If Jesus was God, why did He call God “My God?”
1. **The Doctrine of the Trinity:**
– Christianity teaches that God is one being in three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. This is known as the Trinity. Each Person is fully God, sharing the same divine essence, yet they are distinct in their personhood and roles.
2. **The Dual Nature of Christ:**
– The doctrine of the Hypostatic Union states that Jesus Christ has two natures: He is fully God and fully man. This means that in the one Person of Jesus, both divine and human natures coexist without mixing, changing, or compromising each other.
### Jesus Praying to the Father
1. **Relationship within the Trinity:**
– Within the Trinity, there is a relationship of love, communication, and distinct roles. The Son, Jesus, has always been in relationship with the Father. This eternal relationship did not change when the Son became incarnate. Jesus’ prayers reflect this ongoing relationship.
– **John 17:5:** “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” This verse shows the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son.
2. **Jesus’ Human Nature:**
– As fully human, Jesus experienced the same needs and emotions that humans do, including the need to pray. His prayers demonstrate His reliance on the Father and His commitment to living a fully human life.
– **Hebrews 5:7:** “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
3. **Model for Believers:**
– Jesus’ prayers also serve as a model for believers. He demonstrated how to live a life of dependence on God, showing us the importance of prayer, trust, and submission to the Father’s will.
– **Matthew 6:9-13:** In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, emphasizing the relational aspect of prayer to the Father.
### Key Instances of Jesus’ Prayers
1. **In the Garden of Gethsemane:**
– **Matthew 26:39:** “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'”
– Here, Jesus expresses His human desire to avoid suffering but submits to the Father’s will, showing both His humanity and His obedience.
2. **On the Cross:**
– **Luke 23:34:** “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'”
– Even in His suffering, Jesus prays to the Father, demonstrating His role as an intercessor.
– **Matthew 27:46:** “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)”
– This cry from the cross shows the depth of Jesus’ human experience of abandonment, yet it also fulfills Psalm 22, linking His suffering to the Messianic prophecy.
### Theological Significance
1. **Intercession and Mediation:**
– Jesus, as our high priest, intercedes for us before the Father. His prayers during His earthly ministry reflect His ongoing intercessory role.
– **Hebrews 7:25:** “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
2. **The Mystery of the Trinity:**
– The Trinity is a mystery that human minds cannot fully comprehend. The interaction between Jesus (the Son) and the Father is a glimpse into the relational nature of the Triune God. This relationship is characterized by mutual love, communication, and submission.
– **John 1:1:** “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
### Conclusion
When Jesus prays to the Father, He is not praying to Himself but to another distinct Person within the Trinity. This prayer life reflects the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son, Jesus’ human experience and dependence on God, and serves as a model for believers. The doctrine of the Trinity and the dual nature of Christ help explain how Jesus, being fully God and fully man, communicates with the Father while remaining one with Him in essence.
Understanding Jesus’ prayers requires recognizing the mystery and depth of the Trinity and the incarnation, where Jesus’ divine and human natures are fully united in His one person. This mystery is central to Christian faith and highlights the profound nature of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ.
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