Matthew 6:11

Friday, 3 January 2025

 

Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

 

“Our necessary bread, You give us today” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus referred to the coming of the kingdom and doing God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. With such petitions set forth for the glory of God, He now turns to one’s earthly need, saying, “Our necessary bread.”

 

This Greek word is found only in the Lord’s Prayer, epiousios. It is cited in both examples of the prayer in Matthew and Luke. It is a word found nowhere else in Greek literature, and so it is believed Matthew formed a word that would have given the sense of the Aramaic word Jesus would have spoken.

 

It is derived from either epi (upon), and the feminine form of eimi (existence), and thus, “needful,” or it is a form of the word epiousa, meaning next, following, etc., as in “the next day,” thus, “daily.”

 

Without anything else to go on from other Greek sources, it is hard to know which is correct. It could be that Jesus is referring to the words of Proverbs 30:8, “...supply me bread – my allotment” (CG). Thus, it would be an allotted portion to meet one’s needs.

 

Either way, saying “daily” would not be incorrect, but it then leads to forming a tautology when combined with the next words, “You give us today.” In other words, asking for the next day’s bread to be given today seems a bit forced, but when Jesus spoke in Aramaic, it may not have been understood that way. So, whether it is “next day” or “needful,” the sense is understood as what is appropriate to the day’s need.

 

With this evaluation of the word, it is to be understood that “bread” is not necessarily limited to loaves for eating. The word can signify food of any kind, bread being a metaphor for one’s food (see 2 Thessalonians 3:12). Jesus also uses the word to signify Himself as the Manna from heaven, the Bread of life, in John 6.

 

The bread of this prayer then is probably being used as in Proverbs 30 to signify what is needed for a person to have his daily sufficiency for life, without want but also without extravagance.

 

Life application: By reviewing this difficult word, and then comparing it with the words of Proverbs, we may get a fuller sense of why Jesus included this in His model prayer –

 

“Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9 Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.” Proverbs 30:7-9

 

The Lord’s Prayer so far has focused on glorifying God. In calling to memory the words of the Proverbs, Jesus would then be continuing that thought. He is telling His disciples to ask for what they need so that they can continue to glorify God, as stated in Proverbs 30:9.

 

And this is what we should do in our lives as well. Some people can handle great wealth and continue to glorify God. Some people can handle fame and do so as well. However, for others, such things may become a snare that causes them to fall (see 1 Timothy 3:6). Therefore, to ask God to deliver to us what we can handle without being ensnared by greed, pride, etc., is the right thing to do.

 

Let us endeavor to never allow any such thing to cause us to diminish the glory of God in the eyes of others.

 

Lord God, we are so easily pulled away from focusing our eyes, hearts, thoughts, and affections on You. Help us to be kept free from temptation or misdirection. May we walk on the straight path as we pursue You all our days. Help us in this, O God. Amen.