The Lord's Prayer
How Jesus taught us to pray
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Setting
- A mountainside in Galilee, the area in northern Israel where Jesus grew up. The Bible does not say which mountain.
- Jesus is sitting down to teach, the way teachers did back then. His disciples are close to him. A large crowd is listening too (5:1, 7:28).
When
- Early in Jesus's work, about 2,000 years ago.
Before the Story
This is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5 to 7 hold one long teaching of Jesus. The Beatitudes come first (5:3-12).
Jesus has been teaching about doing good in secret. He said to give to the needy quietly, not to win people's praise (6:1-4).
Most of Jesus's listeners were Jewish, like Jesus. Prayer was already part of their lives. Jesus himself prayed. Once he went up a mountain alone to pray (14:23).
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: Christians all over the world still pray these words today. We call them the Lord's Prayer.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Don't pray to show off | 6:5-6 | Pray to God, not for an audience |
| 2. Don't babble | 6:7-8 | God knows what you need before you ask |
| 3. Our Father | 6:9 | Jesus begins the prayer |
| 4. Your name | 6:9 | May God's name be treated as holy |
| 5. Your kingdom and will | 6:10 | May God's rule come here |
| 6. Daily bread | 6:11 | Ask for what you need today |
| 7. Forgive us | 6:12 | Ask for forgiveness, and forgive |
| 8. Temptation and evil | 6:13 | Ask God to keep you safe |
| 9. Forgiving others | 6:14-15 | A hard saying about forgiveness |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 9Don't Pray to Show Off
Jesus sat on the mountainside, teaching. He had been talking about doing good things in secret. Now he talked about prayer.
Some people loved to pray standing up in the synagogues and on street corners. A synagogue is a local meeting place for Jewish worship and study. These people wanted to be seen. Jesus called them hypocrites. A hypocrite is a pretender. The Greek word meant a stage actor.
Jesus said they "already have their full reward" (6:5). People saw them. That was all they got.
Then Jesus pointed to a quieter place. "Go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen" (6:6).
Your Father sees what is done in secret, Jesus said. And your Father will reward you.
Jesus was not against praying with other people. He was against praying for an audience.
Scene 2 of 9Don't Babble
Jesus gave a second warning. He said not to babble on like pagans. Pagans were people who worshiped other gods. They piled up words when they prayed. They thought many words would make their gods listen.
"Do not be like them," Jesus said. Then he gave the reason. "Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him" (6:8).
So God is not a stranger you have to persuade. God is a Father who already knows.
Scene 3 of 9Our Father
Then Jesus said, "So then, this is how you should pray" (6:9).
The prayer begins with "Our Father in heaven" (6:9).
Jesus did not teach them to say "my Father." He taught them to say "our." This prayer is for a whole family praying together.
Father is a family word. Jesus invited his followers to talk to God the way a child talks to a loving parent.
Scene 4 of 9Your Name
The next words are "hallowed be Your name" (6:9).
Hallowed means treated as holy. Holy means set apart for God, pure and special.
A person's name stands for the whole person. So God's name stands for God himself. This line asks that people everywhere would honor and trust God, starting with us.
Scene 5 of 9Your Kingdom and Your Will
Next comes "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (6:10).
God's kingdom means God's rule. It is the way God runs things. God's will is what God wants.
In heaven, what God wants happens. This line asks for earth to be like that too. It asks God to bring his good rule into our world and into our lives.
On the night before he died, Jesus prayed this way himself. "Yet not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39).
Scene 6 of 9Daily Bread
Then comes a very ordinary request. "Give us this day our daily bread" (6:11).
Bread was the main food back then. Asking for bread meant asking for what you need to live.
This line asks for today. It does not ask for a whole year of bread. It asks God for enough, one day at a time.
God cares about bodies, not only souls. You can pray about food, a home, sleep, and health.
Scene 7 of 9Forgive Us
Next comes "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (6:12).
A debt is something you owe. Jesus uses the word here as a comparison. Our sins are like debts we cannot pay. Sin means the wrong we do and the good we fail to do.
Jesus put this line in a prayer for every day. One likely reason: he knew his followers would need forgiveness again and again.
The line also connects two things. God forgives us. And we forgive the people who wrong us.
Scene 8 of 9Temptation and Evil
The prayer ends by asking for protection. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (6:13).
Temptation is a pull toward doing wrong. Deliver means rescue.
This line does not mean God tries to make us sin. The letter of James says God does not tempt anyone (James 1:13).
Instead, this line asks God to keep us safe when we feel pulled toward wrong. It asks God to rescue us from evil. It also asks God to rescue us from the evil one, who fights against God.
Scene 9 of 9Forgiving Others
Then Jesus said something hard to hear about forgiveness.
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (6:14). Trespasses are wrongs. The word pictures someone stepping over a line they should not cross. This is a comparison.
"But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours" (6:15).
These words can feel frightening. But Jesus is not saying we earn God's forgiveness by forgiving well. Later in Matthew, Jesus told a story about a master who forgave a servant's huge debt first (Matthew 18:27). The forgiven servant was then called to forgive others.
Jesus began this prayer with "Our Father" (6:9). He ended this teaching by talking about forgiveness. God's family is a forgiven family, learning to forgive.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "They already have their full reward" (6:5) | People who pray to impress others get what they wanted: people saw them. Nothing more. Jesus is not criticizing Jewish prayer or synagogues. He taught in synagogues himself (4:23). Showing off can happen in any place of worship, including churches. |
| "Go into your inner room, shut your door" (6:6) | Pray to God, not for an audience. Jesus is not banning prayer with others. The prayer he teaches says "our" and "us." |
| "Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him" (6:8) | You don't have to find the right words or enough words. God already knows. |
| "Our Father in heaven" (6:9) | Jesus invites us to talk to God as his children. "Our" means we pray as one family. |
| "Hallowed be Your name" (6:9) | May God be honored and trusted as holy, starting with us. |
| "Your kingdom come, Your will be done" (6:10) | May God's good rule come here, and may what God wants happen in our world and in us. |
| "Give us this day our daily bread" (6:11) | Give us what we need to live today. It covers food, home, health, and everything the body needs. |
| "Forgive us our debts" (6:12) | Our sins are like debts we cannot pay. We ask God to cancel them. This is a comparison. |
| "Lead us not into temptation" (6:13) | Keep us safe when we are pulled toward wrong. God does not tempt anyone (James 1:13). |
| "Deliver us from the evil one" (6:13) | Rescue us from evil and from the one who fights against God. |
Back Then
Prayer at set times. Many Jewish people prayed at set times each day. Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10). Peter and John went to the temple "at the hour of prayer" (Acts 3:1).
Bread. Bread was usually made from wheat, sometimes from other grains. It was shaped into thin, round or oval cakes that broke easily. That is why the Bible talks about "breaking" bread (Easton's Bible Dictionary).
Calling God "Father" was not new. Israel's prophets already called God Father. Isaiah prayed, "You, O LORD, are our Father" (Isaiah 63:16). LORD in capital letters stands for God's personal name. Jewish readers traditionally don't say it aloud, out of respect. Jewish prayers still call God "our Father" today.
Luke has a shorter version. In Luke, a disciple asks, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Jesus answers with a shorter form of the same prayer (Luke 11:2-4). For centuries, careful readers have asked why the two are different. One likely reason: Jesus taught the prayer more than once. The Bible does not say.
Literal Reader Alert
Where is "For thine is the kingdom"? Many churches end the prayer with "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Those words are in Matthew 6:13 in the King James Version. But the oldest copies of Matthew we have do not include them. That is why the BSB and most modern Bibles leave them out or put them in a note. The words are still good to pray. They echo King David's prayer: "Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom" (1 Chronicles 29:11). A very early Christian teaching book, the Didache, ends the prayer in a similar way (Didache 8). Churches have prayed this ending for a very long time.
Debts, trespasses, or sins? Matthew 6:12 says "debts." Two verses later, Jesus says "trespasses" (6:14). Luke's version says "sins" (Luke 11:4). Here all three mean the same thing: the wrong we do. Your church may use any of them. The wording at your church may sound a little different from the BSB too. Churches use different translations. The prayer is the same prayer.
Do I have to forgive perfectly, or God won't forgive me? No. These verses (6:14-15) can scare anxious readers. Forgiving others does not earn God's forgiveness. God forgives first. In Jesus's story in Matthew 18, the master forgives the huge debt before anything else happens (Matthew 18:27). That story ends with the same serious warning as this one (Matthew 18:35). Paul writes, "forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32). Jesus's warning is for people who keep God's forgiveness for themselves but refuse to share it. Forgiving someone often takes a long time. You can start by asking God to help you want to forgive.
Does forgiving mean I have to trust them again? No. Forgiving someone who hurt you does not mean saying it was okay. It does not mean trusting them again. It never means staying in danger. It can mean handing the debt over to God. If someone is hurting you, tell a trusted adult today. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the United States, you can call or text 988 any time. Outside the United States, findahelpline.com lists free helplines. If this story brings up big feelings, talk with a parent, pastor, or trusted adult.
What if "Father" is a hard word for me? Some people's fathers hurt them or left. God is not like that father. A psalm says, "Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me" (Psalm 27:10). In Isaiah, God even compares his love to a mother's love (Isaiah 49:15). It's okay to start slowly.
Is praying the same words every week "babbling"? No. Jesus gave these words so we would pray them. Babbling means piling up words to get God's attention (6:7). Praying the Lord's Prayer together is not that.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The people who prayed to show off, in Jesus's example | Wanting to be admired | They prayed "to be seen by men" (6:5) |
| The pagans, in Jesus's example | Hoping to be heard | They thought many words would make their gods listen (6:7) |
| The crowds | Astonished | Jesus taught "as one who had authority" (7:28-29) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
What makes praying hard right now? Tap one.
I don't have words
Jesus gave you words. When your own words run out, you can pray the Lord's Prayer. The Holy Spirit helps us pray, even when we don't know what to say (Romans 8:26).
Does God even listen?
Jesus said your Father knows what you need before you ask (6:8). You don't have to find perfect words to be heard.
I feel too guilty
Jesus put "forgive us" right into the prayer. He knew his followers would need it. God is not surprised by you. In Jesus, God forgives you.
I can't forgive someone
That's honest. Forgiving often takes time. You can ask God to help you want to. Forgiving does not mean trusting them again or staying where you are not safe.
It's really bad right now
You can pray "Our Father" and say nothing else. God hears that. Please also tell a trusted adult today. In the U.S., call or text 988. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"God listens more if you pray long enough and use the right words."
What's true: Jesus wants us to pray. He even gave us the words.
What the passage is mainly about: Who we pray to. We don't pray to impress people (6:5). We don't pile up words to make God listen (6:7). We pray to a Father who knows what we need before we ask (6:8). God hears a short, clumsy prayer as well as a long, beautiful one.
Where Jesus is: He taught this prayer, and he prayed the same way himself. In the garden he prayed, "not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). On the cross he prayed, "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34). Through Jesus, God brings us into his family. The Holy Spirit teaches us to call God "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15). Abba is an Aramaic word for father. Aramaic was the language Jesus spoke at home.
Good News
This prayer does not start with what you do. It starts with who God is: "Our Father" (6:9).
God forgives first. The master in Jesus's story canceled the debt before the servant did anything (Matthew 18:27). Jesus prayed for forgiveness for the people who crucified him (Luke 23:34). In Baptism, God calls you his own child. Our forgiving comes from being forgiven: "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
You don't pray to earn God's love. You pray because, in Jesus, God is already your Father.
From the Wider Church
Augustine, a church leader who lived about 1,600 years ago, wrote about this passage in Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. He asked why we pray if God already knows what we need (6:8). His answer, in plain words: we do not pray to teach God something. Praying turns us toward God.
Big Idea
God invites us to call him Father, knows what we need before we ask, and forgives us first.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Martin Luther's Small Catechism (1529) explains each line of the Lord's Prayer by asking, "What does this mean?" Here is a plain paraphrase of his answers (Concordia Triglotta English, 1921). The paraphrase was checked against that text.
- Our Father in heaven: God tenderly invites us to believe that he is our true Father. He invites us to believe that we are his true children. So we can ask him with confidence, the way dear children ask their dear father.
- Hallowed be your name: God's name is holy already. We pray that it may be kept holy among us too.
- Your kingdom come: God's kingdom comes even without our prayer. We pray that it may come to us too.
- Your will be done: God's good and gracious will happens even without our prayer. We pray that it may happen among us too.
- Daily bread: God gives daily bread even without our prayer, even to wicked people. We pray that he will help us see it and receive it with thanks. Daily bread means everything the body needs. That includes food, drink, clothes, a home, land, money, and family. It also includes good government, good weather, peace, health, and good friends and neighbors.
- Forgive us: We pray that God will not look at our sins or refuse our prayers because of them. We are not worthy of what we ask. We pray that God will give us all of it by grace. And we, for our part, gladly forgive and do good to those who wrong us.
- Lead us not into temptation: God tempts no one. We pray that God will guard us and keep us. We pray that the devil, the world, and our own sinful self will not lead us into unbelief or despair. When they attack us, we pray that we will win in the end.
- Deliver us from evil: We pray that God will rescue us from every kind of evil. When our life ends, we ask him to bring us home to himself.
- Amen: We can be sure these prayers please God and are heard. God himself told us to pray this way and promised to hear. Amen means "Yes, yes, it shall be so."
In 1535 Luther wrote a letter called A Simple Way to Pray. He wrote it for his barber, Peter Beskendorf. In it he said the Lord's Prayer is "the greatest martyr on earth." A martyr is someone who suffers for their faith. This is a comparison. He meant that people say it fast without thinking about the words. In that way the prayer suffers. He taught people to pray it slowly, one line at a time. He said he sometimes got so full of thoughts on one line that he let the others wait.
In Church
Most Lutheran worship services include the Lord's Prayer, often before Holy Communion. It is also prayed at Baptism. Many ELCA churches pray either a traditional version ("thy kingdom come," "trespasses") or a newer version written together by several churches. Both are the same prayer.
Many churches follow a reading plan called the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Matthew 6:1-6 and 6:16-21 on Ash Wednesday every year. Those readings skip the verses with the prayer itself (6:7-15). Luke's shorter version (Luke 11:1-13) is read in late July of Year C (Lectionary 17).
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
Give us this day our daily bread.
How did that feel?