In this post I will revisit the Lord’s explicit statement that the Father is greater than him, showing how this does not conflict with the clear, explicit teaching that the Son is coequal to God in essence, nature, power, glory and honor.
Here’s the passage in question:
“You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and am returning to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.” John 14:28
One of the reasons why Jesus could say that the Father is greater than he is because the Scriptures proclaim that God is greater than all humanity:
“Look, in this you are not just. I will answer you, that God is greater than man.” Job 33:12
With the foregoing in perspective, it is important to keep in mind that John describes Jesus as the uncreated Word that is God by nature, by whom all creation came into being and from whom all life and illumination flow, who then entered into the world at a specific point of time to become flesh:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were created through Him, and without Him nothing was created that was created. In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind… The true Light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not know Him… The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 14
This is why we find Jesus being described as a Man all throughout John in contexts where Christ is also identified as the unique divine Son of God who is essentially one with the Father:
“So they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, “Take up your bed and walk”?’… The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. So the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day. Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is working still, and I am working.’ So the Jews sought even more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” John 5:12, 15-18
“… Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father.’ Then they said to Him, ‘We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father: God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and proceeded into the world. I did not come of My own authority, but He sent Me.’” John 8:39b-42
“So they said to him, ‘How were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘A Man called Jesus made clay, anointed my eyes, and said to me, “Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.” So I went away and washed, and I received my sight.’” John 9:10-11
“Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath day.” John 9:14-16
“So again they called the man who was blind and said to him, ‘Give glory to God. We know that this Man is a sinner.’” John 9:24
“The man answered, ‘Well, here is an amazing thing! You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. But if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began, it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were completely born in sin. Are you teaching us?’ And they threw him out. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of God?’ He answered, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen Him, and it is He who speaks with you.’ Then he said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshipped Him.” John 9:30-38
“‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life. They shall never perish, nor shall anyone snatch them from My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them from My Father’s hand. My Father and I are one.’ Again the Jews took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?’ The Jews answered Him, ‘We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, claim to be God.”” John 10:27-33
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’… Then the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled the Sanhedrin and said, ‘What shall we do? This Man is performing many signs. If we leave Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.’ Then one of them named Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, that the whole nation should not perish.’ He did not say this on his own authority. But being the high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together in unity the children of God who were scattered abroad. So from that day forward they planned to put Him to death.” John 11:25-27, 47-52
“Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the Man!’ When the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God!’” John 19:5-7
The Scriptures further testify that Christ is still a Man after his physical, bodily resurrection into heaven and will forever remain such:
“God overlooked the times of ignorance, but now He commands all men everywhere to repent. For He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed, having given assurance of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31
“There IS one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:5
Therefore, since God is greater than mankind, and since Jesus became and will forever remain a Man (albeit a glorified One), the Father became and will in some sense always remain greater than his enfleshed/incarnate Son.
Here’s a helpful breakdown of the biblical revelation concerning this issue of the Father’s relationship to the Son Incarnate:
- God by his very nature is greater than mankind.
- Jesus became a Man at a specific moment in time in order to fulfill the Father’s will in bringing about the salvation of the world (Cf. John 3:16-18; 6:37-44; 12:47).
- The Father is God in nature.
- Therefore, from the moment of Christ’s Incarnation the Father became greater than the Son.
- The Son continues to remain a Man who shall forever exist as a glorified human being with an immortal physical body of flesh (Cf. John 20:24-29; Luke 24:36-43; Acts 2:29-32; 13:34-35).
- Therefore, there will always be a sense in which the Father shall be greater than the Incarnate Son.
All scriptural citations taken from the Modern English Version (MEV).
FURTHER READING
Jesus says that the Father is greater than he is, proving that he is not God.
Answering Islam Blog 