who are we to pray to?
The Father or HIS Son?
According to Scripture, Who are we to pray to? What does the Bible tell us about where our prayers are to be directed? If Yeshua (Jesus) is indeed the intermediary between us and our Creator, then is it not reasonable that our prayers and thanksgivings should be directed to Him? But when we read the Christian writings (the New Testament), rarely do we find anywhere outside of the Gospels where He was specifically addressed. Only when He was present, if even in a vision, as with Stephen before the Sanhedrin (ACTS 7:59) or like with Paul on the road to Damascus (ACTS 9:5), was Yeshua personally spoken to.
Otherwise, it was GOD the Father who was forefront and at the center of their prayers and thanksgivings. Sure, the disciples and apostles prayed to the Father in the name of Yeshua, they thanked GOD through Yeshua, or thanked HIM for Yeshua, but hardly if ever did they thank or pray to Yeshua Himself.
The apostle Paul noted in his epistle to the Romans that certain worshippers were going to be without excuse at the judgment day "because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful" to GOD (ROMANS 1:21). When we divert our prayers and praise away from Almighty GOD to anyone or anything else we are setting ourselves adrift upon dangerous waters. I think we will find this more than evident was we consider and ponder the lifestyle and writings of the first century Church when it came to prayer.
Howbeit, because GOD was an intregal part of all which Yeshua did, it is often difficult to separate the actions and wills of the Father from HIS Son; the two being so closely knit together. Howbeit, Yeshua clearly understood His subservience to and dependance upon His Father. If He needed twelve legions of angels for His protection, it was to His Heavenly Father that He would pray (MATTHEW 26:53). More than once He declared that all things were delivered unto Him by His Father (MATTHEW 11:27 & JOHN 3:35), and that He could do nothing without His Father's aid (JOHN 5:19; 8:28). When agonizing over His coming fate it was to GOD that He went in prayer (MATTHEW 26:38-39). As such, He recognized and openly admitted that His Heavenly Father was greater than Himself (JOHN 14:28).
Even so, as we work our way through this Study we will come across an occasional passage where the believers prayed to the Lord, but exactly to whom they were praying is not given. The text often alludes to praying to the Lord, and Yeshua as well as His Father are both identified as Lord, so it is necessary that we take some time to consider this most important word.
Lord is usually translated from the Greek word kyrios, which according to Thayer's Greek English Lexicon is defined as "having power or authority. . . . he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has the power of deciding; master, lord . . . ." As such, the word kyrios is not just another title for GOD as we can plainly see when we take the time to consider it usages in the scriptures.
It is rendered sir in MATTHEW 21:30 when referring to a common father; and again when referring to Pilate in MATTHEW 27:63; and yet again when referring to the apostle Philip in JOHN 12:21. In ACTS 10:4 Cornelius calls an angel Lord, and in ACTS 25:26 the governor Festas called the Roman Emperor Lord. Then Peter in his first epistle noted that Sarah called her husband Abraham Lord (3:6).
So when we go through these passages in the scriptures and come across this word kyrios, we must be careful not to just assume that the writer is referring to GOD, or Yeshua or any other individual. We must always search the context and see if we can determine precisely to whom the writer is intending.
With these preliminary remarks behind us, let us now consider and ponder the scriptures to learn to whom the disciples prayed and gave thanks.
When they asked Yeshua to teach them to pray, His simple answer is very instructive as pertaining to our subject.
- LUKE 11:2 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (see also MATTHEW 6:9)
Yeshua plainly instructed them to pray to their Father in heaven and this is the exact model we find repeated over and over again in the early Church. They never prayed to Yeshua directly but always prayed to GOD as their Heavenly Father. On a few occasions in the Gospels Yeshua was worshipped (MATTHEW 9:18 & JOHN 9:38) and someone might even have fallen at His feet pleading for His help (LUKE 5:12), but rarely if ever did the disciples pray or give thanks to Him. Instead they prayed and gave thanks to GOD.
Mark also in his gospel account gave the same testimony.
- MARK 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Here Yeshua intimated, without specifically saying so, that the disciples prayers would naturally be to their Heavenly Father, for if the prayers were to be answered they would have to be proceeded by the same forgiveness which the Father had expected the disciples to have.
The very first occasion we have in the early Church of prayer being made to someone was when the disciples were choosing Judas' replacement.
- ACTS 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord [kyrios], which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen.
So our natural question is to whom were they referring by Lord, was it GOD or was it Yeshua? Yeshua had just been referred to as Lord in verses 6 & 21 so one might naturally suppose that Yeshua was to whom they were praying in verse 24. Howbeit, the problem with this passage referring to Yeshua was that no where in scripture are we told that He generally and instinctively knew the hearts of all men. Yeshua only knew what GOD revealed to Him (JOHN 5:19; 8:28). As such, it was only GOD Almighty who was always able to read men's hearts (1 SAMUEL 16:7 PSALM 44:21; 139:1 JEREMIAH 17:10 & 1 JOHN 3:20). Even in ACTS itself we have this corroborated.
- ACTS 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost [Spirit], even as he did unto us;
At the beginning of ACTS, when asked by His disciples when the kingdom should be restored to Israel, Yeshua intimated that He didn't know; only the Father knew. So if He didn't even know the time of His own return, how could the disciples have supposed that He knew all men's hearts? This is not conclusive but it is very suggestive that the first prayer made in the early Church was not to Yeshua but GOD.
In Henry Latham's book The Risen Master, though he was of the opinion that the Lord in the disciples prayer in ACTS 1:42 did refer to Yeshua, he has an interesting footnote at the bottom of page 427.
- Dean Alford however in his note on the passage in his Greek Testament, leaves the matter thus. "I do not regard it as by any means certain that they addressed Christ, nor can the passage be alleged as convincing in controversy with the Socinian."
As we proceed in this Study and see the overwhelming evidence that the disciples did not pray to Yeshua, we will be inclined to admit that here at the beginning of Luke's history of the new Church that they were likewise praying to GOD, just as their Lord had instructed them. They often prayed in Yeshua's name (ACTS 2:21; 3:6) but never to Him specifically. The very next occasion of prayer in the scriptures, probably just a few days later, substantiates this.
- ACTS 4:24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord [despotes], thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.
Thus, not only does this tell us that they recognized that it was GOD which made the Universe, but also that they routinely referred to GOD as LORD. Then in the eighth chapter, verses 14-25, we are again given an important instance of to whom the disciples prayed.
Peter and John had laid their hands on some Samaritan converts which then received the Holy Spirit. But when a certain sorcerer saw it he offered the apostles money for this same power. Peter rebuked him saying that his heart was not right in the sight of GOD. He may have been able to fool others with his sincerity, but not GOD. Peter further instructed him to repent and then pray to GOD for forgiveness, the text adding in verse 24 that the sorcerer then asked them to pray to the LORD for him. There is no reason for us to expect that the kyrios in this passage referred to anyone except GOD.
Next we come to the incident where the first non-Jew was to receive holy spirit.
- ACTS 10:1-4 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed [deomai] to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord [kyrios]? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
We notice in this record that the angel of GOD was addressed by Cornelius as Lord. Evidently Cornelius didn't think that this supernatural being was GOD Almighty himself, but still he called him Lord. As the story unfolds we learn of Peter being in a trance and also seeing an angel, whom he also addressed as Lord (verse 14). Thus we can be confident that the early disciples did not think of kyrios as another word for GOD.
This is incidentally that last occasion of prayer specifically to GOD in the book of ACTS. But in the epistles this same truth is set forth for us, that prayer was made and devoted to GOD alone.
- ROMANS 15:30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.
Their prayers were always and consistently to GOD, even though Yeshua might have on occasion been an integral part of those prayers, as we see in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians.
- EPHESIANS 1:15-17 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
Paul's thanks and prayers were to the GOD and Father, not to Yeshua Himself. And in his second epistle to the Corinthians Paul again noted that prayer to GOD was the norm.
- 2 CORINTHIANS 13:7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
Paul also wrote that the manifestation of speaking in tongue's which the early Church commonly practiced, was in fact a speaking unto GOD (1 CORINTHIANS 14:2).
The apostle James likewise instructed his readers that if they needed wisdom that they were to ask GOD and HE would give it to them (JAMES 1:5). He went on in his epistle to note that the cries of the oppressed have entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth (JAMES 5:4), which of course referred to GOD (ROMANS 9:29).
John in his writings echoed this same truth, that their prayers should be to GOD, even though their prayers were offered in Yeshua's name.
- 1 JOHN 3:21-22 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
- 5:13-15 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him (see verse 2-3).
We have then the near unanimous voice of the early Christian writers that the prayers of the first disciples were always to GOD alone. Matthew and Luke both wrote that Yeshua instructed His disciples to pray to their Father in heaven. Mark noted that Yeshua just assumed that their prayers would have been to GOD. Then we have Peter in the first chapter of ACTS praying to the LORD who knew all men's hearts. The apostle Paul in nearly all of his epistles declared this same truth. And finally both James and John in their epistles encouraged their readers to pray to GOD. No where do we find them praying to Yeshua, as is too often the fashion in the Church today.
Howbeit, another aspect of our worship towards GOD aside from prayer is praise and giving thanks. Thus, as we have considered the mode of prayer in the early Church, we should also be cognizant of to whom they gave thanks. Our first and only occasion in ACTS of one giving thanks to GOD was when Paul thanked HIM following his shipwreck, after which he had landed safely in Italy and were found by the brethren.
- ACTS 28:15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.
The apostle was obviously very thankful for coming through his long and dangerous ordeal to finally be greeted by likeminded believers. Nevertheless, we notice here as elsewhere that he thanked GOD, not Yeshua.
Below are a substantial number of other occasions of thanksgiving to GOD given from Paul's epistles.
- ROMANS 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. (see also 6:17, 25; 14:6)
- 1 CORINTHIANS 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. (see also 14:18)
- 2 CORINTHIANS 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. (see also 8:16; 9:11-12, 15)
- EPHESIANS 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
- PHILIPPIANS 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.
- COLOSSIANS 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.
- 1 THESSALONIANS 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. (see also 2:13; 3:9)
- 2 THESSALONIANS 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth. (see also 2:13)
- 2 TIMOTHY 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers [deesis] night and day;
- PHILEMON 4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers.
Continually it is GOD who is always thanked, not Yeshua. No where, not on a single occasion did the disciples or writers of the Christian scriptures ever give thanks to GOD's Son, but their thanks was always directed towards GOD.
- HEBREWS 13:15 By him [Yeshua] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks [homologeo] to his name.
Thus our praise also is to be focused on Almighty GOD, our Creator, our Heavenly Father. HE it is who dispenses grace and mercy. Yahweh was the one who appointed Christ (MATTHEW 10:40 JOHN 6:57 HEBREWS 3:2; 5:4 & 1 PETER 2:4); and appointed Paul (1 CORINTHIANS 1:1 & EPHESIAN 3:2); and appointed the believer (2 CORINTHIANS 1:21 PHILIPPIANS 3:14 & 1 THESSALONIANS 2:12). Indeed, as James noted, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights. . . . " (JAMES 1:17).
Yeshua is head and shoulders above all other men but only because GOD chose Him, and called Him and furnished all His needs. GOD declared to the disciples, ". . . . This is MY beloved Son . . . . hear ye Him" (MATTHEW 17:5). It was GOD who appointed Yeshua as Judge (ROMANS 2:16). And it was GOD alone who raised Him from the dead (ROMANS 4:24; 6:4; 8:11, 34; 10:19 & EPHESIANS 1:20) and then put all in subjection under Him.
- 1 CORINTHIANS 15:27-28 For he [GOD] hath put all things under his [Yeshua's] feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
It is GOD's kindness which leads the believer to repentance (ROMANS 2:4), so that we might become HIS children (ROMANS 8:14). It is GOD who shews mercy, and has compassion, and then hardens whom HE wills (ROMANS 9:15-18 & 2 CORINTHIANS 5:18). Vengeance belongs to GOD alone (ROMANS 12:19); and thus everyone shall eventually bow before HIM (ROMANS 14:10-12).
- 1 PETER 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
So one might wonder, Why then do we so often find those in the so-called Christian Church today forever thanking Jesus, or praying to Jesus? Why are their hymnals replete with songs thanking and praising Jesus, but too rarely do they seem to honor or even recognize GOD? Their misguided worship is no doubt repugnant to both Yeshua and His Father, for Yeshua was careful to redirect adoration away from Himself and onto His Father.
- MATTHEW 19:16-17 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God . . . .
- (see also LUKE 18:19 & MARK 10:18)
Yeshua didn't want or ask for their admiration. He came to proclaim the Father, to act for the Father, to reveal the Father unto men. Yeshua's aim and occupation was always to direct glory and praise towards GOD, not Himself (JOHN 1:18). He didn't direct or instruct His disciples to love and worship Him. It was all to conduct and guide men's hearts towards GOD, their Creator.
- MATTHEW 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.