July 27, Ordinary 17C (Luke 11:1-13)
Jesus addresses a God who is beyond the human horizon and yet part of the household.
Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer is shorter than Matthew’s. And only in Luke does Jesus offer the prayer in response to a request from one of the disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray.” After instructing them in prayer, he tells the parable of the persistent friend, demonstrating the two-way nature of prayer and elevating the role of persistence.
As the reading begins, Jesus is off by himself, praying. This is important to notice, as it tells us that he is not only instructing but also practicing what he teaches others to do. Jesus’ pattern of stepping away to be alone and pray is present in all four gospels. He goes off to the mountain, sits by the sea, sneaks off through the middle of a crowd to be alone.
I would guess that he leaves the crowd to escape the pressure of people on every side as the growing crowds follow and find him. He seeks quiet perhaps to hear himself think, to process what is happening around him, to pray for others. He seeks to be fed by the beauty of the mountains, the peace he feels in a boat on a glassy lake, the tranquility of waves on the shore of the sea. And I imagine he goes off to connect to the source of his strength and grace by listening to God.
