For some of you, if you look up Matthew 6:13 in your Bible you may not see the doxology, “for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.” It just goes from “deliver us from evil” to a statement about forgiving others.
So, why isn’t it there?
It likely was. The majority of Greek manuscripts we have many early English translations, like the King James Version, do have the doxology. Not all do, though, and many modern translations don’t. One likely reason many modern translations don’t have it is harmonization.
There are two passages in the Bible which have Jesus instructing people on prayer using the Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. Some people think that both Matthew and Luke are referring to one event when Jesus shared this prayer. Since the Luke passage does not contain the doxology, some people have thought that Matthew shouldn’t have it either and removed it.
Is there evidence for it?
However, when you look at the context of the two passages, they are different. In Luke, Jesus is responding to a question from the disciples in private. In Matthew, Jesus is speaking to a large crowd as part what we refer to as Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.” Considering the topic, it’s likely that Jesus would have addressed this more than once and likely He would use similar language. So, these are likely two different events where Jesus is teaching something similar. He used similar, but not the exact same wording.
As we look through Greek manuscripts, old translations (Latin, Syrian, etc.), and the writings of the church fathers. We see the doxology. Even an ancient catechism, called the Didache, from just after 100 AD, contains the doxology. So, while we can’t be 100% sure that Jesus spoke the doxology in the Sermon on the Mount, there is a lot of evidence that He did.
It’s in agreement with the rest of the Bible.
Furthermore, the doxology is echoed throughout the Scriptures and is in full agreement with Scriptures. We see similar doxologies in Romans, Ephesians, 1 Timothy, 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation.
So, it is certainly good and proper to include the doxology when we pray the Lord’s Prayer.
