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Response
Jesus stated, “The Father is greater than I” «You have heard how I said to you, I go away, and come again to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go to the Father: for my Father is greater than I. », (John 14:28) to His troubled disciples on the night of His arrest. Jesus had announced His imminent departure, which puzzled them (John 13:33-38;14:1;16:16-18).
Jesus informs them, “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I” «You have heard how I said to you, I go away, and come again to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go to the Father: for my Father is greater than I. », (John 14:28). Therefore, if they truly loved Him, they would have rejoiced that He is going to the Father. Jesus had previously promised that He would go and prepare a place for them in His Father’s house «In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. », (John 14:2). He also assured them that He would return and take them to be with Him forever (verse 3). This should have been a reason for joy. Another reason for joy is that “the Father is greater than I” (verse 28).
John 14:28 is often misinterpreted to claim that Jesus is not God: “If Jesus is God,” the critics argue, “how is the Father greater than He?” Nevertheless, the apostle John insists that Jesus is God (John 1:1, 18; 5:16-18; 10:30; 20:28). John also emphasizes that Jesus was obedient to His Father (John 4:34; John 5:19-30; 8:29; 12:48-49). How can we reconcile this apparent difficulty? Arians reject the idea that Jesus is fully God, while Gnostics reject that Jesus is fully human. Both stances are unacceptable. Jesus is both fully God and fully man. So, what does Jesus mean when He says, “The Father is greater than I”?
First, the doctrine of the incarnation teaches that Jesus “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-7; ESV). Therefore, “for a little while” «But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. », (Hebrews 2:9), the Father was greater in glory and exaltation. The Father was greater because He was not subject to pain, illness, and death—unlike the Son. The Father was greater because He did not experience weariness, poverty, and humiliation—unlike the Son. The “greatness” mentioned in this verse pertains to role, not essence.
Second, the doctrine of eternal Sonship teaches that the Father begot the Son. This is a challenging concept to comprehend, but the Bible consistently confirms that Jesus had no beginning (John 1:1; John 17:5). In essence, there was never a time when Jesus did not exist. To suggest otherwise is to fall into the heresy of Arianism.
Jesus has always existed: “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 made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3;ESV).
In John 1:14, John writes that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (ESV). Jesus did not cease being God; He simply took on human flesh, yet without sin “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”, (Hebrews 4:15). This is the most incredible moment in history! The omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Son of God assumed a human nature and lived as one of us: He was God and man at the same time.
Since Jesus always had a deep and intimate relationship with the Father, the disciples should have rejoiced that the Son was returning home “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.”, (John 14:28). Jesus would leave behind all the pain and sorrow of this world and regain the glory that He had with the Father before the creation of the world “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”, (John 17:5). If the disciples loved Him, they would be glad for Him. But His going home was for the disciples’ benefit, too, because, once in heaven, Jesus would send the promised Holy Spirit to be with them forever (John 14:15-31).
5-31).
We should thank God for the love that exists between the Father and the Son, a love that was fully shown when Jesus endured the shame of the cross for our sins (Hebrews 12:1-2).
