“JESUS’ DUAL NATURE”

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” 

John 17:3

For the most part, we like to be in a place of power. We like it when we can move independently, and no one tells us what to do. But how do we feel about being relegated to the place of a servant?

John chapter 17 is a heartfelt prayer known as Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer.” After delivering His Farewell Discourse, Jesus now prays for Himself, the disciples, and future believers. This moment is also the start of Jesus’ “time.”

In our previous blog, we learned that Jesus’ Name being mentioned together with the Father’s as the mutual Givers of eternal life means that They are equal.

But why did Jesus pray to the Father if neither of them was superior to the Other?

What we have to understand is that this is Jesus praying as a man, not as God. Since He is praying as a man, it is natural and proper to address the Father as “the one true God.” He turns the spotlight not on Himself but on the Father. 

So, instead of questioning His deity, we should be taking note of His humility. 

6 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,”

Philippians 2:6

The Bible teaches that Jesus has a dual nature: He is both divine and human. Theologians call this "the hypostatic union," meaning Jesus is fully divine and fully human in one person. Jesus is the eternal second person of the Trinity, sharing the same divine essence as God the Father. But at the same time, He is also fully human, possessing a real, human body. He experienced hunger, fatigue, and pain like any person, but never sinned.

As divine, He does not need to subject Himself to the Father. But as a man, He does. Being made under the Law (Galatians 4:4), Jesus put Himself under the Father’s authority. His subjection to the Father was necessary for the fulfillment of the plan of salvation. He took the place of a servant and willingly sacrificed Himself to deal with sin once and for all.

Had Jesus not come in the flesh, there would have been no hope for us to be saved. A sinless, perfect sacrifice was needed to meet God's demands for justice. So, the Lord Himself came down to earth to purchase our freedom from sin and its punishment. And He had to let go of some of His divine prerogatives and fully embrace humanity to make your and my salvation possible.

How does Jesus' unique, dual nature influence your worship of God?

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Thomas Chizzali on Unsplash