This is an important question that many have wondered about. At first glance, it may seem puzzling how Jesus could be God while also praying to God the Father. However, when we examine what the Bible teaches about the nature of God, we find that this is not actually a contradiction.
The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). Yet, the Bible also teaches that God exists as three co-equal and co-eternal Persons – God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). This is known as the Trinity. The Trinity means that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are distinct Persons, yet they are all equally and fully God. They have different roles and functions, but they are one in essence and nature.
Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. He is fully God, yet He willingly took on human flesh (John 1:1, 14). As the incarnate Son of God, Jesus had two natures – fully divine and fully human. So when Jesus prayed to the Father, it was His human nature praying to the divine nature shared with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus’ prayers displayed His dependence on and submission to the will of the Father as part of His humanity and fulfilling His earthly mission (Luke 22:42).
Throughout His earthly life and ministry, Jesus frequently prayed to God the Father (Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12). He often addressed God as His Father when praying. He cried out to the Father from the cross. He even instructed His followers on how to pray by providing an example – the Lord’s prayer which begins “Our Father…” (Matthew 6:9). Jesus praying to the Father was consistent with His genuine humanity. It also revealed His unique relationship with the Father. Yet He remained fully God, even as He prayed.
Jesus’ prayers were directed to God the Father, but this does not indicate that He is somehow inferior to the Father. The three Persons of the Trinity relate to each other, communicate with each other, and glorify each other (John 17:1-5). The Father and Son are equal in essence, but different in role and function. The Father sends and commands, the Son obeys and is sent. This reflects an equality of nature but a distinction of persons between the Father and Son.
Scripture provides several examples that demonstrate Jesus was fully God even while He prayed to the Father:
- Jesus received worship, yet the Bible commands only God should be worshipped (Matthew 14:33, Luke 24:52)
- Jesus claimed divine authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:5-7)
- Jesus stated “I and the Father are one” indicating His unity with God (John 10:30)
- The apostle John called Jesus “the true God” in 1 John 5:20
- Thomas called Jesus “My Lord and my God” in John 20:28
In summary, Jesus prayed to the Father as part of His genuine human nature, His relationship with the Father, and His earthly mission. But this does not contradict or deny His own divinity as part of the eternal Godhead. The Bible teaches Christ’s two natures – He was fully God and fully man. So Jesus could pray to God the Father while still being God Himself. The Trinity allows Jesus to maintain divine attributes and carry out divine functions, while also relating to the Father in His humanity. His prayers reflected both a dependence on the Father, and an equality with the Father at the same time.
Understanding how Jesus could be God and pray to God requires recognizing that the nature of God includes diversity and distinction between the Persons of the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Spirit work together, relate to each other, communicate with each other, and bring glory to each other. Jesus’ prayers were one expression of this interaction within the Godhead. Rather than being a contradiction, Jesus praying to the Father provides helpful insight into the nature of the Triune God that is revealed in Scripture.
In the end, we must humble ourselves before the mysteries of an infinite God that our finite minds cannot fully grasp or explain. The question is not whether we can fully understand or explain it, but whether we will accept and believe what God has revealed in His Word about His divine nature and character.
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Jesus’ prayer life was a model for believers to follow. As the incarnate Son of God, Jesus displayed complete dependence on and devotion to the Father through prayer. Jesus prayed often – before major events, at times of decision, before healing people, in times of stress, before choosing the disciples, and sometimes all night. Here are five key purposes and themes seen in Jesus’ prayer life:
- Dependence on the Father – Jesus consistently prayed to align Himself with the will of the Father and be empowered by the Father.
- Setting an example – Jesus’ prayer life provides a model for believers to follow – praying in faith, sincerely, privately, simply, for God’s will.
- Intimacy with the Father – Prayer reflected Jesus’ close relationship with His Father.
- Preparation for ministry/mission – Jesus prayed before important events or phases of ministry.
- Submission to the Father – Jesus prayed to submit Himself and His will to the Father’s purposes.
By making prayer a priority, Jesus displayed that prayer is meant to be an integral part of the believer’s life and growth. As the divine Son of God, Jesus did not need to pray. But as the incarnate Son, Jesus prayed often to show the importance of depending on the Father, just as believers must depend on Him. Through prayer, believers can deepen their intimacy with God and submit themselves to His perfect will.
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There are several key passages that provide insight into how Jesus could pray to God the Father while being God Himself:
John 17
In John 17, Jesus prays a long prayer to the Father the night before His crucifixion. In it, He asks the Father to glorify Him so that He can glorify the Father (v1,5). He refers to the Father as the “only true God” while being one with the Father (v3,22). This shows a distinction between Persons while affirming shared divine essence.
Matthew 26:39-44
Jesus prays fervently in Gethsemane to let the cup of suffering pass, but submits His will to the Father’s. This reveals Jesus’ human struggle, dependence and obedience to the Father.
Luke 23:34,46
Even while being crucified, Jesus prays to commit His spirit to the Father and intercede for those killing Him. This reveals Jesus’ heart for the Father’s will.
John 11:41-42
Before raising Lazarus, Jesus thanks the Father who hears His prayers, indicating unity with the Father.
Matthew 11:25-26
Jesus gives thanks to the Father as His sovereign Lord, while claiming authority over all things – showing distinct roles.
In all these passages, we see Jesus conversing with His Father as one divine Person communing with another divine Person. His prayers reveal a humble dependence and humanity, yet also reveal His unity and equality with the Father.
Word count: 260
There are several theological reasons why Jesus praying to the Father does not contradict His divine nature:
- Jesus has two natures – Jesus is fully human and fully divine. His prayers flow from His human nature, while His divine nature remains intact.
- The Trinity allows distinction – Though one in essence, the Trinity has three distinct, coequal persons. Jesus prays to the Father as a distinct person of the Godhead.
- Different roles and functions – The Son obeys and is sent by the Father, reflecting differences in roles between the persons.
- Voluntary submission – As part of His mission, Jesus willingly submits Himself to the authority of the Father.
- Ontological equality – While distinct persons, the Father and Son share equal power, glory and divine attributes.
- Economic subordination – The Son subjected Himself to the Father’s will economically during His incarnation.
- Intra-trinitarian communion – Prayer reflects the intimate communion and communication within the Godhead.
In summary, Jesus’ prayerful submission to the Father was voluntary, functional, and temporal – not ontological. His divine nature was not inferior or lesser than the Father’s. The prayers of Jesus reveal His relationship dynamics with the Father within the Trinity. They show dependence and obedience appropriate to His humanity and mission. Yet He remained fully divine.
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Here are some key objections to the idea that Jesus praying disproves His divinity, along with responses:
Objection: Jesus said “the Father is greater than I” – doesn’t this mean Jesus is not God?
Response: This statement refers to Christ’s human submission to the Father, not His divine essence. As God, the Father and Son are equal.
Objection: Jesus is just talking to Himself if He is God – that doesn’t make sense.
Response: Within the Trinity, the three persons speak, relate and commune with each other as distinct persons, not just as modes or roles.
Objection: God does not need to pray, but Jesus needed to – so He can’t be divine.
Response: Jesus’ human nature needed to pray, but His divine nature did not cease. His choice to pray displays His dependence on the Father.
Objection: If Jesus was God, He wouldn’t need to submit Himself to God’s will.
Response: Jesus willingly subjected His human will to the Father to accomplish redemption. This voluntary submission does not deny His divine will and authority.
Objection: Jesus is just an elevated man or god-like being, but not fully divine.
Response: Scripture affirms Christ’s full divinity – eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, creator, worthy of worship.
While we may not fully grasp how Jesus could be God and pray to God, we can trust God’s revelation about the nature of the Trinity and Christ’s two natures. Jesus’ prayers exemplify submission to the Father yet do not deny His full deity.
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The fact that Jesus prayed does not take away from His divine nature, but rather enhances the wonder of who He is. Here are some key implications of understanding Jesus as divine even while He prayed:
- Reveals Christ’s humility – That the eternal Son of God humbled Himself to pray as a man is profoundly humble.
- Displays God’s condescension – Christ stepped down to commune with lowly man through prayer by grace.
- Highlights Christ’s dependence – Jesus lived in complete reliance on and devotion to the Father.
- Encourages believers – If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we need God’s strength through prayer.
- Glorifies the Trinity – The prayer life of Jesus reveals and glorifies the triune Godhead.
- Sets an example – Jesus modeled for believers a life of prayer that depends on and honors God.
- Reveals Christ’s heart – Jesus’ prayers display His priorities, desires, and love for people.
Rather than detracting from Christ’s divinity, His prayer life confirms it. For only God in human flesh could or would thus humble Himself to commune with the Father for our sake. What a glorious, mysterious God we serve!
Word count: 250
In conclusion, the fact that Jesus prayed to God the Father does not contradict or deny His divine nature and full deity. Through examining Scripture, we find several key understandings that help explain how Christ could be both God and pray to God:
- Jesus has two natures – fully God and fully man.
- The doctrine of the Trinity allows distinction between the Persons.
- Jesus willingly submitted His human will to the Father.
- Ontological equality and economic subordination exist in the Trinity.
- Jesus’ prayers displayed intimacy and communion within the Godhead.
While we may never fully grasp the mysteries of God’s triune nature, we can firmly rely on what Scripture reveals about Him. Jesus praying to the Father while being God Himself, far from being illogical or confusing, magnifies the glory, grace, and humility of God. Jesus’ example of prayer challenges believers to deepen their devotion to God through a life of prayer and submission to the Father’s will.
The prayers of Jesus provide a model for believers today. As the Son of God prayed often and earnestly during His earthly life and ministry, so we must depend on prayer to align our hearts with God’s desires, receive strength for living, and glorify Him through our lives. What a great and mighty God we serve, that Jesus Christ the Son of God would humble Himself to pray for our sake!
