A question about praying

It is an interpretation: an interpretation devoid of its context; literalist interpretation. Now, tell me: have you pluck your eye out or cut your hand off yet?

Emmylouwho said:

Why do some people pray openly? Didn't Jesus say to pray in a closet?

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Jesus didn't tell the Church to only pray in a closet. He also taught us to pray together, as we see in the "Our Father" but it is important, when we pray for our needs and in cases for others, that it be sincere and humble. Praying away from others takes away from a show in our prayer. It is close and personal, just as when we talk to our earthly parent.

It is good to pray in public when we gather in our churches, prayer meetings, family gatherings, etc... but we should pray in private far more than in public.

Agree We're to Pray without ceasing. I Thess 5:17

It's going to be hard to pray in a closet all the time.

Emmylouwho said:

Why do some people pray openly? Didn't Jesus say to pray in a closet?

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I think it was not about praying openly, but about praying like hypocrites. We should not pray like hypocrites and if we pray openly, it should not be done to show others how good Christian we are.

Emmylouwho said:

Why do some people pray openly? Didn't Jesus say to pray in a closet?

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Jesus prayed openly.

Emmylouwho said:

Why do some people pray openly? Didn't Jesus say to pray in a closet?

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i think what He meant was not to make a show of it.

I think the OP is only concerned about the literal reading of the passages. If we prayer aloud or plucketh not out our eyes......we are not doing what Jesus says.

Emmylouwho said:

Why do some people pray openly? Didn't Jesus say to pray in a closet?

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When we bless our meals we do it openly. I don't think there's anything wrong with open prayer. Psalms 95:6

Jesus said pray in secret to teach us a thing about humuility. It was commonplace in his day for religious nuts to stand in public places and yell very good and religious sounding prayers, all for show. He was teaching us to avoid that.

As with any scriptural interpretation, knowing the day and age it was written in and how that fit the narrative does a lot in correct interpretation.

Emmylouwho said:

Why do some people pray openly? Didn't Jesus say to pray in a closet?

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Why do people not pluck out their eye when they sin? Didn't Jesus say to?

Emmylouwho said:

Are you saying that these words of Jesus shouldn’t be taken literally?

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You can take them literally if you want to. But you'll have to take the closet with you everywhere you go.

You seem to want us to believe that you are really troubled by this scripture and don't know what to do with it.

Frankly I find that hard to believe.

lecatholicpilgrim said:

"A text out of its context is a great pretext." Context is everything, my friend.

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I agree.

Now if we could just read that "this is my body - this is my blood" scripture in context we could do away with that salvation by sacrament nonsense.

Emmylouwho said:

Are you saying that these words of Jesus shouldn’t be taken literally?
Matthew 6:5-6
5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

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What's allready been pointed out, it's not that we are not to pray publically, but that we are not to pray for the reason to be looked up upon by others. It's the same praying in the closet, if you do it to think highly of yourself you pray the wrong way. Also with giving and fasting (Matt 6:2, 6:16). It's not that you have to hide how much you give or hide your fasting, but if you do it to get applauds, there is no reward. Sometimes we get it all mixed up, but it's all about the heart. Praying among others can be a great way to encourage each other.

Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

Emmylouwho said:

Why do some people pray openly? Didn't Jesus say to pray in a closet?

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That was in reference to the hypocrites that wanted public attention.

spiritualchristian7 said:

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to F)" data-cr="#cen-NASB-23288F" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; vertical-align: top; top: 0px;">so that they may be seen by men. G)" data-cr="#cen-NASB-23288G" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; vertical-align: top; top: 0px;">Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, H)" data-cr="#cen-NASB-23289H" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; vertical-align: top; top: 0px;">go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and I)" data-cr="#cen-NASB-23289I" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; vertical-align: top; top: 0px;">your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

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Blessings

Emmylouwho said:

Why do some people pray openly? Didn't Jesus say to pray in a closet?

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Jesus referred to praying to be seen by others.

Jesus taught about both private personal prayer, and community prayer. Notice, the principal prayer He gave us begins "Our Father", not "My Father".

Emmylouwho said:

Why do some people pray openly? Didn't Jesus say to pray in a closet?

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Jesus condemned shows of religion. So large, bombastic prayers which serve only to draw attention to the one praying so that others can look at them and say, "Look at how righteous that person is".

Jesus wasn't condemning open and/or corporate prayer. As a Jew who worshiped at the synagogue and the Temple, open, public, corporate prayers played a significant role in Jewish religion, and Jesus would have participated in them.

Like in many cases, Jesus' intent isn't to manipulate our behavior, but to address underlying issues. Especially the underlying issues of false piety and religious abuse. That is what Jesus' condemnations and criticisms of the religious establishment almost always boil down to.

When Jesus condemns "vain repetitions" He is not condemning litanies or formal prayer, but is rather that merely repeating something does not itself give the prayer more "weight". It's not the repetition, it's the vanity.

-CryptoLutheran

Emmylouwho said:

He said to go in the closet and shut the door and pray in secret. It is written in the scriptures.

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He also said that if our eye causes us to sin to pluck it out. That doesn't mean Jesus was advocating self-mutilation.

Jesus frequently used hyperbole, which was actually a common rabbinical tool, to convey a point.

-CryptoLutheran