WHY DID JESUS NEED TO PRAY?
"And when He [Jesus] had sent them away, HE [Jesus] DEPARTED TO THE MOUNTAIN TO PRAY."
Mark 6:46 (NKJV)
The above passage of the Bible says He, Jesus, departed to the mountain to pray (Mark 6:46). I have heard some people asked, If Jesus were God, Why did He need to pray and Who was He praying to? But the truth is, Jesus did not come to the world as God, He came as a human being like any other human. The only difference is His birth, He was not conceived and born like any other human. His conception was not by the copulation of a man and woman—the conception was by the Holy Spirit and through a virgin woman, Mary (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-35). Apart from this, He was fully a human like any other human being.
That is why in His childhood and youthful ages nothing extraordinary or spectacular was recorded of Him. He did not perform a single miracle in His growing up years until He became an adult and was anointed when the Holy Spirit came on Him and spent a number of days in the wilderness fasting and praying to start His earthly ministry (Luke 3:21-23; 4:1-14). It was when He returned from the wilderness that He returned with power and started performing signs and wonders (Luke 4:14). This shows to us that If the power or the anointing was there prior to that time, when He was growing up, He would have started performing miracles when He was ten or thirteen or eighteen years old. But He was like any other human in his teens and youthful ages. It was at the point when He was filled with the Holy Spirit and anointed or empowered that He started His signs and wonders ministry.
All Jesus did on the earth was by the help of the Holy Spirit. He did not come to the world as God, because He had already stripped Himself of His glory:
5 LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS, 6 WHO, BEING IN THE form OF GOD, DID NOT CONSIDER IT ROBBERY TO BE EQUAL WITH GOD, 7 BUT MADE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION, TAKING THE FORM OF A BONDSERVANT, AND COMING IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN. 8 AND BEING FOUND IN APPEARANCE AS A MAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF AND BECAME OBEDIENT TO THE POINT OF DEATH, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS" (Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV).
This same passage in other transactions:
5 YOU MUST HAVE THE SAME ATTITUDE THAT CHRIST JESUS HAD.
6 THOUGH HE WAS GOD, HE DID NOT THINK OF EQUALITY WITH GOD AS SOMETHING TO CLING TO.
7 INSTEAD, HE GAVE UP HIS DIVINE PRIVILEGES; HE TOOK THE HUMBLE POSITION OF A SLAVE AND WAS BORN AS A HUMAN BEING. WHEN HE APPEARED IN HUMAN FORM,
8 HE HUMBLED HIMSELF IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD AND DIED A CRIMINAL'S DEATH ON A CROSS."
Philippians 2:5–8 (NLT)
5 IN YOUR LIVES YOU MUST THINK AND ACT LIKE CHRIST JESUS.
6 CHRIST HIMSELF WAS LIKE GOD IN EVERYTHING. BUT HE DID NOT THINK THAT BEING EQUAL WITH GOD WAS SOMETHING TO BE USED FOR HIS OWN BENEFIT.
7 BUT HE GAVE UP HIS PLACE WITH GOD AND MADE HIMSELF NOTHING. HE WAS BORN AS A MAN AND BECAME LIKE A SERVANT.
8 AND WHEN HE WAS LIVING AS A MAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF AND WAS FULLY OBEDIENT TO GOD, EVEN WHEN THAT CAUSED HIS DEATH—DEATH ON A CROSS."
Philippians 2:5–8 (New Century Version)
If Jesus were God when He was here on the earth, He would not need to be anointed neither would He need to pray, since He was God. But Jesus did not come to the earth as God, He came like any other human being as said in the passage above (Philippians 2:7). If Jesus came to the earth as God, Who will anoint God? Because It was written that He was anointed without measure (John 3:34), Who would have anointed God?
Another person on one of the Social media said; If Jesus were God, Why was He killed? Who will kill God or Can God be killed? These were his questions. But the people asking such questions are ignorant and do not understand the things of the Spirit—spiritual things:
11 FOR WHAT MAN KNOWS THE THINGS OF A MAN EXCEPT THE SPIRIT OF THE MAN WHICH IS IN HIM? EVEN SO NO ONE KNOWS THE THINGS OF GOD EXCEPT THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 12 NOW WE HAVE RECEIVED, NOT THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD, BUT THE SPIRIT WHO IS FROM GOD, THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN FREELY GIVEN TO US BY GOD. 13 THESE THINGS WE ALSO SPEAK, NOT IN WORDS WHICH MAN'S WISDOM TEACHES BUT WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES, COMPARING SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL. 14 BUT THE NATURAL MAN DOES NOT RECEIVE THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD, FOR THEY ARE FOOLISHNESS TO HIM; NOR CAN HE KNOW THEM, BECAUSE THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED" (1 Corinthians 2:11-14 NKJV).
It might be difficult for a natural person to understand the things of the Spirit, the doings of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was killed because He was a complete human being—He was not here as God but as a human whilst He was here on the earth in His earthly ministry.
If Jesus were here on the earth as God, He would have been invincible or indomitable—incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued—they would not have been able to kill Him (Matthew 26:53,54). Jesus Himself said, If the power was not given to Pontius Pilate, he would not have had the power to arrest or condemn Him to death (John 19:9-11).
He said He would have requested for legions of angels to come to His rescue when He was to be arrested, but He did come for the Scriptures to be fulfilled (Matthew 26:53,54). He did not come with His Sovereign power, His equality with God, that was put back in heaven when He was coming (Philippians 2:6,7).
Thus, If Jesus needed to pray whilst on earth here, you also do need to do that much more (Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16). If Jesus also needed the help and the ministry of the Holy Spirit for the commencement of His ministry and the works He did, you also do need the help of God and that of the Holy Spirit to fulfill your assignment on the earth.
In summation, Jesus Christ is fully God and human. He has the power to do all things. In His name miracles, signs and wonders, are performed! Trust Him for all your needs to be met.
Peace.
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