AMEN (May It Be)

What is the Word?

Of all the words we use in our life as Christians, Amen might be the most familiar and ubiquitous. It also might be the most misunderstood or even ignored as a significant word. For this reason, it is easy to underappreciate what we mean when we use it. However, Jesus uses this word often, and not only as the word to end his prayers.

How does the Bible use this word?

Amen is the word that we commonly used to end our prayers. This can be all sorts of different prayers, from prayers for one another to saying grace at the dinner table. And although this word was also used to end prayers in the New Testament, it actually had a much broader domain. It might be more accurately described as an adverb to firm or assert an idea or statement. Thus, to say Amen would mean to give an emphatic yes, truly, or let it be so!

Where in the Bible?

 Some of the most famous instances of this word appear in John’s Gospel, where the phrase ἀμήν, ἀμήν is used numerous times for emphatic points that Jesus wants to make about himself or about his message, usually to denote a sense of urgency to his hearers:

 And he said to him, “Truly, truly (ἀμήν, ἀμήν), I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

 John 1:51

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly (ἀμήν, ἀμήν), I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father[a] does, that the Son does likewise.

 John 5:19

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly (ἀμήν, ἀμήν), I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

John 8:58

Amen might therefore be Jesus’ first-century way of saying “Hey! Pay attention! What I have to say is very important so heed my words!”

May it Ever Be So

 As we have seen, Amen is far from a meaningless explanation point that we put on our prayers. It is a word that contains a testimony, that the things we are praying for are in earnest faith and that we believe God will provide for us. Thus, saying Amen is a way for God’s people to affirm God’s providence and goodness together as we move forward in a fallen world.