“Our Father”
In my mind’s eye, Jesus spoke the words “Our Father,” in the midst of a very tender moment with His disciples. It was in response to their question (Luke 11), that Jesus instructed them to begin their prayer in this manner. However, what were they really asking for? They had seen Jesus perform miracles and hold multitudes spellbound as He spoke. Why didn’t the disciples ask for the power to do things like that? What was it about Jesus that had them looking past the things that He did to the person that He was?
It seems rather perceptive on their part to link His effectiveness to prayer and relationship with His Father, and then shape their question from that observation. Or perhaps, perception had nothing to do with it at all. It is quite possible that the effectiveness of the love He displayed was so clearly related to His relationship with His Father that there was no other question to be asked. Whatever the motivation, it seems that they wanted to share in the more intimate aspects of His life, rather than what was for public consumption.
Jesus’ response is beautiful. In my mind’s eye, I see Jesus extending His arms in a loving gesture of inclusion, and saying, “Our Father.” Incredibly, this is not an invitation to share in His relationship with the Father. It is a statement of the relationship that already exists. It is a relationship that is for them to enjoy. The same pure love and oneness shared by the members of the Trinity is the same love and oneness we share as His disciples.
The picture (above) is of the Trinity that dates back to the early 1400’s painted by the Russian artist and monk, Andrei Rublev. It pictures all three members of the Trinity seated at a table and the details of the painting present both the distinctiveness of each member as well as oneness and community that is shared. It is a powerful painting and when viewed from my mind’s eye, I am seated at the table with them. As remarkable as that seems to me, it is my birthright as a believer in Christ that allows me this relationship and to pray, as Jesus prays, “Our Father.”
