And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
All Commentaries on Matthew 6:13 Go To Matthew 6
Tertullian of Carthage
AD 220
To complete the prayer which was so well arranged, Christ added that we should pray not only that our sins be forgiven, but that they be shunned completely: 'Lead us not into temptation,' that is, do not allow us to be led by the Tempter.
God forbid that our Lord should seem to be the tempter, as if He were not aware of one's faith or were eager to upset it!
That weakness and spitefulness belongs to the Devil. For, even in the case of Abraham, God had ordered the sacrifice of his son not to tempt his faith, but to prove it, that in him He-might set forth an example for His precept whereby He was later to teach that no one should hold his loved ones dearer than God.
Christ Himself was tempted by the Devil and pointed out the subtle director of the temptation.
This passage He confirms (by His words to His Apostles) later when He says: 'Pray that you may not enter into temptation.' They were so tempted to desert their Lord because they had indulged in sleep instead of prayer.
Therefore, the phrase which balances and interprets 'Lead us not into temptation' is 'But deliver us from evil.'
