goat wrote:I think that is more along the lines of the motivation of doing prayer, rather than saying that prayer has to be done when no one was around. I don't see it as being totally 'literal' in that sense. I see it as a handsplap against those people who are very open about their apparent religious faith, as a status symbol, rather than honest prayer in worship.
Certainly Jesus does address motivation.
JCRepresentitive wrote:its all about the heart motivation...do you want to be seen by men? or do you want to pray with an ernest heart.
If you pray and no want to be seen by humans, then why lead others in prayer?
BiblePath.Com. wrote:Many professing Christians, if they were honest, would have to admit that they pray to be heard of men. Jesus said that the people of His day love to pray standing in the synagogues. Both a time and place for prayer were customary in the ancient Jewish synagogue (cf. Mk 11:25). Therefore, Jesus is not condemning the practice of public prayer, but rather the misuse of it! Because of the statement enter into thy closet some have suggested that all public prayer is wrong. This would he contrary to the rest of New Testament statements about prayer, commandments and restrictions regarding prayer, and examples of prayer meetings (cf. Acts 12:12).
I did not say that Jesus is necessarily condemning prayer done while in the presence of others. Jesus himself prayed in the presence of others.
BiblePath.Com. wrote:The principle here is that the believer should not make a show of his prayer nor of the answers he receives to prayer in such a way as to call unnecessary attention to himself.
And how better to call attention to oneself than to presume to lead them in prayer. While leading in prayer, you have a captive audience (the people you are leading, not God).
BiblePath.Com. wrote:Again, it is the God who sees in secret that rewards us openly. Here the intimate father-child relationship between God and man is clearly emphasized. It is the experience of private devotional prayer that ultimately prepares one to pray effectively in public. Most people who say they cannot pray in public, do not pray effectively in private either!
I see nowhere where this extension from private to public prayer is supported in scripture.
Acts 12:12 wrote:And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
Yes, no one denies that Jesus and the Christians prayed while together.
But the question for debate, which has not been answered is, "Is there anywhere in the New Testament where public prayer is taught by example or precept?"
By public prayer, I mean the kind of public prayer that is practiced in virtually every church, where one presumes to lead others in their praying. One could easily find examples of people praying in public or semi-public settings.