If Jesus is God, then who did Jesus pray to when he got baptized?

Question

Its just a question, please don't deviate from the subject. Please be specific with your reply, and give proof. If you quote the bible, give which version you are using, so I can double check. Thanks.

Answer 1

Interestingly, the bible seems to imply that the two eyewitnesses of Jesus' baptism were only John the Baptist and Jehovah God, which leads to another interesting conundrum for Trinitarians who argue against the idea that Jehovah and Jesus absolutely MUST be two distinct persons.

Jesus reminded certain Jewish troublemakers that the Jewish law required judges to accept the testimony of two distinct persons, but the word of just one testifyer was insufficient.

(Deuteronomy 19:15) At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses the matter should stand good. [See also Deut 17:6]


When the Pharisees tried to protest that Jesus' claim to be "the light of the world" must be rejected as the claim of a single person, Jesus reminded them that a distinct, separate person confirmed Jesus' own testimony:

(John 8:17-19) Also, in your own Law it is written, ‘The witness of two men is true.’ I am one that bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”


Clearly, such clear logic on Jesus' part would have been significantly muddied if Jesus himself were also claiming to be God. The Jews knew that Jesus never taught that he was God, but rather that Jesus was a separate and distinct person, the Son of God.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/library/g/2005/4/22/article_01.htm

Answer 2

What you are looking at is what Christians refer to as the mystery of the Trinity.

Christians would look at this and see that Jesus, the Christ, had come to John the Baptist to initiate His entry into His ministerial years. This was an act of obediance to His heavenly Father. Having done this, the voice of God was heard speaking saying, "This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." At the same time the Holy Spirit of God appears descending from heaven. (Jesus doesn't actually pray here.)

While there are many scriptures that show the 3 persons of God at work the one that is most explicit where the Trinity is defined explicitly is in I John 5:7, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (KJV & YLT)

Another possibility is that Jesus was schitzophrenic, talking to and arguing with Himself and claiming to be God . While I believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ the option that He was crazy and was just talking to himself is a possibility.

But if you believe that Jesus was just some crazy nut please don't say, "Well, I think He was a good man." If He was crazy and conned hundreds of people into believing He was the Messiah, He wasn't a good man. He was just a crazy, insane man.

But if you examine the reports on the things He said, the miracles He did, the prophecies that were fullfilled, the sacrifice He made for you and you believe He is what He said He was... the Son of the LIving God, One with God the Father, and you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you shall be saved. (Rom. 10:9)

Continue to be a Berean. If you seek for the truth you will surely find it.

Answer 3

Our God is not a God who lives in isolation but in a community of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Father is the the creator of all that exists. Jesus proceeds from the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is of the same nature with the Father but he cannot claim to be the Father. He keeps his status as a Son who proceeds from the Father. Therefore, when he prayed after his baptism his prayer was addressed to the Father who is the beginning and the end of all including Jesus himself.

Answer 4

you raise a straw man argument

In the end you are giving an argument for the Athanasian Trinity over the Sybellian trinity which the church rejected the Sybellian trinity long long ago... so this is a straw man argument as most christians do not believe in the Sybellian trinity

The issue you raise is an issue for ther rightly rejected Sybellian trinity, under the sybellian trinity, God is one person who wears 3 hats , a father, son and spirit hat showing himself 3 ways

Protestants and Catholics would believe in the Athanasian Trinigty God exists as one (same) essense and three (different) in persons. So it is not an issue since God the Son may pray to God the Father as they are different in person. Many orthodox views will say they are coequal in nature and the son and spirit may be eternally generated in person

In the case of Jesus who was divine in essence and coequal with the father in essense, he took on an additional unfallen human nature to become the perfect mediator between God and Man One person in two natures, the divine part ofthe trinity, the other creaturely in one package and this is called the hypostatic union. Jesus is human enough to die and divine enough to raise himself from the dead "tear down this temple and in three days I will raise it again from the dead" John 2

(Many claim the rejected Sybellian Trininty which does not make the Father and Son different in persons does go on in in several forms modern times in some oneness Pentacostals and some have also selft in the teachings of Bishop Jakes might lean in this direction, he doesnt always speak to the issue so its hard to tell)

Answer 5

This is a great question! Finally someone who is thinking! Jesus prayed to His Heavenly Father. The Godhead consists of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. They are not the same people but they are one in purpose. There is much more to this answer so I will just attach a most useful link. Hope it helps ;)

Answer 6

Here are just a couple scriptures showing that Jesus was God's son and not God.

I and my Father are one. John 10:30
... [Jesus] said also that God was his Father... John 5:18

(God says) [T]he LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Psalms 2:7

I know there are many other verses that state that God and Jesus was one. Many arguments for both sides. No real way to choose which way is correct. Just depends on interpretation.

Answer 7

If one accepts the concept of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), then he was praying to the Father.

While this is paradoxical from a linear thought standpoint, if one considers that humans often speak out loud, talk to ourselves, meditate, etc. Then it is not unreasonable to conceive of the type of communication occuring. I would further posit that if one believes in the supernatural properties of God, then the possibility of a human incarnation could commune with a more ethereal carnation is not unreasonable either.

If you do not accept the assumptions necessary to reach these conclusions, then one could say he was speaking out load for the benefit of those around him using symbolism and metaphor.

Answer 8

He prayed to God the Father as the Son of God the nature was the same (Divine) but they coexisted as two separate units. Each relying on the other to carry out the plan of salvation.

Answer 9

He prayed to himself, I mean the part that was getting baptized prayed to the part that was already baptized. I do such things all the time. Some times I lie to myself and slap myself as punishment. In fact if I dont return the money which I stole from my bank account in a week, I will sue myself.

Answer 10

To God His Father. They're two in one. The Holy Spirit is the third component of our complex God. Jesus wanted to be baptized not for "repentance" (because He was sinless) but basically on behalf of the rest of us.