“When you pray, say,

‘O Giver of Life

Whose Oneness connects the Universe,

 Your resounding name clears a holy place within us.

We seek your counsel.

May your desire work within us

Just as it works throughout the Universe.

Give us the bread we need

To live and to understand.

Restore us when we fail

Just as we restore those who fail us.

Don’t let us be fooled by how things appear.

Rather free us from mistakes of our incompleteness’”. (QS-26)

This is commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” or the prayer Jesus taught to his students.  Early church scribes added a doxology (For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever) to some versions of this prayer that are in the New Testament.

The following text is from page 93 of The Original Teachings of Jesus:

His students asked Jesus,  “Should we fast?  How should we pray?  Should we give to the poor?  From what foods should we abstain?”  Jesus said,  “Don’t lie,’ and don’t do things you hate to others. Everything is clear from the perspective of the World of Light.  For everything that is hidden will become visible, and everything covered will be uncovered.” (T-6)

Contextual explanation:

         Jesus’ students are asking for clarification about the most important and basic of Jewish religious practices.  They have previously been taught that these practices were absolutely necessary.  Jesus has evidently been quiet about them.  He is still remaining quiet and for the moment avoids the questions about fasting, praying, alms giving and food laws.

He does advise them to be truthful and he gives them a version of the Golden Rule:  “Don’t do the things to others that you hate having done to you.”

        Finally, Jesus implies that religious laws and practices are unnecessary when one is spiritually enlightened because with enlightenment comes knowledge of how to live.

            Jesus asked his students,  “What am I like?  How would you compare me?”  Simon Peter said,  “You are like a just and fair messenger of The One.”  Matthew said,  “You are like a sage.”  Thomas said,  “Master, I am not capable of saying what you are like.”  Jesus said,  “I am not your master.  Because you drank from the bubbling spring I poured out, you became drunk.”  Then he took Thomas, withdrew and told him three things.  When Thomas returned to his companions, they urgently asked him,  “What did Jesus say to you?”

Thomas said to them,  “If I tell you even one thing that he told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me. Then fire will come out of the stones and burn you up.” (T-13)

Then Jesus told them (the three things),  “If you fast, you will open yourself to sin.  If you pray, you will be condemned.  If you give to the poor, you will do harm to your spirit.   For what you put into your mouth will not contaminate you, but what comes out of your mouth can contaminate you.” (T-14)

Contextual explanation:

When Jesus asked his students what he was like, none of them gave him a suitable answer.  He did not want to be deified or glorified.  He wanted his students to recognize the radical nature of his teachings, so he took Thomas aside and told him three things.  What he told Thomas was so dangerous that Thomas was afraid of being stoned by his friends and afraid of what might happen to them in turn.

Then Jesus tells them the three things.  These teachings are extremely radical for Jews and could be considered grounds for Jesus to be stoned to death. 

For a Judean Jew, each sin committed put distance between him or her and God.  There were so many laws that it was very difficult to avoid breaking some and thereby sinning.  Fasting and praying were ways to purify one’s self and to bridge the gap to God.  Giving to the poor was equally important.  These three practices were the most important religious activities for Jews and Jesus is telling them that these practices make them vulnerable to sin, condemn them and harm their spirits.  He also indirectly says a fourth thing regarding laws about abstaining from certain foods.  By saying “what you put into your mouth will not contaminate you,” he is saying that the food laws are useless for spiritual growth.