Jesus’ Original Teaching or a Deliberate Mistranslation?

For centuries, the Lord’s Prayer has been recited in Christian churches all over the world. Most people who grew up in Christian families have memorized it and can repeat it almost automatically, like a record machine. It has been recited so many times that it has become more like a song replaying in the mind. The real meaning of the words has “evaporated” through repetition, and the essence may have been lost long ago.

When you stop for a moment to focus on the sentences and their meanings, you may begin to ask yourself: Was this really how Yeshua (Jesus) taught people to pray? Did he truly use these exact terms and words as they are written in most Christian Bibles?

Did Yeshua really point to a “Father in heaven” separated from us, asking people to petition an external God and emphasizing separation? Wasn’t his teaching about “the kingdom within”? If so, why point to an outside God?

Did Yeshua want us to worship a god through adoration such as “Hallowed be thy name”? What does this have to do with the “name” of God? What is this name that needs to be hallowed?

And again, didn’t Yeshua say that “the kingdom is within you”, in other words, within each one of us? Why, then, do we need to pray, “Thy kingdom come”? Why ask for the kingdom to come if it is already within us?

The prayer asks us to petition for “our daily bread,” while the richness of life awaits to be claimed. Why focus only on survival and miss the abundance surrounding us? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to pray with gratitude for everything we already have, allowing life to provide what we need in our daily existence while enriching our minds and spirits with “abundant life”?

Do we need to confess and ask for forgiveness while pretending that we also forgive others? Have you truly forgiven those who trespassed against you? Do you think that merely repeating a prayer will genuinely help you forgive? Yeshua taught not to judge others, and through that act alone one may begin the first steps toward compassion, leading eventually to the so called “forgiveness”.

Do we need to ask God to “not lead us into temptation”? Does God truly desire to lead us into temptation or wrongdoing? If not, why would we ask God not to do so? Perhaps we instead need to become more responsible for the choices we make, and for the impulses and desires that arise in the mind moment by moment. It is not God who leads us into temptation; therefore, it is not God’s responsibility to “not lead us into temptation.” Rather, it is our own awareness that must recognize thoughts, feelings, emotions, desires, and “temptations” as they arise and pass away.

We may need to consider the fact that the Lord’s Prayer, as it appears in most Bibles, has been translated, interpreted, and edited from earlier scriptural texts originally written in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic—the language spoken by Yeshua. Even within the Aramaic language, many terms are open to different interpretations among the dialects of Syriac Aramaic and Jewish-Palestinian Aramaic. These texts have been translated, interpreted, and edited over many centuries and through many pre-Christian traditions, eventually deliberated mistranslated in texts included on the formation of the Roman Catholic Church around 325 CE.

No one knows with certainty what Yeshua originally said in the prayer. Like many of his teachings, it may have been deliberately altered, mistranslated, or edited to fit the new structure and authority of the Roman Empire after Christianity became institutionalized through the Roman Catholic Church.

Some of the original scriptural writings with a more Gnostic perspective—such as those discovered in 1945 in Nag Hammadi, Egypt—present a more profound spiritual view based on the cosmos rather than simply “heaven.” These Gnostic writings point toward the “spark within” ourselves. However, they still do not preserve the original form or wording of the so-called “Lord’s Prayer.”

As we can see in the Syriac Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer below, even this version may still miss the depth and essence capable of awakening recognition of the “kingdom within,” as Yeshua taught. Although it is a more profound than the traditional prayer. The traditional Lord’s Prayer below is followed by the Aramaic version (italicized text).

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Father-Mother of the Cosmos

hallowed be thy name;
focus your light within us;

thy kingdom come;
create your reign of unity now;

thy will be done,
your one desire then acts into ours,

on earth as it is in heaven.
As in all light, so in all forms,

Give us this day our daily bread.
Grant what we need each day, in bread and insight,

And forgive us our trespasses,
Lose the cords of our mistakes,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Binding us as we release the strands we hold of others guilt.

And lead us not into temptation,
Don’t let us enter in forgetfulness 

but deliver us from evil.
But free us from unripening,

For thine is the kingdom,
Fron you are born all ruling will,

the power, and the glory,
the power and the life to do, the song that beautifies

for ever and ever.
From all ages to age, it renews. 

Amen
Amen

So, we may speculate that Yeshua originally used a different form of prayer and different words to teach the proper way to recognize the “spark within” (kingdom within) and awaken the power already present within us. We do not need to ask or petition an external God. Instead, we need to recognize the Divine Source already within us through a prayer of gratitude, affirmation, and trust.

In addition, we do not need to go to a church, synagogue, temple, or any other external location to pray. As Yeshua instructed in Matthew 6:6: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

One key point is that “closing the door” represents shutting out worldly distractions and focusing entirely on a one-on-one, authentic relationship with God. Therefore, your private prayer time does not require an outside source telling you what to pray or what to sing.

What you need is private time in stillness and silence — to pray and to “listen.” Another aspect of prayer is related to the focus of your attention during this private time. As Yeshua instructed in Matthew 6:22: “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”

Which “eye” was Yeshua referring to in this instruction? For those raised in Eastern cultures, it is common to associate this with the “third eye” (the pineal gland), located in the center of the brain. However, in Western culture, this may sound like a “New Age” concept. Regardless of personal beliefs, the concept of the third eye has been known by yogis for thousands of years. Therefore, during your prayer time, it may be helpful to focus your attention on the area between your eyebrows while breathing and praying.

What follows is an attempt to do just that. Although simple and brief, it seeks to capture the essential themes of the Lord’s Prayer while focusing on gratitude, affirmation, and trust that the Divine Source is already active within us. In doing so, we may begin to realize that the true source of power already exists within each one of us. Perhaps this awareness can help us create a future in which we become more responsible for our own lives by making choices guided by Yeshua’s wisdom and teachings.

This is an attempt to redirect the prayer from petition to recognition; from separation to unity with the Divine Source already within us; and from worship to trust in the source of power within. You may call it Christ Consciousness, Divine Will, Buddha Nature, Atman, Allah or any other term that suits your culture or spiritual path. In the prayer below, we will use the term “Christ Consciousness.”

Before beginning the prayer, it is essential to pause for a moment in stillness and silence. Take a minute or so to focus on your breathing: inhale for 3 to 4 seconds, hold for 5 to 6 seconds, and exhale for 8 to 9 seconds. Continue for 1 to 2 minutes. (There is no need to time it precisely—simply flow naturally with the rhythm.)

As you pray, give your full attention to each word, sentence, and meaning while continuing to breathe slowly and consciously.

The Christ’s Prayer

Christ’s Consciousness in me
Is the source of my power and wisdom,
Guiding my will and actions now.

I am grateful for my health and abundance,
And for the compassion I hold for myself and others.

I am protected by Divine Cosmic Love
And I trust it to overcome any challenge or temptation

That power is Christ’s Consciousness in me,
Now and forever.

So be it! AUM

Note that the prayer ends with “So be it. AUM,” which combines an affirmation translated from the Hebrew word “Amen” with the primordial cosmic sound “Aum” (Om).

“Amen” originated from the biblical Hebrew word āmēn (אָמֵן), meaning “so be it” or “truly.” Aum (or Om) originates from ancient Indian Vedic literature and is considered the primordial cosmic sound representing the essence of existence, consciousness, and the entire universe. — Credit: Google online search AI.

The words “Amen,” or “Amin” are widely used in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; however, they may sometimes sound more religious than affirmational. Some theories suggest that the word “Amen” may be related to the Egyptian sun god Amun, the “King of Gods.” His influence spread among the Greeks and Romans, who equated him with their own supreme gods, Zeus and Jupiter (under the names Zeus Ammon and Jupiter Ammon).

However, if you prefer the terms “Amen,” or “Amin” to affirm the prayer, that is perfectly fine, as long as you feel the meaning of the word as an affirmation, and not simply as a final closing word in a prayer.

Regarding the word “AUM,” it is composed of three phonemes—A, U, and M—representing a sacred trinity:

A > Creation
U > Preservation
M > Dissolution
Silence > Pure Consciousness

Together, these sounds, followed by a final silence, symbolize the complete cycle of birth, life, death, and pure consciousness.

Peace and joy be with you!