Midweek Musing- July 2, 2025

Matthew 6:13a – “And lead us not into temptation.”

The Fifth Musing in a Series on the Lord’s Prayer

If you have been following the series you know that, in our study of the Lord’s Prayer we’ve prayed our way from heaven to earth: honoring God’s name, longing for God’s kingdom, seeking God’s will, and asking for our daily bread and daily grace.

But this next line might be the most mysterious, most difficult to understand, and maybe even the most misunderstood.

The version we’re most familiar with says “Lead us not into temptation.”

If you remember the TV show Different Strokes from the 1980s, this is a Gary Coleman “Whatchu talking about Willis?” moment.

What is Jesus telling us here?

Is Jesus saying God might lead us into temptation? Sending us into a trap to get us!

I looked it up to confirm what I thought I remembered from the Book of James, and I was (for once) correct: James 1:13 says, “God does not tempt anyone.”

Isn’t it weird and a bit disconcerting that right after we’ve asked God for forgiveness, we now seem to worry that God might actually be setting us up for failure?

That doesn’t sound much like the loving heavenly Creator I know. So once again we need to dig a little (or a lot) deeper into the text. Because as we will discover it is not the most complete translation.

Pope Francis was even more critical when he stated: (This) is not a good translation because it speaks of a God who induces temptation... I am the one who falls; it's not Him pushing me into temptation to see how I fall. A father does not do that. A father helps you get up immediately.”

First let’s look at what the original Greek manuscripts actually say.

Now as a tangential side note, I know Rev. Dr. Pete Hay, my Biblical Greek Professor from Presbyterian College, is looking down and chuckling at me. Because he knows these Musings would be easier to research and write if I had applied myself more in his class. However, in my defense, I had fallen in love with this girl named Laura and she was far more interesting than my Greek lexicon.

Now the Greek phrase for “lead us not into temptation” is:μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν (mē eisenenkēs hēmas eis peirasmon).

Let’s take a moment to break this down:

• μὴ – “not”

• εἰσενέγκῃς – “to bring into” or “carry into”

• πειρασμόν (peirasmon) – this is the key word. It can mean temptation but more often is translated as test, or trial. And it is important to note this isn’t the word for being seduced by sin.

As William Barclay wrote in his commentary: The word for temptation is the same word for testing. This petition means: 'Do not bring us to the place of testing. Do not bring us to the place where we are so sorely tested that we may fail. Spare us, O God, from the perilous trial.’”

Indeed. this word was used for Jesus’s experiences in the wilderness where he was tested. In fact, this word appears often in the Gospels when describing both Jesus’s and the disciples’ testing during their ministry.

Perhaps, knowing this, a more expansive and accurate translation might be:

“Do not bring us into a time of testing or trial,”“Don’t let us be overwhelmed by what would pull us away from you,”“Keep us from circumstances that test our faith beyond what we can bear.”

Jesus isn’t suggesting God is setting us up with traps. Instead, Christ is inviting us to pray for protection—from the storms that would tear us apart.

So why would Jesus include this line?

Because Jesus knew such testing.

He lived through trials.

He saw evil face to face—in the wilderness, in Jerusalem, in the power of the empire, in the religious elite, in those who favored the status quo over mercy and justice, and perhaps most sadly even among those closest to him.

Jesus knew how fragile human beings can be when life presses in. He knew the spiritual, emotional, and physical toll of facing hardship.

And he knew that none of us make it through life without being tested.

But here’s the good news we find in these words.

Jesus is reminding us that we don’t have to face our battles alone.

Jesus is telling us it is ok to be honest about the temptations that we face — and that it is ok to cry out to God for help...even rescue.

Much of the reason so many in America struggle with this line of the prayer is that in Western culture, (thanks in part to our Puritan ancestors) when we hear “temptation,” we often reduce it to individual moral failure like eating too much cake or telling a lie or gossiping or...

But in Jesus’ day, what we have had translated as temptation also had both a communal and deeply spiritual component.

The early church understood temptation as those moments when the very fabric of faith was tested—especially during persecution, pressure, or fear.

Temptation then wasn’t and isn’t just about desire; it’s about disruption.

It’s when we’re tempted individually and as a church to give up, give in, or give way to something other than the way of Jesus.

That’s why this line of the prayer must be read as a cry of vulnerability and trust.

Perhaps we should pray:

“God, we’re not strong enough on our own.

Keep us from the things that pull us from you. Rescue us when evil surrounds us.”

Friends, here’s the hope:

When we pray “Lead us not into temptation,” we are not confessing weakness in fear—we are proclaiming our dependence on faith. We're not begging an unpredictable God to be nice to us. We're recognizing, with humility, that life is full of trials—and we need God's strength, not our own, to face them.

Because Jesus walked through the wilderness, he understands how to walk with us through ours. Because he was tested, he knows what we’re up against. And because he overcame, we can lean into that victory, even when we feel like we’re on the edge of defeat.

This portion of the prayer is a reminder that it’s okay to be vulnerable.It’s okay to say, “Lord, I can’t do this without you.” It’s okay to admit we’re not as strong as we pretend to be.

In fact, that’s the whole point.

So, this week, if you find yourself exhausted, confused, facing choices you’re not sure how to make, or standing in the middle of one of life’s storms -

Pray this prayer with bold honesty:

God, I’m not asking to be perfect. I know I can’t be. I’m asking to be protected by you. Keep me close when I’m going off the right path. Remind me who I am when I forget. Guide me back to your calling for my life.  And when I don’t know how to fight, stand with me in the struggle.

Friends, we were never meant to be tested alone. And we were never meant to walk this road without the love and grace of God and God’s people surrounding us.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.Alleluia Amen.