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The Father is Greater?
Today we have a difficult little verse with 14:28b: "I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." If you've ever thought or read or sung about the Trinity, this probably seems off to you. Whatever happened to:
"There is one God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, infinite in being and perfection. He exists eternally in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are of one substance and equal in power and glory"?
Is Jesus saying that He isn't equal with the Father in substance? This was the idea of the heresy called Arianism. Arianism says the Jesus isn't "God", but "a god". Jesus' "substance" is "like" God's, but it is not the same as God's. This was condemned as heresy way back in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea.
So what about this verse?
"Taken in isolation, this may appear to be the meaning of 14:28b; but if so, this verse jars the overwhelmingly divine portrait we have of Jesus in this Gospel. Making Jesus a lesser divinity or a lesser God would offend the solid Jewish monotheism of the Gospel...
...The Father’s greatness springs from his role as the origin and sender of Jesus, just as a ray of light might refer to the sun from which it came.
The word picture Jesus often uses to describe his life is the agent sent on a mission (17:4–5) and completing the assignments of his Sender (4:34; 5:30; 6:38–39; 9:4; 10:32, 37; 17:4). Within this agent/sender relationship, the originator of the mission has greater authority. In 13:16, Jesus cites the proverbial saying: “I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” Later he repeats it for his disciples, who will be his agents in the world (15:20). As courier of God’s message, as the agent devoted to divine service, Jesus is acknowledging the relationship, the source, of what has brought that message to life (14:24b, 31a)." [1] (emphasis mine)
What is being spoken of in this verse is not "essence" (the substance of which something consists), but "function". The persons of the Trinity are equal and one in essence, but different in function. As Jesus is eternally "begotten" by God (that is, proceed from or generated by God), His function and authority are different. His essence and being are not.
If you didn't totally understand that last paragraph, it's because this is a difficult (but important!) topic. The language used needs to be very precise - read the paragraph again slowly and if you have any questions on this topic, make sure you let me know in the comments!
The Father is Greater?
Today we have a difficult little verse with 14:28b: "I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." If you've ever thought or read or sung about the Trinity, this probably seems off to you. Whatever happened to:
"There is one God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, infinite in being and perfection. He exists eternally in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are of one substance and equal in power and glory"?
Is Jesus saying that He isn't equal with the Father in substance? This was the idea of the heresy called Arianism. Arianism says the Jesus isn't "God", but "a god". Jesus' "substance" is "like" God's, but it is not the same as God's. This was condemned as heresy way back in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea.
So what about this verse?
"Taken in isolation, this may appear to be the meaning of 14:28b; but if so, this verse jars the overwhelmingly divine portrait we have of Jesus in this Gospel. Making Jesus a lesser divinity or a lesser God would offend the solid Jewish monotheism of the Gospel...
...The Father’s greatness springs from his role as the origin and sender of Jesus, just as a ray of light might refer to the sun from which it came.
The word picture Jesus often uses to describe his life is the agent sent on a mission (17:4–5) and completing the assignments of his Sender (4:34; 5:30; 6:38–39; 9:4; 10:32, 37; 17:4). Within this agent/sender relationship, the originator of the mission has greater authority. In 13:16, Jesus cites the proverbial saying: “I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” Later he repeats it for his disciples, who will be his agents in the world (15:20). As courier of God’s message, as the agent devoted to divine service, Jesus is acknowledging the relationship, the source, of what has brought that message to life (14:24b, 31a)." [1] (emphasis mine)
What is being spoken of in this verse is not "essence" (the substance of which something consists), but "function". The persons of the Trinity are equal and one in essence, but different in function. As Jesus is eternally "begotten" by God (that is, proceed from or generated by God), His function and authority are different. His essence and being are not.
If you didn't totally understand that last paragraph, it's because this is a difficult (but important!) topic. The language used needs to be very precise - read the paragraph again slowly and if you have any questions on this topic, make sure you let me know in the comments!
[1] Gary M. Burge, NIV Application Commentary: John (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 400-01.
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