“You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” – John 14:28

Many cult groups use this passage to prove that Jesus is inferior to the Father. They are right if they will explain this passage about Jesus’ humanity. This is because the word “greater” is from the Greek word meizon which is a comparative degree of “megas” in context with the position of the Son being human in comparison with His Father. (see Jn. 8:53; 13:16)

Even Paul explains Jesus “who, though (Gk. huparchon) he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Phil. 2:6-7) The Greek word huparchon is in the present active participle which tells that the divine nature of Jesus Christ is an ongoing action.

As New Testament commentator Dr. John Walvoord states, “This would be asserting that the deity of Christ continues unchanged by the act of incarnation.” No wonder, with regards to Jesus’ deity, the apostle John writes, “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal (Gk. isos) with God.” (Jn. 5:18)

Yes, God the Father may be greater (Gk. meizon) in reference to Jesus’ humanity even during the conception but Jesus is equal (Gk. isos) to His Father in reference to His divinity because He is by nature God already from eternity to eternity.