It should be noticed that the instances of Christ's praying which are recorded in the tJospels are found just before or just after leading events in the Lords life ; also that the majority of them are given us by St. Luke, whose Gospel is some- times called 'the Gospel of Prayer." There are, indeed, three recorded instances of His praying which are omitted by St. Luke. St. Mark '(1^5) mentions His retirement for jnayer after healing multitudes at Capernaum, Avhere St. Luke (4^-) mentions only the retirement. Both St. Mark (Q^) and St. ^latthew (14-^) record His retirement itor prayer after the feeding of the oimXi, where St. Luke (9'") omits l)Oth retirement and prayer. And St. Jolin (12-'^--*) tells of His prayer when certain Greeks were brought to Him, where St. Luke omits the wliole incident. As we might expect, the ]irayer for Himself in the garden of (Jethsem- ane is recorded by all three Synoptists (Mt 26**, Mk 14*^, Lk 2±""). Nothing "in the (Gospels is stronger evidence of the reality of our Lord's humanity than that prayer, and it evidently established itself firmly in the earliest traditions respecting Him. But there are seven instances in which St. Luke is alone in relating that Jesus prayed : at His baptism (3'-') ; before His first collision with the Jewish hierarchy (5'*) ; l>efore choosing the Twelve (6'-') ; before tlie first predic- tion of His Pa.«sion (9'*) ; at His Transfiguration
392
PKAYEil
PKAYER
(9-") ; before teaching the Lord's Prayer (11^) ; and on the Cross (-iS^- ■*'').
There are three other cases where prayer on the part of Christ seems to be implied, although it is not expressly stated. He looked up to heaven before breaking the bread at the feeding of the 5000 (Mt 141", ;^ii^ Qi\_ l). gisj y^, ^\^q^ before healing tlie deaf man who had an impediment in his speech, Jesus looked up to heaven and aighcd (Mk 7^). Still more clearlj", before raising Laza- rus, Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said. Father, I thank thee that thou heardest vie (Jn II'"). We venture to count all three of these as occasions on which Jesus prayed.
Tiiis gives us, in all, fourteen instances : two in all tliree Gospels, one in Matthew and Mark, two in Mark alone, two in John alone, and seven in Luke alone. They cover the whole of Christ's public life from His baptism to the moment of His deatii, and show His dependence upon His Father for help and strength and refreshment. To say witli Victor of Antiocli (Swete on Mk 1^'), tliat Christ prayed ovk avrbs TavT-qs Seo/xevos . . . dXV o'lKovoiJiLK^s TovTo TToiQu, Is uot adequate, even if in some sense true. He o^- ^ places us neai'er to the truth. We ought to beware of suggesting that our Lord's prayers were in any way unreal. It was out of the fulness of His own experience in a life of absolutely unique ditliculty, toil, and suffering that He said, ' Ask, and it shall be given you.'
5. Christ's doctrine. — In addition to His weighty example as to the duty and blessedness of prayer, we iiave Christ's frequent sayings on the subject. Tiiat men 'ouglit alwaj's to pray and not to faint' was evidently a marked feature in His teaching, and it appears in three ditferent forms: (1) On two occasions, apparentl}% once spontaneously (Mt 6'"i^), and once at the request of a disciple (Lk 11''*), Christ gave His followers a definite form of prayer. If, however, as some think, there was only one occasion on whicli tliis was done, then St. Luke rather than St. ^lattliew gives tlie historic setting. (2) He devoted certain parahles to the subject. (3) He uttered a variety of sayings, enforcing and completing the teaching of the parables.
( 1 ) Tlie Lord's Prayer is the subject of separate articles, to which the reader is referred.
(2) Tliere are hve parahles, three of which bear directly and two indirectly on the subject of prayer. Two, botli of them in St. Luke only, teach that prajer must be importunate and perse- vering. These are the Friend at Midnight (1P"«), wliich follows the giving of the Lord's Prayer, and the Unjust Judge (18'"^). So far as the two parables differ, the former teaches that prayer is never out of season, the latter that it is sure to bring a blessing and not a curse. But we must beware of supposing that either parable teaches that by constant prayer we at last overcome God's unwillingness. The argument in both parables is a fortiori, and is strongest in the second. ' If an unrighteous judge would yield to the importunity of an unknown widow, who came and spoke to him at intervals, much more will a righteous God be ready to reward the perseverance of His own elect, who cry to Him day and night.' God's desire to help is alwaj^s present; by perseverance in prayer we appropriate it. In tlie lielpful illus- tration of the ancliored ship, pointed out by Clement of Alexandria (Strom, iv. 23), the sailors wlio pull tlie rope seem to draw tlie anchor to tlie ship ; in reality they draw the ship to the anchor.
The i)arable of the Pharisee and the Publican, which also is preserved by St. Luke alone, and is placed by him immediately after that of the Unjust Judge, teaches the frame of mind in which God