tell una di truth, Jesus talk, dem don already collect dem reward. Dem want make people look dem. Dem get am. And na only dat one dem get.

But when you dey pray, enter your room, close di door, and pray to your Father wey nobody fit see. And your Father, wey dey see wetin you do for secret, go reward you. Imagine one small store room for one village house, di door shut, di noise of di street dey go down small small. Nobody dey look. Nobody dey impressed. Na only you and God. And when una dey pray, Jesus continue, no dey talk plenty empty words, as if God go hear una better because una words plenty. Una Father know wetin una need even before una ask am.

So una go pray like dis. And Jesus give dem one prayer wey short reach di level wey small pikin fit learn am for one week. Our Father wey dey heaven, make dem honour your name as holy. Make your kingdom come. Make wetin you want happen for earth, as e dey happen for heaven. Give us today di bread wey we need for today. Forgive us our debts, as we don forgive those wey owe us. And no lead us enter temptation, but deliver us from di evil one. Notice how e start. No be with wetin we want, but with God: im name, im kingdom, wetin e want. Na after dat our needs come: bread for today, forgiveness, and protection.

And then Jesus come back to one line, di one about forgiveness, as if e know say na di one wey hard pass. If una forgive other people when dem wrong una, una Father wey dey heaven go forgive una too. But if una no forgive other people, una Father no go forgive una wrongs. Dis na serious word. Christians don think deep about how e take fit with di free grace of God. But di heart of am clear. People wey dey ask God for mercy suppose become people wey dey show mercy.

Dis prayer spread fast. One early Christian handbook wey dem dey call di Didache, wey dem probably write inside one hundred years after Jesus, give di Lord Prayer and tell believers make dem pray am three times every day. One puzzle dey inside am too. Di Greek word wey dey behind daily, for daily bread, almost no dey anywhere outside dis prayer. For hundreds of years, translators dey wonder whether e mean bread for today, bread for tomorrow, or di bread wey we need. Di old scholar Origen think say maybe na di Gospel writers form di word.

Our Father. You go find am for Matthew chapter six, verse five to fifteen. Jesus no give long speech about prayer. E give one door, small honest words, and one Father for di other side. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you close di door and nobody else dey listen, wetin you go tell your Father?