We continue our study of the “Our Father” in the Syriac language, which is probably as close as we will ever come to the very words Our Lord used.
We have seen that even the first words, Aboun d.baš.ma.yō, are replete with meaning. When we pray to our Father and implore him to forgive us and not to lead us, we are praying not only for ourselves but for all children of our Father in heaven, we who are made in his image and likeness.
In revealing to us the mystery of God the Father, Our Lord was also indicating the mystery of his own position as the Son, for he had taught them that no one could come to the Father unless they came through himself, the Son (John 14:6); and “No one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.”
We have prayed to God himself in heaven. We have asked him to reveal to our weak eyes that partial sight of Himself which we can bear. Next, we pray that the divine be made ever more manifest. In Syriac, we pray: tee.te mal.kou.tokh; neh.we Seb.yo.nokh; ay.ka.no d.baš.ma.yo off bar.3o.
This literally means: “Come, your kingdom. Be, your will; as in heaven so on the earth.”
In the prayer, we find an outward and descending movement, from God to his name, to his kingdom: his actual presence among us. This has at least two meanings: first, that his order or rule be established in us as individuals; second, that it be realised at the end of time.
Note how the Syriac is different from the English. For example, we pray that his will be, not that it be done, but simply that it become reality. This, I think, makes even clearer that the will of God is not being done on the earth.
It is not so much a question of doing something as of being something: being at one with the will of God. Here the Syriac accords with the Greek: the verb is first and foremost a word of being and becoming more than of doing.
Then note too that the order of the prayer in both Greek and Syriac is: as in heaven, so on earth. Heaven is named first. It is English which has unaccountably reversed the order, and that is what we might more correctly call a disorder. Heaven comes first.
The pattern of heaven is to be imprinted on the earth, and we should not seek to understand God in our own terms, but humbly and reverently remain open and receptive to whatever he may will for us, as he has taught us. The right order gives the right emphasis.
Where we tend to lose sight of the deep meaning of this prayer, I might suggest, is in thinking: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth,” as if this is something God will do on his own, sending his kingdom and forcing his will on the earth.
On the other hand, if I pray “Come, your kingdom. Be, your will; as in heaven so on the earth,” then the emphasis shifts lightly. It is for us to welcome the kingdom and to be as God wills us to be, by realising the pattern of heaven down here on the earth. We are, in effect, acknowledging that God is the rightful sovereign of heaven and earth alike.
Before we come to the balance of this prayer in the next instalment, let us pause and reflect on the direction of the prayer. It is from above to below: God in himself, then God in heaven, then his essence (name) being manifested by making its holiness apparent, then the kingdom (the rule of God over creation), and then his will reigning over the earth.
This shows us how we should structure our thought. Always begin with God, and then work from that outwards and downwards. This offers a deeper understanding of Our Lord’s introduction: “When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:7)
The “Our Father” can be seen as the most concise way or manner of praying. It is Christ presenting us with a basic or stripped-down template for prayer, and hence of ordering our thoughts when we do address ourselves to God.
And that is by beginning with God himself and working towards ourselves. That is where we are heading the next time.