Question on Jesus

[MMA2010]

Hello, I have a question that I have asked before to other people and get pretty much the same answer. Maybe you can help me out with this.

Is Jesus God?? In the faith Jesus is 100% God and 100% man correct?

In Mark 1:12 Jesus is tempted in the desert. In James 1:13 God can not be tempted. I have been told well Jesus’ human nature was tempted. Ok understood.

In Mark 5:31 Jesus asked who touched me when the woman was healed. If he is God he should know right?? Again this is his human nature.

In Mark 6:46 Jesus prayed. Who did God pray to? The answer I get is it’s his human nature. Ok understand

In John when he met Nathaniel he said before Philip called you I saw you under the fig tree. Nathniel was so moved he already called him the son of God. Was Jesus acting under his Divine nature at this time but his human nature the other times?

Later we find Jesus turning water to wine. Was he using his divine nature at this time? Other times he is walking on water which no human can do so I suppose it’s his divine nature. etc.

When Jesus died on the cross did his human nature and divine nature die or just his human nature. Being a 100% of both to me means he was all god and all man and he died so both died. I am probably way off on this but that’s why I am here.

I can go on and on about how Jesus did all these wonderful things which no man can do and be told it was his Divine nature. Yet, I can ask why he ate, why he died, why he did not know when the end would come, why he distinguished himself apart from God Mk 7:8-9 and this would all be answered it was his limited human nature.

I am asking because it seems a lot of books I read and even the Catholic Survival guide talks about his human nature when it comes to limitations but then when he does something like raise the dead, walk on water, raise the dead it is his divine nature. It’s almost like Jesus chooses what nature he will be acting in at certain time. So my question is Jesus God and Man or God or just man?

Thanks for the help in clearing this up for me.
Tony

 

[Julian0404]

I think you keep getting the same answer because the answer is YES. Jesus is GOD and at the same time, JESUS is man, with real flesh and blood, which HE shares with us at each Eucharist.

 

[Harri_Laaksonen]

Tony,

Good question and many wrestle with it, especially when young in years and / or faith.

The either /or mentality is part of our being human. It is part of our fallen nature and does not take into account the both / and kind of reasoning that comes with faith and allowing somethings to remain as mysteries.

I will not say that I understand everything about the nature of Jesus, but I have gotten beyond getting hung up on questions of human vs. divine and allowing human and divine to co-exist realizing that no answer based purely on biology, physics or any other natural science will discover the answer. It remains a mystery of the faith.

Keep up the wrestling, Jacob did and God blessed him. God is often found in the struggle and peace comes to those who refuse to let go without the blessing.

I hope this helps.

 

[Pakesh]

Hello, I have a question that I have asked before to other people and get pretty much the same answer. Maybe you can help me out with this.

In Mark 5:31 Jesus asked who touched me when the woman was healed. If he is God he should know right?? Again this is his human nature.

In Mark 6:46 Jesus prayed. Who did God pray to? The answer I get is it’s his human nature. Ok understand

In John when he met Nathaniel he said before Philip called you I saw you under the fig tree. Nathniel was so moved he already called him the son of God. Was Jesus acting under his Divine nature at this time but his human nature the other times?

Later we find Jesus turning water to wine. Was he using his divine nature at this time? Other times he is walking on water which no human can do so I suppose it’s his divine nature. etc.

When Jesus died on the cross did his human nature and divine nature die or just his human nature. Being a 100% of both to me means he was all god and all man and he died so both died. I am probably way off on this but that’s why I am here.

I can go on and on about how Jesus did all these wonderful things which no man can do and be told it was his Divine nature. Yet, I can ask why he ate, why he died, why he did not know when the end would come, why he distinguished himself apart from God Mk 7:8-9 and this would all be answered it was his limited human nature.

I am asking because it seems a lot of books I read and even the Catholic Survival guide talks about his human nature when it comes to limitations but then when he does something like raise the dead, walk on water, raise the dead it is his divine nature. It’s almost like Jesus chooses what nature he will be acting in at certain time. So my question is Jesus God and Man or God or just man?

Thanks for the help in clearing this up for me.
Tony

Well, I can throw in my two cents, for what it’s worth. First, realize that all of the early Heresies the Church dealt with (Arian, Nestorian, Monophysite) had to do with the Church grappling with all of the consequences and understanding of Jesus as true man and true God in the Hypostatic Union. Considering that, don’t be discouraged at all if you are having trouble understanding all of this. It is very hard for the Human Mind. It is a great Mystery, and the very center of our Faith (i.e. Incarnation). Now, Jesus didn’t just switch his Natures (Divine and Human) willy-nilly. They are what the Church defines as the Hypostatic Union. He is, at the same time, fully Human and fully God. Now, as for some of your points in Scripture:

Mark 5:31-of course Jesus knew who the woman was. Perhaps His asking was his human nature, but have you considered that He knew what was in her heart and was asking to elicit her response? To get her to speak out? It’s similar to God asking Adam and Eve questions in the Garden-He knew, but he was trying to get them to Confess-just like a parent would to a child who stole a cookie.

As for His miracles, it was because He was God. That’s it. Sounds overly simple, but remember the Incarnation is God’s greatest and most wonderful Mystery. We will never be able to utterly understand it.

Remember, Jesus didn’t operate in separate Natures. When Jesus died on the cross, it wasn’t just his human nature. Remember, they were in a hypostatic union. Jesus’s Sacrifice was perfect, because He is God and Man. If just his “humanity” died, His death wouldn’t have had a Redemptory effect!

I don’t fully comprehend it, but have you tried reading the Catechism or some of the Church Fathers? It is a mind-boggling subject, but the most wonderful Miracle and Mystery the Lord wrought!
God Bless,
Pakesh

 

[PJM]

=MMA2010;6397660]Hello, I have a question that I have asked before to other people and get pretty much the same answer. Maybe you can help me out with this.

Is Jesus God?? In the faith Jesus is 100% God and 100% man correct?

In Mark 1:12 Jesus is tempted in the desert. In James 1:13 God can not be tempted. I have been told well Jesus’ human nature was tempted. Ok understood.

In Mark 5:31 Jesus asked who touched me when the woman was healed. If he is God he should know right?? Again this is his human nature.

In Mark 6:46 Jesus prayed. Who did God pray to? The answer I get is it’s his human nature. Ok understand

In John when he met Nathaniel he said before Philip called you I saw you under the fig tree. Nathniel was so moved he already called him the son of God. Was Jesus acting under his Divine nature at this time but his human nature the other times?

Later we find Jesus turning water to wine. Was he using his divine nature at this time? Other times he is walking on water which no human can do so I suppose it’s his divine nature. etc.

When Jesus died on the cross did his human nature and divine nature die or just his human nature. Being a 100% of both to me means he was all god and all man and he died so both died. I am probably way off on this but that’s why I am here.

I can go on and on about how Jesus did all these wonderful things which no man can do and be told it was his Divine nature. Yet, I can ask why he ate, why he died, why he did not know when the end would come, why he distinguished himself apart from God Mk 7:8-9 and this would all be answered it was his limited human nature.

I am asking because it seems a lot of books I read and even the Catholic Survival guide talks about his human nature when it comes to limitations but then when he does something like raise the dead, walk on water, raise the dead it is his divine nature. It’s almost like Jesus chooses what nature he will be acting in at certain time. So my question is Jesus God and Man or God or just man?

Thanks for the help in clearing this up for me.
Tony

In brief:

Jesus was at the same time fully human and fully Devine. Jesus had a seperate human nature, and a seperate Divine Nature. Because He is both, switching from one to the other was always possible. A matter of will and WILL.

When Christ died his mortal body died, but not His Soul. It’s not possible to actually “kill God” who is “Spirit and life.” Those pasages that speak of “killing God” are actually referencing the humanity of Christ; “the Son of God.” And it is God’s humanity that is Gloriously Ressurected and reunited with His Divinity on Easter.

Love and prayers,

Pat

 

[GEddie]

“Natures” don’t do anything, persons do. Our LORD was a divine person who became, by human birth in 6BC, a human being. In his human life, HE was human in every way that we are, except HE did not sin, but HE remained a divine person.

As a human being, He ate and drank, slept and aowke, and interactd with people. As a divine person, He forgave sins, healed illnesses and performed signs. But all these activities happened together because HE was one being.

His human body was limited as yours or mine are. But His divine personhood gave HIM command over nature, including the nature of HIS body, so as to overcome those limits. He was a human body walking on the waters. But He could do so because HE was a divine person with command over the laws of nature.

Likewise, when HE died, He was as dead as you or I will be, but HIS divine personhood enabled HIM to awaken HIMSELF from death. He did not resume ordinary biological life; HIS human self became eternal, became subsumed into HIS divine life. He cannot die again.

And the best thing is, He wishes to do the same for us. While we will be unable to awaken ourself from being dead, He will do it for us; His new life is the sign for what we can look forward to in the Spiritual Bodies of our eternity.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Pakesh]

In brief:

Because He is both, switching from one to the other was always possible. A matter of will and WILL.

Love and prayers,

Pat

His natures weren’t something to be switched back and forth between!