prayer – The Lord's Prayer: A Mathematician's Creed

The Lord’s Prayer and the Last Supper are Inextricably Linked

February 4, 2025 Dr Jito Vanualailai

The Last Supper is described in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and briefly referenced in John’s Gospel. The key passages are as follows:

1. Matthew 26:17-30

Preparation for the Passover meal.
Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper: breaking the bread and offering the cup, symbolizing His body and blood.

2. Mark 14:12-26

Similar account as Matthew, including instructions to the disciples for preparing the Passover and the institution of the Eucharist.

3. Luke 22:7-23

Jesus expresses His desire to share this meal before His suffering.
The words of institution highlight the new covenant in His blood.

4. John 13:1-17

Instead of detailing the meal itself, John focuses on Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, a demonstration of humility and service.

5. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Paul provides a concise account of the Last Supper, emphasizing its theological significance as a proclamation of the Lord’s death until He comes.

These passages collectively describe the Last Supper’s events and theological meaning, making it central to Christian liturgy and theology.

It is Mark 14:12-36 that provides the mathematical link with the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:2-4. To see this, we note that the Gospel of Mark is the 41st of the Bible. Then the identifiers of the verses in Mark 14:12-36 are 67 to 81, respectively. Hence, the sum of the identifiers is 67+68+69+…+81 = 1110.

The number 1110 is the 923rd composite number. The divisors of 923 are in the set {1, 13, 71, 923}. The sum of the divisors is 1008 = 168 x 6. But 168 is precisely the identifier of Luke 11:2-4, the Lord’s Prayer.

Conclusion. The Lord’s Prayer and the Last Supper are inextricably linked mathematically through the number 168, itself the identifier for the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Luke.

How are they inextricably linked?

The answer to this questions came from the biblical scholar and theologian Ernest Findlay Scott (1868 – 1964), who was “Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology” of the Union Theological Seminary. In his 1951 book “The Lord’s Prayer: Its Character, Purpose and Interpretation”, he wrote:

Two things in our religion have come to us directly from Jesus himself – the Lord’s Supper and the Lord’s Prayer. He bequeathed to them these two ordinances which they were to preserve just as they had come from his hands – the Supper which tells us what he did for us, and the Prayer which sums up what he taught us. These two acts of worship have a place by themselves in our religion, and are like the two poles of which it turns. A Christian service would be complete if it consisted only of an observance of the Supper and a repetition of the Lord’s Prayer. Between them they represent everything that we believe, and they are necessary to each other. We cannot rightly say the Prayer without remembering the Cross, and we cannot celebrate the Supper unless we mean to follow the way of Jesus in our daily lives. In all times, men have been conscious that in these two gifts Jesus gave us everything, and the chief aim of Christian thought has been to discover the full significance of the Lord’s Supper and the Lord’s Prayer.

Prayer Times Acceptable to God

January 12, 2025 Dr Jito Vanualailai

In Psalm 69, we read of a soul-searching prayer credited to King David. Verses 10 to 14 are provided below (KJV):

¹⁰When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach. ¹¹I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them. ¹²They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards. ¹³But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. ¹⁴Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

In this prayer, verse 13 is revealing. The New International Version gives the following:

¹³But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.

The Benson Commentary provides the following interpretation of verse 13:

Psalm 69:13. But my prayer is unto thee — While they scoff, I will pray, and not be driven from thee, nor from prayer and other duties, by all their reproaches, or any other discouragements. In an acceptable time — Hebrew, עת רצון, gneet ratzon, in a time of grace, of good will, or good pleasure. These words may be joined, either, 1st, With the following, by way of limitation, thus: Hear me in thy accepted time, that is, I do not limit thee to any time; but when thou seest it will be best, hear and help me. Or rather, with the foregoing, as an argument to enforce his prayer: as if he had said, I pray in a time of grace, or acceptance; I seek thee when thou mayest be found, (see Psalm 32:6; Isaiah 55:6,) in a good day, as they said, 1 Samuel 25:8, in the day of grace and mercy: or, in a time of great trouble, which is the proper season for prayer, Psalm 50:15; and while I have thee engaged to me by promises, which thy honour and truth oblige thee to perform. I come not too late, and therefore do thou hear me. In the truth of thy salvation — That is, for, or according to, thy saving truth, or faithfulness; whereby thou hast promised to deliver those who trust in thee.

King David, filled with humility, left it to God to decide when God would listen to him. The verse is telling us that there is a time of prayer that is acceptable or favorable to God!

Indeed, we can deduce the same from 2 Corinthians 6:2. which reads:

²For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

This verse is part of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, specifically in a section (2 Corinthians 5:20–6:10) where Paul passionately appeals to the Corinthians to be reconciled to God. Paul emphasizes the urgency of responding to God’s grace and reminds them of their responsibility as recipients of God’s salvation.

Purpose: Paul is urging the Corinthians to recognize that the gospel they have received is not something to be taken lightly or postponed. The “day of salvation” is now, and they must live as those reconciled to God.

Old Testament Reference: Paul quotes from Isaiah 49:8, where God speaks of a future time when He will deliver and restore His people. Paul reinterprets this prophecy, declaring that the time of fulfillment has arrived in Christ.

Isaiah 49:8 reads:

⁸Thus says the Lord: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;

This verse is part of the second Servant Song in Isaiah (Isaiah 49:1–13), a passage that describes the mission of God’s Servant, who is widely interpreted as the Messiah. This Servant is called by God to bring salvation not only to Israel but also to the Gentiles, extending God’s covenant and restoring His creation.

Now, here is the most astonishing result. When we calculate the identifiers of Isaiah 49:8 and 2 Corinthians 6:2, we get:

1. Isaiah 49:8

Book Number: Isaiah is the 23rd book of the Bible.
Chapter Number: 49
Verse Number: 8

Identifier=23+49+8=80

2. 2 Corinthians 6:2

Book Number: 2 Corinthians is the 47th book of the Bible.
Chapter Number: 6
Verse Number: 2

Identifier=47+6+2=55

Total Sum of Identifiers

Thus, the total sum of the identifiers is 80+55=135.

Psalm 69:13 serves as a precursor to the themes developed in Isaiah 49:8 and 2 Corinthians 6:2. It introduces the concept of an “acceptable time” when God’s mercy and salvation are particularly accessible. Isaiah expands this theme, tying it to God’s covenant promises, and Paul ultimately declares its fulfillment in Christ, urging believers to respond without delay. Together, these verses underscore the importance of recognizing and acting upon God’s appointed times of grace and favor.

There is no contradiction between the early Christian and ancient Jewish understanding of recognizing God’s appointed times and Paul’s urging to pray continually in 1 Thessalonians 5:17—“Pray without ceasing”— because praying “without ceasing” necessarily include prescribed times of prayer. In other words, these ideas complement each other beautifully, illustrating different dimensions of spiritual awareness and discipline.

Conclusion: The eight prescribed times to pray the Lord’s Prayer, namely, {10.35am,10.53am,1.35pm,1.53pm,3.15pm, 3.51pm, 5.13pm, 5.31pm}, are times acceptable to our Father in heaven to listen to our prayers.

Psalm 79 and the Lord’s Prayer

July 27, 2024 Dr Jito Vanualailai

The entirety of Psalm 79 astonishingly points to the Lord’s Prayer. Here’s the table for Psalm 79, including the verse enumeration, verse citations, verse texts, identifiers for each verse, and their accumulated sums:

No.	Verse	Text	Identifier	Accumulated Sum
1	Psalm 79:1	O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.	99	99
2	Psalm 79:2	They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.	100	199
3	Psalm 79:3	They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.	101	300
4	Psalm 79:4	We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.	102	402
5	Psalm 79:5	How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?	103	505
6	Psalm 79:6	Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!	104	609
7	Psalm 79:7	For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.	105	714
8	Psalm 79:8	Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.	106	820
9	Psalm 79:9	Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!	107	927
10	Psalm 79:10	Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes!	108	1035
11	Psalm 79:11	Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!	109	1144
12	Psalm 79:12	Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!	110	1254
13	Psalm 79:13	But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.	111	1365

There are 16 divisors of 1365, namely, {1, 3, 5, 7, 13, 15, 21, 35, 39, 65, 91, 105, 195, 273, 455, 1365}. The sum of the divisors is 2688. Hence, the arithmetic mean of the divisors is 2688/16 = 168. Since 168 is the identifier of the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Luke, the themes and moral lessons of Psalm 79 are encapsulated by the Lord’s Prayer.

Discussion

The themes and moral lessons of Psalm 79 center on the relationship between the community and God during times of extreme adversity. They teach the importance of turning to God in honest lament, seeking justice from a divine perspective, acknowledging communal and ancestral sins, and understanding the broader implications of God’s actions for His global reputation. Additionally, they reinforce the value of praising God for His deliverance and faithfulness, emphasizing a stance of gratitude and recognition of God’s mercy. They connect well with several elements of the Lord’s Prayer, offering a deeper understanding of how these scriptures complement each other in the broader context of faith and reliance on God.

Acknowledgment of God’s Sovereignty

Psalm 79. The Psalmist begins by acknowledging the devastation brought upon by foreign nations, yet it is clear that they turn to God as the ultimate authority and deliverer.
Lord’s Prayer. This is echoed in the opening of the Lord’s Prayer with “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” which recognizes God’s ultimate sovereignty over all things.

Seeking Deliverance and God’s Kingdom

Psalm 79. The Psalm appeals to God for deliverance from enemies and for the manifestation of His justice and mercy, showing reliance on God’s power to save.
Lord’s Prayer. Similarly, the prayer includes “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” seeking God’s righteous rule and divine intervention in the world.

Request for Forgiveness

Psalm 79. The Psalmist pleads for forgiveness for past sins, recognizing that their current plight might be a consequence of these actions. They seek reconciliation and mercy.
Lord’s Prayer. This aspect aligns with “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” emphasizing the need for divine forgiveness and the importance of forgiving others as a reflection of God’s forgiveness.

Protection from Evil

Psalm 79. The psalm ends with a plea for protection and deliverance from the evils that have befallen the people, hoping that God will not let their foes triumph over them permanently.
Lord’s Prayer. This is paralleled in “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” where there is a petition for guidance away from sin and protection from evil influences.

Call for Justice and Retribution

Psalm 79. The psalm specifically asks for God’s retribution against those who have wronged them, reflecting a desire for divine justice to prevail.
Lord’s Prayer. While the Lord’s Prayer does not explicitly call for retribution, the appeal for God’s kingdom and will implies a restoration of justice according to divine standards.

Conclusion with Praise and Hope

Psalm 79. Despite the lament and pleas for help, the Psalm concludes with a vow to give thanks and praise to God forever, showing trust in God’s faithfulness.
Lord’s Prayer. The prayer also concludes with a doxology in some traditions: “For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” This encapsulates the praise and acknowledgment of God’s eternal sovereignty and power.

Integration

Both Psalm 79 and the Lord’s Prayer encapsulate a profound reliance on God in times of distress, a plea for divine intervention, and an acknowledgment of God’s rule. They collectively teach about the relationship between human vulnerability, divine power, and the role of faith in navigating life’s challenges. Through these prayers, believers are reminded of the importance of turning to God, seeking His justice, and trusting in His eternal goodness and mercy.

Importance of Our Words and Their Impact on Others

June 16, 2024June 16, 2024 Dr Jito Vanualailai

In Ephesians 4:29, we read:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Since the Book of Ephesians is the 49th book of the Bible, the identifier for the verse is 49+4+29=82. The four divisors of 82 are in the set of divisors {1, 2, 41, 82}. Hence the arithmetic mean of the divisors is 126/4 = 31.5. This means that we can link Ephesians 4:29 with the Lord’s Prayer, particularly the petition “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Both passages emphasize the importance of our words and their impact on others.

In Ephesians 4:29, Paul instructs believers to speak in a way that is beneficial and edifying to others, avoiding unwholesome talk. This aligns with the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation found in the Lord’s Prayer. By asking for forgiveness and expressing our willingness to forgive others, we acknowledge the power of our words to hurt or heal and strive to use them in a way that builds up rather than tears down.

Additionally, the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). This includes praying for the transformation of our own hearts and the hearts of others, so that our words and actions reflect God’s love and grace.

Conclusion. Both Ephesians 4:29 and the Lord’s Prayer emphasize the importance of our words and the need to use them in a way that reflects God’s character of love, forgiveness, and grace.

The Lord’s Prayer is Jesus’ Light and Truth

April 13, 2024 Dr Jito Vanualailai

In Psalm 43:3, we read (NKJV)

Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your tabernacle.

Bible Hub gives us the following text analysis:

Strong’s	Hebrew	English	Morphology
7971 [e]	שְׁלַח־ šə-laḥ-	Oh send out	V-Qal-Imp-ms
216 [e]	אוֹרְךָ֣ ’ō-wr-ḵā	Your light	N-csc \| 2ms
571 [e]	וַ֭אֲמִתְּךָ wa-’ă-mit-tə-ḵā	and Your truth	Conj-w \| N-fsc \| 2ms
1992 [e]	הֵ֣מָּה hêm-māh	them	Pro-3mp
5148 [e]	יַנְח֑וּנִי yan-ḥū-nî;	let lead me	V-Hifil-Imperf-3mp \| 1cs
935 [e]	יְבִיא֥וּנִי yə-ḇî-’ū-nî	let them bring me	V-Hifil-Imperf-3mp \| 1cs
413 [e]	אֶל־ ’el-	to	Prep
2022 [e]	הַֽר־ har-	hill	N-msc
6944 [e]	קָ֝דְשְׁךָ֗ qāḏ-šə-ḵā	Your holy	N-msc \| 2ms
413 [e]	וְאֶל־ wə-’el-	and to	Conj-w \| Prep
4908 [e]	מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ miš-kə-nō-w-ṯe-ḵā.	Your tabernacle	N-mpc \| 2ms

The alphanumeric analysis of of “Your Light” (שְׁלַח־) and “and Your Truth” (וַ֭אֲמִתְּךָ) gives the values 227 and 467, respectively. The sum is therefore 694, which is the 568th composite number. The divisors of 568 are in the set {1, 2, 4, 8, 71, 142, 284, 568}. Therefore, the sum of the divisors is 1080=135×8, and the arithmentic mean is 135.

Conclusion: The Lord’s Prayer is Jesus’s Light and Truth. In other words, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus Christ shows us His Light and Truth to lead us to Him.

Discussions

The Lord’s Prayer and the concept of God’s light and truth in Psalm 43:3 share a deep connection in several ways:

Guidance and Illumination: In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, NIV). This prayer expresses a desire for God’s kingdom to be established and His will to be followed, which aligns with the idea of seeking God’s guidance and illumination, represented by His light and truth in Psalm 43:3. Both the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 43:3 emphasize the importance of seeking God’s direction and wisdom in life’s journey.
Dependency on God’s Word: In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray for their daily bread (Matthew 6:11), symbolizing their dependency on God for their physical sustenance. Similarly, Psalm 43:3 portrays the psalmist’s dependency on God’s truth, indicating reliance on His Word for spiritual sustenance and guidance. Both passages highlight the importance of trusting in God’s provision and seeking nourishment from His Word.
Faithfulness and Trustworthiness of God: The Lord’s Prayer includes a petition for forgiveness, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12), emphasizing the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God to forgive those who repent and seek His mercy. This aligns with the concept of God’s truth in Psalm 43:3, which represents His reliability and faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. Both passages underscore the assurance of God’s steadfast love and forgiveness for those who turn to Him in repentance and faith.
Seeking God’s Presence: The closing of the Lord’s Prayer includes the petition, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13), expressing a desire for God’s presence and protection in the face of temptation and evil. Similarly, Psalm 43:3 speaks of seeking God’s light and truth as sources of guidance and assurance, signifying a desire for His presence to illuminate the path ahead and provide spiritual clarity and direction.

In summary, the Lord’s Prayer and the concept of God’s light and truth in Psalm 43:3 are interconnected in their emphasis on seeking God’s guidance, dependency on His Word, trust in His faithfulness, and desire for His presence in the believer’s life. They both reflect the foundational aspects of the believer’s relationship with God and underscore the importance of prayer, faith, and reliance on God’s promises.