Reel Luke

Jesus Teaches about Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Helpful Stuff to Know

Jesus didn't call his sample prayer “The Lord’s Prayer.” That’s a title people gave it many centuries later. Some people also call it the “Our Father.”

The same prayer with slightly different wording is found in Matthew 6:9-13.

Be Sure Not to Miss

Though Jesus’ sample prayer is quite short, he often prayed for a long time (for example in the garden before his crucifixion). There isn’t one right way to pray. But this sample prayer does teach that short, simple, and direct prayers are welcomed by God.

The Lord’s Prayer does these things:

  1. honors the Father for who he is
  2. honors the Father’s plans and purposes
  3. asks for basic daily needs
  4. asks for deep spiritual needs

After teaching the disciples how to pray, Jesus then told a story about prayer. He taught in two different ways so that everyone would have a chance to understand and learn.

Verse 13 explains verse 9. If someone reads verse 9 in isolation, they could get the wrong idea.

Be Careful About

Jesus didn’t say we had to say the exact words he taught (though that’s OK). He said this is how​ we should pray — simple and direct. But sometimes we’re hurting so badly we don’t even know what to say. In those cases, the Spirit prays for us (see Romans 8:26-28).

The story Jesus told doesn’t teach that we’ll get whatever was ask for in prayer if we just believe enough. It does teach that the Father will give his Spirit to his children, which is the greatest gift he could give anyone.

Reel Questions

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Reel Setting (place)

  • Where did this story happen? (Describe the setting — in a house, on a road, by a lake, in a city, etc.)
  • What do you think that place looked like? smelled like? sounded like?
  • Do you think it matters that this story happened in that specific place? Why?
  • What about the place in this story feels familiar? What feels strange?

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Reel People (characters)

  • Make a list of all the people in this story and give a one-word description of each (include “crowd” if there is one). Why did you choose that word?
  • What does Jesus say and do in this story? List all the things. Does anything surprise you? Why?
  • Which person (besides Jesus) is most interesting to you? Why?
  • What details about the characters do you wish were included or explained in the story? Why?
  • Why do you think [choose a specific character or the crowd] spoke or acted the way they did?
  • What are some different things that [the person from previous question] could have said or done? How would that have changed the story?
  • What do you think the onlookers were thinking and feeling as things were happening in this story? Why?
  • How do you think the main characters might have changed after this story? Why? (Sometimes it tells us, like with Zacchaeus, but other times it doesn’t.)
  • How do you think the crowd or onlookers might have changed after this story? Why?
  • If you’d been there, where would you have been standing or sitting? What would you have been thinking or feeling? Why?

 

Reel Events (plot)

  • List all the events in the story.
  • List some details that aren't included but are assumed in the story.
  • What do you think are the two or three most important moments in this story? Why?
  • If this story were a film, when would the music be scary or tense? When would it be joyful or upbeat? Why?
  • What do you think maybe happened right before this story? What do you think maybe happened right after this story?
  • Does the biblical story before or after this one matter to this story? How? Why do you think that?
  • What are some different ways things could have happened or ended in this story?
  • If this story were happening today in your school or town, what are ways Jesus might have acted or explained things for your context?
  • What would you call this story if it were a full-length book or movie? Why?

 

Real Faith

  • What’s a way people could misunderstand or misuse this story?
  • Why do you think this story is in the Bible? Why would God want us to read and learn from it?
  • What are you learning about Jesus (or his Father or the Spirit) from this story?
  • What are you learning about following Jesus (living for Jesus and living like Jesus) from this story?
  • After reading this story, what are some questions you have about Jesus and following him?

 

Story-Specific Questions

Why do you think Jesus’ sample prayer is short and simple instead of long and complicated?

What are some ways you can make this sample prayer your own?

Jesus said that with his arrival, the Kingdom of God had arrived. He also said in this prayer and other places that the Kingdom was still coming. How can something be “now” and “not yet” at the same time? How do we experience God’s Kingdom now? What are some ways that the Kingdom isn’t totally here yet?

What are some ways you can make prayer a more regular part of your life with Jesus?

For more, see our lesson on Time in Prayer​ in the Head-Heart-Hands series.