PART 6 PRAYER

5 

What Can We Learn About Prayer During Jesus’ Public Ministry?

Should there be a specified amount of time that each of us should set aside each day for prayer? Is there a particular time when believers should pray? How often should we pray? What should we pray for? As we study the life of Jesus regarding these questions, hopefully, we can have a better understanding of this topic.

Some churches believe that prayer should be mandatory. Certain times of the week are designated for corporate prayer. In some instances, these gatherings are segregated. As for some believers, they might pray for many hours each day, while others aren’t so inclined. And there are those in leadership who use prayer as a measuring stick, signifying how spiritual each person is in the assembly. The more one prays, the more spiritual they’re considered to be.

Each of the questions we initially presented should be looked into so that we’re not caught off guard when another believer or someone in leadership tells us that we must pray at a particular time, so often, for so long, or in a specific place. Shouldn’t we know what the Scriptures say regarding such?

Let’s begin by looking at the Jewish day and finding out what each one’s name was and how the times within each was explained. Why is this important to know? This is significant because, in the early church, the description of Jewish time differed from another way of telling time, Roman. If we don’t know the difference, we’ll incorrectly determine what occurred when and on what day. After each has been introduced, I’ll try to put them together so that as you read when prayer took place, you’ll understand it according to both systems of time.

 

CONTRASTING THE JEWISH AND ROMAN DAY

The Jews referred to the days of the week as the first of the week (of the Sabbath cycle, the second of the Sabbath cycle, etc.). The seventh day was known as the Shabat (Sabbath), the day of rest. The Sabbath began approximately 40 minutes after sunset when a minimum of three stars could be seen in the sky, which would be considered to begin at the close of the sixth day. Each of these days began and ended at sunset. The first day of the week is the day following the Sabbath, beginning at sunset.²⁸

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

Another thought to consider is how the Jews talked about the various times within each day. According to Acts 3:1,they described a particular time as the ninth hour. What does the ninth hour mean? It means the ninth hour after dawn (sunrise). There were twelve hours in the Jewish night beginning at sunset and twelve hours in the Jewish day starting at sunrise.

When we look at passages of Scripture in the New Testament that refer to morning, evening, first day of the week, etc., we need to understand that each of these words needs to be interpreted according to the Jewish perspective. What further complicates this is that the Romans had a different way of describing not only the names of their days but the times within each day, along with when their days began and ended. Let’s take a look at the Roman description of their days, after which we’ll attempt to combine both perspectives.

The Romans adopted their days of the week from their mythical gods. Saturday was named after Saturn, the god of crops and harvest, and was initially considered the first day of the week. The second day of the week was called Sunday, which was considered a day sacred to the sun. The third day and so on are as follows: Monday was named because it was sacred to the moon. Tuesday was named after Tiw, a god of war. Wednesday was named after Woden, the leader of the gods. Thursday was named after Thor, the god of thunder. Friday was named after Frigga, the wife of Woden.²⁹ Each of these days began and ended atmidnight.³⁰ As the worshiping of the [sun] increased, the Sun’s day (Sunday) advanced from [the] position of the second day to the first day of the week (and Saturday became the seventh day³¹).

It wasn’t until Christianity took hold throughout Europe that most calendars marked Sunday as the first day of the week.³² It’s a little-known fact among most [Christians] that the Romans first adopted the seven-day week in the first century and that they borrowed it not from the [Jews] but from the Egyptians.³³ Time within each day was designated as either am (before noon for up to a period of 12 hours) or pm (afternoon for up to twelve hours).

Let’s try to mesh these two perspectives together as best we can. For the Jew, the ninth hour meant an hour beginning at the 9^th hour after dawn (sunrise) and lasting for one hour. For the Romans, this would mean beginning at 3:00 pm and ending at 4:00 pm. Dawn (sunrise), in Jewish terms, would be equivalent in Roman time to 6:00 am. Likewise, sunset would be equivalent to 6:00 pm.

If time refers to the night, then the Jewish wording for this would be something like the third hour of the night. The third hour of the night, or three hours after sunset, would be equivalent to the Roman time of 9:00 pm. Another way for the Jews to talk about the night times would be to describe it in three-hour periods. To help understand this better, I included Roman numerology. 

�-�First Watch - Sunset (6:00 pm) to the third hour of the night (9:00 pm)

�-�Second Watch - (9:00 pm) to the sixth hour of the night (midnight)

�-�Third Watch - Midnight to the ninth hour of the night (3:00 am)

�-�Fourth Watch - (3:00 am) to sunrise

The Jewish night would be from sunset (6:00 pm) to dawn (6:00 am). The Jewish day would be described as being from dawn (6:00 am) to sunset (6:00 pm). The Jewish Sabbath, the 7^th Day, would be from sunset (6:00 pm) to sunset (6:00 pm) or from Friday (6:00 pm) to Saturday (6:00 pm). For example, if Scripture said that Jesus went to pray in the evening, this would tell us that he went to pray sometime between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he prayed for this entire time but during this time frame.

I admit that it can be confusing when expressing and comparing Jewish and Roman times. Hopefully, what’s been written can serve as a guide to help us sort this out.

Regarding the other aspects of prayer, let’s consider the following question.

 

What, when, how often, and for how long did Jesus pray for?

Let’s begin by turning your Bible into the Book of Matthew.

 

Suggested Reading: Matthew 14:13-25

John the Baptist had just been killed by Herod. Jesus, after having heard about this, departed into a desert place. When people found out about where He’d gone to, they followed him there. Jesus not only had compassion for them and healed their sickness but also told the disciples to feed them.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

They responded by saying someone in their midst had only five loaves and two small fishes on hand. Jesus took the loaves and fishes and, while looking up to heaven, blessed them, handed them out to His disciples, who took their share and passed out the rest to the multitude of 5000.

20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

Miraculously, not only were all the people fed, but after gathering up the leftovers, twelve baskets remained full.

23, 25 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

After this miracle, Jesus sent the multitudes away and went up to a mountain to pray (to speak with God the Father). When it became evening, he was still there alone. In the meantime, His disciples boarded a boat and headed over to the other side of the lake. Sometime later, the weather became stormy. In the fourth watch, Jesus decided to go unto them walking on the sea.

 

What does this tell us about prayer?

Jesus went to a mountain before evening to pray. According to Jewish times, this would be described as sunset and, in Roman time, 6:00 pm. In the fourth watch of Jewish time, He decided to leave the mountain and go to the aid of His disciples because of the impending weather. The fourth watch began at the ninth hour of the night, or 3:00 am, and ended at dawn (sunrise or 6:00 am). We can gather that Jesus was at a mountain, residing alone from 6:00 pm to 3:00 am. In other words, He remained in this place for at least nine hours. Did he pray during all of this time? We don’t know. Did he sleep at all? It doesn’t say. What did He pray for? No idea.

In the next section, Jesus prayed the same prayer three times. Any thoughts on why this was the case? Please stay in the Book of Matthew and go to chapter 26, and we’ll find out.

          

Suggested Reading: Matthew 26:36-45

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

Jesus had just partaken of the last Passover feast with His disciples. Following this, He decided to go to the Mount of Olives with Peter, James, and John to a particular place called Gethsemane, which means the orchard of olive trees. His betrayal by Judas Iscariot into the hands of those who’d bring Him before the high priest and accuse him of blasphemy was imminent. When they arrived there, He decided to separate Himself a small distance away from His disciples so that He could pray alone. However, before He walked away from them, He reminded them to stay awake.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

His state was sorrowful (greatly amazed and sore troubled) and heavy (distress of mind; a feeling of terrified surprise).

39, 42, 44 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

At some point, He fell on his face (the head was put between the knees, and the forehead brought to touch the earth - this was not only [humiliating] but a very painful posture³⁴) and prayed to the Father, asking Him if it were possible to let this cup pass from Him.

The word cup is frequently used in the Sacred Writings to point out sorrow, anguish, terror, [and] death. It seems to be an allusion to a very ancient method of punishing criminals. A cup of poison was put into their hands, and they were obliged to drink it.³⁵ The words pass away from me could refer to an allusion here to several criminals standing in a row, who are all to drink of the same cup; [but the judge extending favor] to a certain one, the cup passes by him to the next.³⁶

After prayer, He checked in on His disciples and found them asleep. So, He decided to return to the place where He initially prayed and made a similar request to the Father. After which, He goes back again, checks in on them, and finds they’re still asleep. For the third and last time, He returned to the same place and prayed again, making the same request as He had twice before.

 

What can we learn about prayer from these Scriptures?

What we know is that prayer occurred following the observance of the Passover. The amount of time spent regarding the Passover varied. It could have lasted anywhere between two to four hours. If Jesus and His disciples arrived at Gethsemane by the fourth hour of the night or 10:00 pm, then what we could say is that He prayed during the second watch [the 3^rd hour of the night to the sixth hour of the night or 9:00 pm to midnight], i.e., he prayed during the evening for about two hours. He essentially prayed the same prayer three times as if to emphasize to God the Father that the need for His response was critical.

The next aspect of prayer is Jesus’ prayer to the Father while He was on the cross. Please turn your Bible to the Book of Luke.

                                                    

Suggested Reading: Luke 23:33-46  

33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

Christ and two others are hanging on a cross at Calvary (kranion), the Greek word for Golgotha - the site of a skull. He’s placed between two thieves as if to indicate that He was the worst of the three transgressors. The superscription above His head, which indicated his crime, was, “This is the King of the Jews.” This was written in the three learned languages of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

During the time preceding the Jew’s exodus from Egypt and the time following their entrance into the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, while operating under the institution of the Mosaic Law, it was common for an executed person to be publicly displayed by hanging them from the stakes of a stockade wall. This was done to discourage civil disobedience and mock defeated military foes.   

Another method that the Jews employed for carrying out a death sentence was stoning. After death, the person was placed on a tree “hanging” for public display. People so exhibited after execution by stoning for breaking Israel’s Law were said to be cursed by God.

When Christ lived on the earth, the Sanhedrim (the judicial system of the Jews) had four forms of capital punishment: stoning, burning, beheading, and strangling. However, the Roman judicial system took away from them the power of inflicting capital punishment. (Sanhedrin, 1, beginning; 7,2, p.24). This meant that without the confirmation of the sentence on the part of the Roman procurator, the Jews had no power to carry out the sentence imposed.

As far as Roman justice was concerned, the stake or cross came to be used as a means of civil and military punishment for persons convicted as enemies of the state (e.g., foreign soldiers, rebels, spies, treason, desertion in the face of the enemy, robbery, piracy, assassination, sedition, etc.). The Roman citizen, however, was exempt from crucifixion. The use of which was abolished under Emperor Constantine in about 300 AD.

Regarding the coming Messiah, the Jews were looking for someone who’d deliver them from Roman rule. If Jesus was who He said He was, He’d not only deliver Himself from the Romans that had Him now in their hands, but He’d also deliver His people from Roman rule. Obviously, He did neither. Therefore, the Jews prosecuted him under the notion of a pretended Messiah.

34, 44 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 

Jesus was placed on a cross and sentenced to die for blasphemy because He claimed to be someone who, according to the Jews, He was not. While on the cross, He prayed to the Father to forgive those, both the Jewish hierarchy and people and the Roman authority and soldiers who were responsible for putting Him to death. The word forgive in Koine Greek means not demanding a debt be paid, i.e., to give it up. Those who were executed were supposed to say, “May my death atone for all my [sins,” but Jesus confessed] instead the sin of those who falsely convicted him, who under Old Testament law were liable for this penalty before God.³⁷ Jesus’ prayer was asking the Father not to judge them for what they’d done.

This prayer was made in the morning before the sixth hour or noon when darkness would occur over all the earth and remain until the ninth hour or 3:00 pm.

This tells us that Jesus also prayed during the day, albeit briefly, to the Father.

Next, we’ll look at the prayer Jesus prayed when he was baptized by John the Baptist. To learn more about this, please turn to the Book of Matthew.

           

Suggested Reading: Matthew 3:1-11

1-2 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

John the Baptist was preaching to the Jews, telling them to repent (change their mind) concerning their past sins, for the kingdom of heaven (the reign of God) was at hand. This was an announcement that a new intervention of God was beginning in [history,] which invited Israel to accept the prophetic manifestation of his will through the baptizer.³⁸In the region around the Jordan River, the Jewish people came to him to be baptized in water, confessing their sins.

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

But this wasn’t all; John told them that someone would arrive on the scene, someone whom he was not worthy to baptize, that would bring about a different type of baptism, which would be a baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire. A verse from the Book of Luke will clarify what we’re about to say next.

Luke 3:21-22 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Little did John the Baptist know that soon thereafter, Jesus would come to him to be baptized in water. I mentioned this because this is where it says that after John baptized Jesus, He was praying. This word in Koine Greek means to utter prayers, i.e., lifting the heart silently to God. Whatever Jesus said, the Father not only sent the Holy Ghost to descend upon Him but also declared that He is His Son, in whom He was well pleased.

This clearly says that prayer doesn’t have to be audible in nature. We can pray silently to God the Father, no matter where we are.

Please stay in the Book of Luke. Another aspect of prayer related to its longevity is found there.

         

Suggested Reading: Luke 6:1-12                 

12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Two instances occurred on the Sabbath, both of which the religious elite was criticizing Jesus. The first had to do with plucking and eating ears of corn, and the second had to do with healing a man whose right hand was withered. Right after these occurrences were mentioned, we’re told that Jesus went to a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. Might the words all night mean during the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Watch, i.e., from sunset or 6:00 pm to sunrise or 6:00 am? While we’re unaware of what these prayers were about, it appears they went on for quite some time.

In the next example, we find Jesus praying for one of His apostles. Let’s stay in the Book of Luke and turn to chapter 22.

 

Luke 22:31-34

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Jesus prayed for the Apostle Peter that his faith fail not in respect to Satan desiring to have him (to try him). The word faith could refer to Peter’s attachment to Christ. The words fail not mean to fail or apostatize utterly.

He followed these words up by saying to Peter, when you’re converted, strengthen the brethren. The word converted means to turn around. From what, from denying Him?

34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the c**k shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

The background was that after Judas betrayed Jesus, He was taken to the palace of the high priest, where the chief priests, elders, and scribes interrogated Him. Peter followed where Jesus was taken and waited for him there. On three separate occasions, he was asked if he was His follower. After his third denial, the rooster crowed, reminding him of the words of Jesus.

After Peter recovered, he was told to strengthen the brethren. i.e., to use his experience to warn them of their [danger] and to comfort and sustain them in their temptations.³⁹

What we’ll look at in the next chapter is what, when, how long, and how often did those in the leadership of the early church pray?

But before we do, I’d like to leave you with a couple of real-life articles on prayer that will resonate with us. Have you ever asked Jesus for something? Has prayer become an avenue that changed the course of a challenging situation? Here are some examples of such that will warm the heart. By the way, just for clarity’s sake, when we pray, Scripture reveals we should direct our prayers to God the Father in the name of His Son by means of the power of the Spirit.

 

WHAT PRAYER CAN DO: HEALING OUR DIVISIONS

Political disagreements were making her family get-togethers tense. A change in focus proved to be the solution. “Promise me you won’t bring up politics,” I said to my husband, Don, as we left for Christmas dinner at my sister’s. “I’ve already promised!” Don said.

For most of our marriage, Don and I had been on the same page politically. But [lately] we weren’t even in the same book, and Don never missed a chance to voice his opinions. I knew it wasn’t just Don and me with this problem. The whole country seemed spoiling for a fight. 

Don kept his word, and dinner went well�"until my sister made a comment about the news. Her husband chimed in. Don responded. In seconds, harsh words were flying.

“Isn’t it nice that we can vote for anyone we want?” I said nervously when there was a break in the action. Everyone settled down�"[or,] more accurately, returned to their corners. I spent the rest of the dinner feeling tense, waiting for them to go at it again. God, help me find a way to bring our family back together, I asked on the way home.

I waited for God to give me a brilliant idea. And waited. As I was making breakfast shortly after New [Year’s,] the topic was still on my mind. Maybe avoiding politics is the best we can do. Don looked up from his newspaper at the table. “I think we should start praying together every day,” he said. I agreed to give it a try.

The tension between us disappeared when we focused our attention on God, and we both felt good asking him to give wisdom to our leaders. A few weeks after we started our new prayer habit, Don suggested we invite the rest of the family to join in by phone. It was a great success.

[Don and I were driving one afternoon] when a news brief came on the radio. I braced myself for Don to offer some comment that I couldn’t let go. Instead, he said, “We should spread the Gospel of God, not the gospel of politicians.” And switched off the radio.

It’s not that Don and I have abandoned our political beliefs. We just don’t let them come between us. God is healing our family, reminding us that we’re part of a story that’s bigger than our current political divisions. I know he’ll heal our [nation,] too.⁴⁰

 

THE HUMMINGBIRD THAT LED HER TO PRAY

Michele’s teenage daughter was a natural doubter�"until a tiny bird found its way into the family’s garage. My daughter, Amy, and I were getting ready to drive to the supermarket. I’ll put on some Colton Dixon in the car, I thought. Amy liked his songs. I liked the Christian message in them. I was always looking for ways to encourage my daughter to pray, but she was a natural doubter�"and a teenager! If I pushed too hard, I knew she’d stop listening for sure.

We stepped down the three stairs that led to the garage and found my husband, Bob, standing by his old Mustang, looking up toward the ceiling. “It’s a hummingbird,” he said, pointing to something tiny floating far out of reach. “He flew in, but I don’t think he knows how to get out.” “Maybe he was attracted by the red car,” I said. “It’s bright like a flower.”

“I don’t think he feels safe in here,” Amy said. “Doesn’t he seem kind of worried to you?” For 30 minutes, the three of us tried everything we could think of to get the bird out. I tempted him with some peach juice that I’d poured into a shallow cup. No luck. Amy ran out to the yard and picked a colorful peony. She followed the hummingbird around the garage, holding the flower high, but the bird kept his distance. [Finally,] her arm dropped in defeat.

The bird perched on the garage door mechanism in the middle of the ceiling. I watched [him] standing by a pegboard where our snowsuits hung for the summer. “I give up,” I said. “There’s nothing else we can do.” “Why don’t we pray for him?” Amy said.

I stared at her in surprise. Had my doubting teenage daughter just suggested praying for the bird? And why hadn’t I thought of that? “Jesus, please send the bird down so we can help him,” I said. We all turned our eyes back to the hummingbird. The more he flitted, the more we fretted. Thirty seconds. Forty-five. The bird flew up. He swooped down toward the pegboard and slid down a snowsuit�"right into Amy’s waiting hands. She cupped him gently in her palms, walked quickly [outside,] and let him go.⁴¹