Luke 11:3

MAN DEPENDENT

‘Give us day by day our daily bread.’

Luke 11:3

Dependence and not independence is the true condition of man; dependence upon God for all things—things bodily, things spiritual.

I. The spirit of the text is that of our entire dependence upon God. We acknowledge the Source from which all things come to us, for if even our daily bread is a gift of God, much more must all other blessings which are not so common as daily bread, and we acknowledge this also, that our dependence is from day to day—that is, constantly; that the gifts of to-day are no guarantee for the gifts of to-morrow, but that we must be daily askers if we would daily have. You will see, therefore, that there is something in the petition of the text much more than a mere petition for food; it acknowledges a principle, it asks in spirit not for bread only, but for all bodily necessaries, all that we can want from day to day for the support and health of our bodies.

II. The lessons of the text:—

(a) A lesson of reliance on God’s providence.

(b) A lesson on Christian simplicity; we pray for bread, and bread only according to our wants.

(c) A lesson on the gratitude which is due to God for all His manifold favours to us.

(d) As we pray, labour, and are thankful for our daily bread, ten thousand times more ought we to pray, labour for, and be thankful for the bread of eternal life.

—Bishop Harvey Goodwin.

Illustration

‘The English translation of the Greek words in this verse admits of some question. The literal sense appears to be, “Give us for the day, or day by day, the bread which is sufficient for our subsistence.” The Greek word which we have rendered “daily,” is only found in this place and in Matthew 6:11. Some think that the words should be translated, “our supersubstantial bread,” understanding by it, the bread in the Eucharist. Some think that the words should be rendered, “Give us day by day our to-morrow’s bread: a future bread.” This seems a very harsh and awkward sense. The true meaning appears to be that which has been already given—“the bread which is convenient, or sufficient, for our daily subsistence.” This is the interpretation maintained by Chrysostom, Theophylact, and Suidas, and ably defended by Parkhurst.’