Did Jesus raise Himself from the dead?

[karatemom]

My 5 year old and I were reading his “Stations of the Cross” book tonight when he stumped me. I explained that God raised Jesus from the dead on Easter Sunday. He said, “but Jesus IS God”. Which made me totally confused, LOL. So did God the Father raise Christ or did Jesus raise himself? When I start thinking about the Trinity and that they are one God but three persons I get even further confused.

Hopefully someone can explain this to me so that I can give my son an intelligent answer

Thanks!

 

[StCsDavid]

Bravo for your son, and way to go Mom for teaching son the Stations of the Cross.

Explain to your son that Christ was both perfectly human, and perfectly divine. When He died, His human body died, but His soul continued to live…just as our soul will continue to live after our bodies die. So where did Christ go for 3 days? He didn’t go right to Heaven did he? No he went down to be with all the souls that were waiting for the savior and led those who wanted to be with Him to Heaven. Those who didn’t want to go with Him had to stay behind forever. When He rose again, His divine part and His human part were reunited, though now his human part was glorified…just as our bodies will be glorified one day.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been five, but that’s my best five-year-old explanation.

 

[Pedro]

StCsDavid:

Explain to your son that Christ was both perfectly human, and perfectly divine. When He died, His human body died, but His soul continued to live…just as our soul will continue to live after our bodies die.

I know you mean well, but the highlighted part of what you said is problematic. It goes against the truth of the Incarnation, that Jesus’ divine and human natures are joined in hypostatic union - two natures in one person. This means when Jesus died, the divine and human natures of His body died, and when he rose, both rose.

I don’t think the Church has any official teaching on which person of the Godhead raised Jesus. In the absence of any office teaching, saying the Father raised Jesus is as good an answer as any.

 

[thistle]

Pedro:

I know you mean well, but the highlighted part of what you said is problematic. It goes against the truth of the Incarnation, that Jesus’ divine and human natures are joined in hypostatic union - two natures in one person. This means when Jesus died, the divine and human natures of His body died, and when he rose, both rose.

I don’t think the Church has any official teaching on which person of the Godhead raised Jesus. In the absence of any office teaching, saying the Father raised Jesus is as good an answer as any.

It can only be God the Father.

Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

 

[Todd_Easton]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 648-650, describes the Resurrection as a work of the Holy Trinity:
In it the three divine persons act together as one, and manifest their own proper characteristics. (648)

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

karatemom:

My 5 year old and I were reading his “Stations of the Cross” book tonight when he stumped me. I explained that God raised Jesus from the dead on Easter Sunday. He said, “but Jesus IS God”. Which made me totally confused, LOL. So did God the Father raise Christ or did Jesus raise himself? When I start thinking about the Trinity and that they are one God but three persons I get even further confused.

Hopefully someone can explain this to me so that I can give my son an intelligent answer

Thanks!

When Christ died on the cross His human soul separated from His human body. His human soul went to preach to the “spirits in prison” or “Limbo of the Fathers” His human body went into the grave until the resurrection." His Divinity remained united to both His human soul and His human body during this time. At the resurrection His Divinity in unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit reunited His human soul and human body into a glorified state.

You will have to translate for your child.

 

[StCsDavid]

Pedro:

I know you mean well, but the highlighted part of what you said is problematic. It goes against the truth of the Incarnation, that Jesus’ divine and human natures are joined in hypostatic union - two natures in one person. This means when Jesus died, the divine and human natures of His body died, and when he rose, both rose.

I don’t think the Church has any official teaching on which person of the Godhead raised Jesus. In the absence of any office teaching, saying the Father raised Jesus is as good an answer as any.

Thanks Pedro…Yeah, should have added a disclaimer as I know it wasn’t perfect…I was shooting to explain it terms a 5-year old could understand. Hypostatic union may be too lofty a concept for a kid that age. It’s good though that you point out how it really is so folks don’t take my 5-year old explanation and run with it.

 

[RobNY]

Pedro:

I know you mean well, but the highlighted part of what you said is problematic. It goes against the truth of the Incarnation, that Jesus’ divine and human natures are joined in hypostatic union - two natures in one person. This means when Jesus died, the divine and human natures of His body died, and when he rose, both rose.

I don’t think the Church has any official teaching on which person of the Godhead raised Jesus. In the absence of any office teaching, saying the Father raised Jesus is as good an answer as any.

It would go against the truth of the Incarnation and the hypostatic union if his divine and human natures were divorced-- however, they were not. His divine nature and his human soul remained joined, albeit, separated from his body. This is what death is. The separation of the soul from the body. It is more problematic to say that Jesus’ soul didn’t separate from his body because then he didn’t really die. But we know the exact opposite to be true, he really and truly died.

What you said about his divine nature dying is, and I don’t say this in a mean way, nonsense. Christ died in his humanity. It simply isn’t possible for his divinity to die. This is because we profess that Christ is ‘one in being’ with the Father.

 

[Northwind]

Actually all three persons of the trinity raised Jesus from the dead. John 2 Jesus raises himself, Romans 8 the Holy Spirit raises Jesus, Romans 6 God the Father raises Jesus. But Acts 10:41 says God raised Jesus from the dead. All three persons raised Jesus…

 

[karatemom]

Thank you so much for all of the helpful responses! I’ve learned a lot myself – I appreciate the assistance!

Jacqui

 

[Pedro]

RobNY:

What you said about his divine nature dying is, and I don’t say this in a mean way, nonsense. Christ died in his humanity. It simply isn’t possible for his divinity to die. This is because we profess that Christ is ‘one in being’ with the Father.

You’re right, a divine being cannot die, thanks for pointing that out. I was not trying to say that Jesus did not actually die, or that His body and soul did not actually separate. The point that I was trying to make in my response to StCsDavid was that the body of Jesus that died was not mere human body, even after being separated from His soul on His death. His divinity continued to be united to both His body and soul, even when these were separated.