In order to be successful as a Christian, Jesus told his disciples how vitally important it is to maintain a relationship with both he and his Father:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Exercise faith in God; exercise faith also in me. John 14:1
But how does one maintain a close relationship with another person? The April 1st 2020 Watchtower states:
“Usually, the first step in building a close friendship with someone you meet is to spend time with the person. As you talk to each other, sharing thoughts and experiences, you become friends. When it comes to building a close friendship with Jesus, however, we face challenges. What are some of them?
…we are not able to speak to Jesus. When we pray, we direct our thoughts to Jehovah. True, we do pray in Jesus’ name, but we do not talk directly to him. In fact, Jesus does not want us to pray to him. Why not? Because prayer is a form of worship, and only Jehovah should be worshipped. (Matt. 4:10) Even so, we can express our love for Jesus. (The Watchtower April 2020 pg. 20 pars. 1-3)
But is it really so that the Bible discourages speaking to Jesus? What about Stephen’s request of Jesus to receive his spirit? Insight on the Scriptures explains:
Though some claim that prayer may properly be addressed to others, such as to God’s Son, the evidence is emphatically to the contrary. True, there are rare instances in which words are addressed to Jesus Christ in heaven. Stephen, when about to die, appealed to Jesus, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Ac 7:59) However, the context reveals a circumstance giving basis for this exceptional expression. Stephen at that very time had a vision of “Jesus standing at God’s right hand,” and evidently reacting as if he were in Jesus’ personal presence, he felt free to speak this plea to the one whom he recognized as the head of the Christian congregation. (Ac 7:55, 56; Col 1:18) Similarly, the apostle John, at the conclusion of the Revelation, says, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.” (Re 22:20) But again the context shows that, in a vision (Re 1:10; 4:1, 2), John had been hearing Jesus speak of his future coming and thus John responded with the above expression of his desire for that coming. (Re 22:16, 20) In both cases, that of Stephen and that of John, the situation differs little from that of the conversation John had with a heavenly person in this Revelation vision. (Re 7:13, 14; compare Ac 22:6-22.) There is nothing to indicate that Christian disciples so expressed themselves under other circumstances to Jesus after his ascension to heaven. Thus, the apostle Paul writes: “In everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God.”—Php 4:6. (Insight on the Scriptures vol. 2 pgs 667-668)
The aim of this article is to downgrade Stephen’s plea from prayer to merely respectful conversation. Apparently, according to the Watchtower society, it is only permissible to speak to Jesus if we are reacting as if we were in Jesus’ personal presence. Somehow speaking to him directly is different than speaking to him in prayer and does not involve worship. This is strange reasoning considering that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that since 1914 Jesus has been present in kingdom power. Why should it be necessary to receive a personal vision demonstrating that in order to speak to him? But, Stephen’s vision of God’s glory and of Jesus standing at God’s right hand happened before he was thrown outside the city. There must have been a time interval before they all arrived at the place of stoning. Nothing in the account indicates that, at the time he was being stoned, Stephen was still speaking directly to Jesus in vision.
Jesus’ own final words were similar to Stephen’s expression:
And Jesus called out with a loud voice and said: “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” After he said this, he expired. Luke 23:46
Who would deny that Jesus words constituted a prayer to his father? If Jesus words are considered prayer is it not strange and inconsistent not to view Stephen’s words as such?
Furthermore, the New World Translation inserts the name Jehovah in Stephen’s final plea when the original Greek says: “Lord (kurios) do not charge this sin against them”. It is entirely possible that he was directing his thoughts in prayer to Jesus at that time as well. (Matt. 9:6)
Although, for the most part, Jesus speaks of petitioning God in his name, there is one instance where he does speak of petitioning him directly:
If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (Joh 14:14 NET)
The New World Translation renders the verse:
. . .. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:13, 14 (NWT)
Regarding this the New World Translation study note says:
This reading is supported by some ancient manuscripts and agrees with the wording at Joh 15:16 and 16:23. Other ancient manuscripts read: “ask me.”
Which ancient manuscripts? The footnote on this verse in the New World Translation 1984 large print edition indicates that in favor of “Ask,” is Codex Alexandrinus 5th century, Bezae Codices 5th and 6th century and Old Latin Versions 2nd to 4th century. In favor of “Ask Me” is Bodmer Papyrus 2 200 C.E., Codex Sinaiticus 4th century, Vatican 1209 4th century, Freer Gospels 5th century, Jerome’s Latin Vulgate 400 C.E., the Syriac Peshitta 5th century and the Syriac Philoxenian-Harclean Version 6th and 7th century.
The NICNT comments:
“And whatever you ask in my name,” he promises, “this I will do, so that the Father might be glorified in the Son” (Joh_14:13). Then, for emphasis, he says it again: “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do” [Gr. ἐγὼ ποιήσω.] (Joh_14:14).
… We might have expected, “And whatever you ask in my name, the Father will do, so that the Father might be glorified in the Son,” and “If you ask the Father anything in my name, he will do.” We have come to expect Christian prayer to be directed to the Father through the Son, and this is in fact what we find in this Gospel’s other passages on prayer (see Joh_15:16, “so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he might give you”; Joh_16:23, “whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you”). Here, by contrast, even though the prayer is offered in Jesus’ name, it is Jesus himself (now “gone to the Father,” Joh_14:12) who “will do” what is asked. [Particularly odd is the wording the second time around, “If you ask me [με] anything in my name, I [ἐγώ] will do” (italics added). It is difficult to picture the disciples asking Jesus for something in his own name (rather than asking the Father “in his name”). For this reason, certain manuscripts (including A, D, L, K, Q, and Ψ) have omitted “me.” But the more difficult longer reading should be retained, with the effect of heightening even more the emphasis on “I” (ἐγω).] In a sense, the promise that “I will do” (Joh_14:14) echoes and reaffirms his previous reference to the works that “I am doing” [Gr. ἐγὼ ποιῶ.] (Joh_14:12). He who carries out the Father’s works in his ministry on earth will continue to perform “greater” works from heaven in response to the prayers of the disciples he left behind.
What is the reader to make of such promises of answered prayer? They should be looked at one at a time, for a single interpretation does not necessarily fit them all. The promise here is notable for what it does not say. Jesus does not invite them to ask “whatever you want” (as he will in Joh_15:7!), but to ask “in my name,” [Gr. ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου.] a phrase that seems to mean “Ask as if I were asking,” or “Ask what I would ask.” [This is supported by several other uses of “the name” (τὸ ὄνομα) in this Gospel. For example, to believe in Jesus’ “name” (Joh_1:12; Joh_2:23; Joh_3:18) is simply to believe in Jesus, and for Jesus to come in the Father’s “name” (Joh_5:43), or to perform works in the Father’s “name” (Joh_10:25), is to act on the Father’s behalf as the Father’s agent. In the same way, to suffer for Jesus’ “name” is to suffer for his sake (Joh_15:21), and to have life in his “name” (Joh_20:31) is to have life in him.] This would suggest that the prayer is directed ultimately to the Father after all, yet Jesus the Son promises to answer it, “so that the Father might be glorified in the Son” (Joh_14:13, echoing Joh_13:31, “Now the Son of man is glorified, and God is glorified in him”). (The New International Commentary on the New Testament)
It must be asked, if Christians were to make requests of, the one whom God has granted all authority in heaven and on earth, namely his Son, as long as they recognized that all glory, honor and worship goes ultimately to the Father would God be upset? (Matt. 28:18; Phil. 2:9-11) What if a Christian were to pray to Jesus for help in getting to know the Father? (Matt. 11:27) While it is true that prayer to God is a form of worship, nowhere is it stated that all prayer is worship. To take the position that it would be wrong to pray to Jesus because such automatically counts as idolatrous worship is an extreme view that is nowhere explicitly stated in scripture. Jesus is the mediator between God and men. (Gal. 3:20; 1 Tim. 2:5; John 14:6) As Moses interceded in behalf of the people, Jesus does so also as our high priest and is always alive to plead for us. (Nu. 21:7; Heb. 7:25)
The Bible speaks of those in the first century that called upon the Lord:
But all those hearing him were astonished and were saying: “Is this not the man who ravaged those in Jerusalem who call on this name? Did he not come here for the purpose of arresting them and taking them to the chief priests?” Acts 9:21
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. There is the same Lord over all, who is rich toward all those calling on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah [kuriou KIT] will be saved.” Romans 10:12, 13
to the congregation of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in union with Christ Jesus, called to be holy ones, together with all those everywhere who are calling on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: 1 Corinthians 1:2
So flee from youthful desires, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a clean heart. 2 Timothy 2:22
When contending with his thorn in the flesh, the apostle Paul three times begged the Lord that it be removed.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it would depart from me. (2 Cor. 12:8)
Which Lord did he petition? The context indicates it was the Lord Christ.
But he said to me: "My undeserved kindness is sufficient for you, for my power is being made perfect in weakness." Most gladly, then, I will boast about my weaknesses, in order that the power of the Christ may remain over me like a tent. (2 Cor. 12:9)
At the conclusion of the system of things Jesus foretold that many would claim to have done many powerful works in his name:
“Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23
How will these persons address Jesus at that time? According to Insight on the Scriptures, unless one is speaking directly to Jesus in a vision, reacting as if he were in Jesus’ personal presence, such address would be considered a prayer. But the society teaches that Jesus coming on the clouds will not be literally seen by humans:
“When Jesus ascended into heaven, according to the record, “a cloud caught him up from their vision.” (Ac 1:9) The disciples did not see Jesus riding away on a cloud, but rather, the cloud obscured their vision of him. This helps us to understand Jesus’ words concerning his presence: “They will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory,” and Revelation’s statement: “He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.” (Lu 21:27; Mt 24:30; Re 1:7) In past cases clouds represented invisible presence; but observers could “see” the meaning with their mental “eyes.” In this case the physical occurrences that are visible would cause the one looking to “see” or realize that Christ is invisibly present.—See also Mt 24; Mr 13; Re 14:14. (Insight on the Scriptures vol. 1 pg. 484)
Thus, unless these persons actually see Jesus and address him at that time the only logical conclusion would be that when they see the physical occurrences that cause them to realize that Christ is invisibly present, they pray to him. But their prayer would be rejected.
In an article entitled: “Jehovah Your Acquaintance or Your Friend?” The Watchtower states:
“Another requirement for friendship is open and frank communication. On the day of his death, Jesus told his faithful apostles: “I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, because all the things I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15) In sharing his thoughts with his friends, Jesus was following the example of his heavenly Father, about whom Amos 3:7 says: “The Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets.”
Is this not the normal thing among friends? We may feel no urge to share our experiences with Mr. Smith from across the street. And most assuredly we would not want to tell him our innermost thoughts and feelings. After all, he is only an acquaintance. But with our friends, why, often we can hardly wait to tell them such things!
It is likewise in our friendship with God. We can hardly wait to approach him in prayer, revealing to him our needs, our desires, and our innermost feelings. (The Watchtower June 1, 1992 pgs. 25-26)
Clearly if prayer is essential to developing and maintaining a relationship with Jehovah, then to say that such a relationship can be accomplished with Jesus without prayer undermines that argument. It is clear that Jesus directed worship to his Father. He set the example for his disciples by his own worship of his God and Father. As part of that example he prayed to the Father and taught them how to do so. Certainly he would not approve of any attention given to him that would place him on a pedestal above his Father or rob his Father of his rightful glory, honor and praise. But in light of the foregoing, it seems out of harmony with the fact that his Father has placed all authority in Jesus, giving him the name that is above every other name that it would be inappropriate for Christians to develop and maintain a relationship with him by speaking to him even in prayer as long as one keeps a balanced recognition of his role in God’s purpose. There appears to be a similar situation in the position Joseph was placed by Pharaoh in Egypt.
Pharʹaoh then said to Joseph: “Since God has caused you to know all of this, there is no one as discreet and wise as you. You will personally be over my house, and all my people will obey you implicitly. Only in my role as king will I be greater than you.” Genesis 41:39, 40
Eventually, all the land of Egypt suffered from the famine, and the people began to cry to Pharʹaoh for bread. Then Pharʹaoh said to all the Egyptians: “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.” The famine continued over all the surface of the earth. Then Joseph began to open up all the granaries that were among them and to sell to the Egyptians, as the famine had a strong grip on the land of Egypt. Moreover, people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy from Joseph, because the famine had a strong grip on all the earth. Genesis 41:55-57