A common question raised against the belief that Jesus is the one true God is, “If Jesus is God, why does He pray?” Many assume that His prayers must suggest communication between separate divine persons. However, a biblical understanding of Christ’s identity clarifies this misunderstanding.
Jesus’ prayers were not the prayers of one divine person to another, but the prayers of a real man fully dependent on God. This blog explores how Christ’s prayers align with the scriptural teaching that God is one and that Jesus is the manifestation of God in the flesh.
The Incarnation: God in Flesh, Not a Second Person
Scripture repeatedly affirms that God took on human form in Jesus Christ. The Bible declares:
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.” (1 Timothy 3:16)
Jesus was not a second divine person praying to another. He was God in His human manifestation, living as a man among us. The prayers of Jesus comes from His genuine human experience, not from a division within the Godhead.
John 1:14 states, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” The Word was not a separate person but the very will of God, now embodied in Christ. Jesus’ prayers reflected the reality of His humanity, not a conversation between two divine beings.
This truth is confirmed in Zechariah 12:10, where God declares:
“And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.”
God Himself states that He is the one who will be pierced, a direct prophecy of Christ’s crucifixion. This verse affirms that Jesus is not a separate person from God but the one true God revealed in flesh.
Jesus Prayed as the Perfect Example of Submission
As the sinless Son of God, Jesus lived in perfect obedience to God’s will. His prayers were an example for believers, demonstrating what it means to live in full submission to God.
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8)
Jesus, as the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), came to fulfill what the first Adam failed to do. He showed what it means for humanity to walk in perfect fellowship with God. His prayers were not to a separate person but an expression of His reliance on the Father as a man.
John 11:41-42 reveals this clearly:
“And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.”
Jesus openly prayed for the sake of the people, teaching them to trust in God’s power at work through Him.
The Prayers of Jesus in Context
Several key moments in Jesus’ ministry reveal the purpose of His prayers.
- The Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42)
“Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
Jesus, in His humanity, experienced the full weight of suffering. His prayer was not a plea from one divine person to another but the cry of a real man enduring the agony of obedience. He submitted His human will to the divine purpose of God, showing us the cost of true surrender.
- The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He was instructing them on how to approach God.
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
This was not a dialogue within the Godhead but an example for His followers. He set a model for them rather than offering a personal prayer for Himself
- The High Priestly Prayer (John 17)
Some claim that John 17, where Jesus prays for unity among believers, supports the idea of separate divine persons. However, a closer look reveals that Jesus’ focus was on His role as the mediator between God and humanity.
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
Jesus, as the Son, was sent in the flesh to reveal the only true God, not as a second divine being but as the visible manifestation of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)
One of the most misunderstood statements of Jesus is His cry from the cross:
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Many assume this means the Father and the Son were separated, but Jesus was quoting Psalm 22, a prophecy of the Messiah’s suffering. Far from suggesting separation within the Godhead, this moment pointed to the fulfillment of Scripture.
Psalm 22 describes the suffering servant who ultimately triumphs. Jesus was identifying Himself as the prophesied one, showing that even in His darkest moment, He remained the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan.
Jesus, the Mediator Between God and Man
1 Timothy 2:5 declares:
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Jesus is the bridge between God and humanity, being both God and man. His mediatorial role does not indicate a second divine person but affirms that God took on flesh to reconcile humanity to Himself.
2 Corinthians 5:19 reinforces this truth:
“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”
Thus, in Christ, God personally took on flesh to fulfill His divine plan of redemption and restore the relationship between Creator and creation.
No Division, Only Revelation
The prayers of Jesus were not conversations between separate persons of the Trinity but the prayers of the man Christ Jesus, who lived in full submission to God. His prayers demonstrated:
- The reality of His human experience.
- His role as the perfect example for believers.
- His purpose as the mediator between God and man.
Rather than proving a division within the Godhead, Christ’s prayers confirm the biblical truth of God’s oneness. Jesus was fully God and fully man, and in His humanity, He prayed as a part of His incarnate life.
“I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30)
Behold the Pierced One
Zechariah 12:10 makes it undeniably clear that the One who was pierced was none other than God Himself. The crucifixion was not the suffering of a second divine person, but the self-revelation of the one true God in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19).
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