Praying to Jesus: A Review (Part 5)
Chapter 4 comprises the bulk of Andrew Hallenbeck’s book, Praying to Jesus. The author sets forth several Biblical passages, attempting to show that the New Testament teaches that Christians ought to pray directly to Jesus rather than going through Him to the Father. He repeats the same arguments several times. For example, he spends another two pages on Ephesians 5:19 (83-84), answered previously, and another paragraph on Acts 7:59 (84-85) after just listing it on page 80, also previously refuted.
He next sets forth 1 Timothy 1:12 (already mentioned on page 56). As we pointed out earlier, Paul could certainly thank Jesus for putting him into the ministry because Jesus spoke to Paul directly and specifically chose him. Peter and the other apostles could have said the same thing. The question is, “Do we give our thanks to Jesus or to the Father through Jesus, as Ephesians 5:20 and Colossians 3:17 state? Most of the verbiage here proves that Paul gave thanks directly to Jesus, and no one disputes that he could certainly do so (85-87).
The same applies to 1 Corinthians 16:22 and Revelation 22:20 (87-88). Paul knew Jesus in a way that we do not, and he could say, “O Lord, come!” Likewise, John had walked with Jesus upon the earth. Jesus say, “Surely I am coming quickly,” and John responds by saying, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Surely, it does not need to be pointed out what an extraordinary circumstance this is!
1 Thessalonians 3:11 (88-93)
Although the heading only includes verse 11, Hallenbeck begins by quoting verse 10 and then 11. The thought begins, however, in verse 9. Nothing in verses 9-10 indicates that Paul and Silvanus and Timothy were praying to Jesus. God is mentioned twice in verse 9. Verse 11 states: “Now may the God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.” Paul is asking for providential help from the Father and the Son, who are so close as to be a unit. This is scarcely surprising since the Son is at the right hand of the Father. So, an appeal is made to both. How does this prove Hallenbeck’s case? What he needs is a passage where prayers are actually addressed to Jesus by someone not in a direct and personal relationship (that Christians today do not have) with Him.
2 Thessalonians 2:16 (93-94)
Generally speaking, the Father’s name appears first when He and the Son are mentioned together. The author quotes Lenski as finding an exception (does any other passage invert the order?), and that is in 2 Thessalonians 2:16. What is not pointed out is that just prior to this passage we read again, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit, and belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13).
In verse 16, Jesus is uncharacteristically addressed first and then the Father, but the reason could easily be that Paul included a lengthy description of the Father that he wanted to emphasize: “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts….” But even if Paul did not put the Father second in this instance for that reason, it remains a petition to both and not to Jesus only. Furthermore, the astute reader might recall that both are named because we approach the Father through Jesus, and that is the intention (though not stated outright here) in including both.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
It is alleged that the Lord in this verse is Jesus and that it is a prayer (95). Yet it is not necessarily either. Most of 2 Thessalonians involves Jesus and His authority. The first chapter deals with His second coming and is followed by warnings not to expect Him before certain other things happen—the falling away. Jesus is specifically mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 3:12 as part of an admonition. Busybodies are commanded and exhorted through the Lord Jesus to “work in quietness and eat their own bread.”
Does “the Lord of peace” in verse 16 refer to Jesus or to the Father? It could be either. It is correctly pointed out that Jesus is identified as “our peace” and that He made peace between Jew and Gentile, all of which is obviously true (Eph. 2:14-15). But consider what is equally true.
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen (Heb. 13:20-21).
Thus, in 2 Thessalonians, “the Lord of peace” could refer to the Father or to the Son. But why are these closing comments in Paul’s letters consider prayers? Paul typically wishes brethren well at the closing of his letters. Consider some other closings.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel…to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen (Rom. 16:24-25a, 27).
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (1 Cor. 16:23).
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen (2 Cor. 13:14).
Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen (Gal. 6:18).
Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen (Eph. 6:23-24).
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen (Phil. 4:23).
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen (1 Thess. 5:23, 28).
Each person must ask himself: Are these actually prayers? If one is, they all are. Occasionally, a “scholar” may say they are, but they are not. Some call these benedictions, doxologies, or statements of blessing. Hallenbeck really stretches when he includes any of these as evidence of praying to Jesus. He lists Romans 16:25-27 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 as prayers, also (95-96, 100-101). Rather than put these all together, he spreads them out. Why—so that maybe the reader won’t realize that it is the same argument?
John 14:14 (96-98)
Sandwiched in between sections on the closing remarks of Paul is John 14:14, which is supposed to prove that we can pray to Jesus—if we have the right translation. Here are the two options.
“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”
In favor of the first translation are the KJV, ASV, RSV, Young’s Literal Translation, and the NKJ (although it includes a footnote that the NU includes Me). In favor of the latter are the NAS, NIV, and the ESV, which has a footnote that some manuscripts omit Me. Clearly, this is a textual problem—and an ancient one, since Jerome’s Vulgate (c. A.D. 400) includes the extra Me. In favor of the Me are Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, a few others, and several cursives. Many manuscripts also omit it. Generally speaking, it is not wise to base a doctrine on a legitimately disputed word.
The problem with the second rendering is that it does not make sense. Why would anyone ask Jesus something in His own name? To ask the Father something in Jesus’ name makes sense. The Father might ask, “By whose authority do you bring a petition before Me?” The answer is, “By the authority of Your Son.” The other rendering makes it looks like the Lord has a problem with short-term memory. A disciple makes a request of Jesus, and He asks, “By whose authority do you make this request?” The lowly petitioner answers, “Uh, Yours, sir.” Human beings might be subject to such defective thinking, but the Lord is not. Jesus would not need to be reminded of what He had authorized.
2 Corinthians 12 (98-100)
Concerning his thorn in the flesh, Paul “pleaded with the Lord three times” that it might depart from him (2 Cor. 12:8). Did Paul make this request of Jesus? One might argue that Lord in verse 8 refers to God the Father, but it doesn’t really matter because we know that Paul had conversations with Christ periodically. The most obvious one is at his conversion, but we have evidence of later conversations as well.
When Paul was in Jerusalem after his conversion, he was praying in the temple and entered a trance. He saw Jesus saying to him to leave the city because the Jews would not receive his testimony (Acts 22:18). He protested that they knew his past—even his agreement in stoning Stephen, but Jesus said He would send him instead to the Gentiles (v. 21). In the aftermath of Paul’s speech to the Jews, the Lord stood by him and assured him that he would also bear witness at Rome (Acts 23:11). Paul had a special relationship with Jesus, as evidenced by the way he begins 2 Corinthians 12:
It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven…and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter (1-2, 4b).
We do not know everything we would like to know about “the abundance of the revelations” Paul had. Were they all visions? Were some of them personal conversations? One thing is certain: we do not experience them. We do not receive either visions or revelations from the Lord. Neither are we caught up to the third heaven. But Paul was, and this puts him in a separate category from us. No one can prove that he prayed directly to Jesus when he asked three times about the thorn—not when a good possibility exists for him to have asked Jesus directly about it.
The case that Hallenbeck makes, although it involves quotes from a number of scholars, is not necessarily scholarly because all of them have their own ideas, which may or may not be in harmony with what a text teaches. Anyone who cites Acts 7:59 or 2 Corinthians 12 to prove that all Christians can pray to Jesus is simply not handling aright the Word of truth. It is somewhat analogous to saying that, since God told Jonah to go preach to Nineveh, we need to go there, also. What occurs in special instances cannot serve as a pattern for ordinary situations.