Jesus is recorded to have used the phrase, ‘my Father’ many times when referring to God, who sent Him, while he was on earth. But did you realize that the King James Version of the Bible, reflects the phrase “My God” as used by Jesus, only twice. Once it was on the Cross (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34) and the next time, it was post resurrection, in his conversation with Mary Magdalene. Jesus told Mary, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)
Not only is this statement one that makes us the brothers (and sisters) of Jesus, but the relationship starts to get even more intimate. We are co-heirs with Christ, because Jesus makes God, His Father, our Father as well, when he says “and your Father”. In John 8:44, Jesus refers to those in whom His word had no place, and those who did not love Him (which makes up pretty much for all those unsaved, including you and me, before we heeded to the word of God and believed in Jesus) as being the children of the devil when he says “Ye are of your father the devil”. But with his act of sacrifice that was acceptable to God, His Father, we see that the lost relationship of God with man as Father and son has been restored because of Jesus’ death and Resurrection.
What a privilege it is to be adopted into God’s family as sons (and daughters) of THE Only True God who sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, so that we can believe in Him and have eternal life (John 3:16; John 17:3). But let us pause for a moment. Jesus did not just make us sons (and daughters) of God, but he also made us servants of God. He said, my Father and your Father; and my God and your God, not just My Father and your Father. We are sons AND servants (meaning we are expected to serve) God, the Father, but many of us just want to be sons, and not servants. We tend to use God as a loving Father who fancies our every indulgence, but seldom want to have him to be the LORD of our lives; to be our God.
Note how on the Cross, Jesus addressed God as “Father” and cried “My God, my God” not “My God, your God”. However, with His act of love, dying in our stead, taking the punishment for sin for us, and His sacrifice being acceptable to God (Hebrews 10:1-18), He changes his address from just “Father” and “My God, my God” to “My Father and your Father; My God, and your God“. While this establishes a long lost relationship, let us recognize that we are not merely sons but servants as well, and are expected to inherit with Christ while serving God, Our Father. Jesus affirmed that God is “Your Father and Your God” and he meant both.
John 20:17 (KJV)
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Suresh Chandra Bose
Want to share a scripture to emphasis on what you already wrote Mano. In the same Book of John, Jesus says “I and My Father are one” -John 10:30. It all boils down to the concept of Trinity. Its One in All and All in One.
Another illustration on similar lines can be seen both in OT & NT.
“The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand'” -Psalm 110:1 & Matthew 22:44
Todd Reeder
Jesus says in John 20:17 my God and your God. Many people say Jesus is God. So why would he say My God and your God if Jesus is God?
Mano Paul
Hi Todd
Thank you for your comment/question.
The address of God the Father, as God by Jesus is certainly an intriguing one and in order to accept this by faith, we must first visit another concept in the Bible that is even more difficult to fully understand – the Trinity of God.
God in three persons, yet being One is a difficult concept to comprehend by our human (binary or mutually exclusive thinking) brain and so any human explanation is most likely going to seem short. Several analogies are given to understand the mystery of the Trinity of God, ranging from the “water” analogy which states that just as water can be manifested in solid (ice), liquid or gaseous (vapor) states, God exists in three manifestations but is still one. Another common analogy is the “egg” analogy which states that the shell, yolk and albumen are all parts of the egg, but individually they don’t make an egg. This attempts to express the three Persons of God as parts of God, which I believe is inaccurate. The “man” analogy which states that a man can be father, son or husband is another one, which expresses the three Persons of God with differing roles and this is more scripturally sound than the egg analogy. Even from the world of comics, an explanation that has surfaced is how Superman and Clark Kent are essential the same individual but two persons (personalities) for Clark Kent needs glasses to read, while as Superman he has X-ray vision, but this again can be debunked. So in essence, any man made analogy of the Trinity of God can be challenged, but when we go to the Scripture, we see that In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1), which avers that Jesus (the Word) is God who was with God the Father from the very beginning of time, as the Spirit (Holy Spirit) of God hovered over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2).
Now back to your question of why would Jesus called God the Father as God when he himself is God. In fact, this is one of the arguments that Jehovah’s witness and other anti-Christian cults/sects use in their attempts to deny the Godship of Jesus. Jesus is the perfect God-man, fully divine and fully human at the same time and we see this even the prophecy of Jesus’ birth, for prophet Isaiah recorded that unto us a child is born (speaking of his humanity as Mary and Joseph the carpenter’s child) and unto us a Son is given (speaking of his divinity, for God announced twice that Jesus was his beloved Son). Philippians 2 records that though Jesus is God, he considered it robbery to be made equal with God and made himself (willingly) of no reputation and took the form of a servant in the likeness of man and humbled himself unto death, even death on the Cross. This makes me believe that when Jesus addressed God as God and not Father, he was in no way annulling his Godship but instead affirming his place in the Masterplan of God’s salvation as The Servant in the likeness of man. God is God and Father to Jesus just as he is to all of us who believe in him and are adopted into his family.
I hope this helps clarify your understanding a little. I’d be happy to explore more with you, if needed. Let me know and God bless you.
Mano Paul
John
Hi. Could God call the Father my God in eternity past or was it only something He could say after the incarnation. That is does ‘My God’ imply dependence, servanthood, reponsibility and subjection and therefore could only be addressed by Christ as My God when he was a man?
Mano Paul
John, your question as to whether Jesus could call God the Father as Father before his humanity made me have to go back and search the Holy Bible.
My understanding is that the One God in three Persons (Father, Son and Holy Ghost) exists from before the foundations of the world and my position is based on the following references.
Reference 1: In the beginning God said, let us (implying God in Three Persons) make man in our (again God in Three Persons) image, in our likeness – Genesis 1:26
Reference 2: King Nebuchadnezzar saw four in the fire and said the fourth is like the Son of God. (Note, the phrase Son of God is used before the birth of Jesus) – Daniel 3:25
Reference 3: The announcement of the birth of Jesus to Mary by the angel also refers to the Trinity (Holy Ghost, the Highest (God, the Father) and the Son of God). Luke 1:35 – And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Some may point out that the title “the Son of God” is tobe in the future, but from the next reference, we learn that Jesus was Son before his birth (before his being made of a woman)
Reference 4: Galatians 4:4 – But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law
My position is based on the above mentioned references, However, I pray that you search the scripture yourself to validate it as did the Bereans (Acts 17:11).