sermon on the mount --hallowed be your name

hallowed be your name.

There is a peculiar irony that the Lord Jesus does not use the name of His Father when teaching us to give praise to God in prayer by expressing reverence to His Name.

I never think of God by His proper name.

The Jewish people would not use God’s name for fear of not using it with proper reverence. And, in our English Bibles, we do not read the proper name for God. Jehovah or Yahweh is translated GOD or LORD.

A name is just the way of identifying a person. But how can we ever begin to identify who God is as a person?

I often think of Jesus by His name. And when I think of Jesus, my thoughts are about God. That is appropriate thinking for Jesus was God made flesh. In the person of Jesus, God becomes Someone that we can specifically think about. He becomes so much more than just an idea or a concept.  

I wonder, could this be what Jesus is telling us to do when says to pray, "hallowed be your name?" Is He telling us that when we pray, the first thing we need to do is give reverence to His Son?

LR