The Prayer Life of Jesus in Luke's Gospel

Luke has a particular interest in this crucial aspect of Jesus’ life. He describes three key events in Jesus’ life where he alone records that Jesus’ prayer was pivotal to what took place on that particular occasion. We see this at: (1) the Baptism of Jesus, (2) at Caesarea Philippi when Peter recognised that Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah; and (3) at the Transfiguration of Jesus.

The other Synoptic Gospels have no references to prayer linked to these three key events. There are numerous occasions in Luke’s gospel where it is recorded that Jesus prayed. We will refer to these as we proceed through his Gospel.

The three Synoptic Gospels all make prayer their focus in Gethsemane. John omits the agonies of Jesus’ praying in the Garden and focuses on events in the Upper Room and Jesus’ teaching about the coming of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Jesus in Jn. Ch.17 which is known as “The High-Priestly Prayer of Jesus.”

The Prayer Life of Jesus in Luke's Gospel