Why Did Jesus Say “The Father Is Greater Than I”? (John 14:28) | Sam Shamoun

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]okay you know what the topic is right Klady uh yes Sam good evening alright what's your background uh I am originally from Albania my family is from Albania but I grew up in Italy not your ethnicity brother your religion dude stop oh ha ha okay uh I was raised atheist for most part some members of my family are Muslim but I never had like a big cultural and religious education but I got bapt I got baptized last year in the Catholic Church alright but my catechist wonderful woman but she say it again my catechist was a wonderful woman oh catechist okay yes but uh she kind of left me with a lot of questions she transmitted me the love for Jesus Christ and the Trinity but I've always been a very inquisitive person and hearing I know the truth is eternity but I want not only my heart to be convinced but my mind as well help me out then what's your objection I can help you that's what it's for what's what's uh what's in my main objection from scripture would be something like John 14:28 if I'm not mistaken really that one hahaha I love you if I'm not mistaken yeah the father is like yes the guy the father is greater than I and answer all your questions because I have a playlist on this but I'm gonna still answer them for you sorry okay one thing we should not do this is something they should teach you but they didn't teach you notice this is chapter 14 and this is verse 28 meaning you already had 13 chapters that came before chapter 14 right yes and they have 27 verses that came before verse 28 correct exactly so the worst thing someone can do is take a verse out of the context and ignore everything before after that came so before I show you what it doesn't mean I'm gonna let you explain to me the term greater both in Greek and English the Greek word my zone greater has the same meaning as greater in English when we use the word greater if I say Bruce Lee is a greater fighter than you the word greater there means that he is better than you in a certain way right yes but not in every sense correct correct you can be more muscular than Bruce Lee you can be smarter than Bruce Lee you can be you know richer than Bruce Lee even the word greater in English like Greek has a variety of meanings depending on context so if I say now the president's greater than you right okay now how is he greater than you does he is Bruce Lee more of a man than you more human okay I understand your point okay okay your father is greater than you but he cannot be superior to you better than you in nature because like begets like kind begets kind so if your father has a child you then you're gonna have the nature of your begetter so you cannot be better than you as a man superior to you as a man he is only greater than you by virtue of the fact that he's your father so he has authority over you so he's greater in authority not in nature or value right yeah so the real question is when Jesus says the father is greater than I he can either mean I'm a creature and by virtue of the fact god is the creator he is greater than me because his nature is infinitely greater than mine because my nature is created limited finite he can mean that or he can mean that because I have come to the earth in the form of a slave to be a servant which he says in John 13 as well as in other passages the father is greater than me in terms of status because the father is exalted in heaven while I am on earth humbled and have taken the position of a slave it's one of the two right yeah so which one is the correct interpretation well I won't need to answer that Jesus will answer it for you from the chapter so let's go into the chapter and you at think of the answer to the question according to the Hebrew Bible the Old Testament as well even the Quran the Muslims believe in can a creature be called the life uh no I think that would be blasphemy here it is verse 6 Jesus said to them I am the way and the truth and the life that's before verse 28 so right away Jesus says I am the life and you can challenge any person who thinks that Jesus didn't claim to be God can you quote a single verse in the Old Testament even in their Quran if they're Muslim where a creature says I am the life no no I don't Islamically speaking the Quran says Allah is the truth and the Bible calls god the god of truth Psalm 31 5 even saying I am the truth is an inscription that even the Quran cause you used to be a Muslim or you come from a Muslim family I should say says is something that only can be ascribed to God so before I got to 28 Jesus just told me that he is the truth and life two descriptions applied to no one besides god unless you think that Jesus is an exception and god would say that a creature is the life and the truth right well yeah I agree and also like in John 1 it says the word was with God and the word was God but I'm gonna use this chapter right now second argument from the chapter here John 14:12 14 truly truly I say to you he believes in me the works that I do he will do also meaning all the miracles I've been doing you believe in me you're gonna do them and you're gonna do greater works see here's that word greater again now he just said they're gonna do the same works he's been doing so they're gonna raise the dead they're gonna give sight to the blind they're gonna cast out demons all right so it's the same works but he says greater it can't be greater in quality it's the same works so greater in number right I I would think so I that's how I always interpreted it they're doing the same works Jesus did there's not a miracle that they do that Jesus didn't do you understand yes okay so greater means you're gonna do more of them why because they reached more people went to more places than him right yeah that would be the their mission yeah because an axe they go out throughout the whole world Jesus didn't so you're gonna do more miracles cause you're gonna go to more places and reach more people okay but now he's gonna give the reason why greater works than these he will do because I go to the father so here's the answer you're going to do greater works than me because I go to the father well what does that mean well he explains when I go to the father whatever you ask in my name this will I do so who will be doing the miracles in heaven for them while they're on earth Jesus would be doing them the miracles so can you show me in the Old Testament even the Quran if it's a Muslim a creature in heaven is the one doing the miracles for believers on earth I don't think that's possible no so then before I got to 28 he just again identified himself as god but not the father he's not the father he brings you to the father right so that the father may be glorified in son meaning when you do miracles by my authority and power and people realize you're doing these miracles in my name that will be proof for the people that I am the father son the father did send me and he's glorified in me and I'm glorified in him now watch this if you ask me anything in my name I will do it does that sound like he's claiming to be a creature no okay now we go to 23 Jesus answered and said to him if anyone loves me he'll keep my word my father will love him we plural will come to him and make our dwelling with him we will live with the believer now understand what this means number one only those who truly love Christ by obeying him will be blessed to have the father and son living with them okay now this means Jesus has to know those who love him and obey him from those who don't right yes that would be a logical prerequisite so that means you just told me that Jesus is aware of everything because he must be aware of those Christians who are fake and those who truly love him and no one can be all knowing besides God so yeah secondly if you truly love him he says not just my father I and my father together will live with you who does he think he is to claim that he is able to dwell with every believer to the same extent that the father can I I understand this but something I wanna like be really let's say uh the devil's advocate in this case where would be the Holy Spirit in this context or well you change the subject but if you weren't no I know I know I know I know I know I know it's not the same if you're in slow my brother and read the chapter here it is the Holy Spirit he will be in you see Jesus already read 17 I'm answering you from the chapter yeah I'm I'm reading it the spirit of truth read out loud so I can hear I remember I'm not Jesus I can't read your heart yeah the the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him you know him because he abides with you and will be in you now you see how Jesus silenced you yes so the father and son and spirit all of them will be with them so instead of playing devil's advocate so you end up in hell with the devil be the angel's advocate and stay focused you ask me about Jesus you went to the Holy Spirit if you do Bible ping pong I will ping pong you to my winger my friend uh no no I understood your answer I just was trying to let's say bring another argument cause I understood what you meant I understood that like so what does it mean that father is greater than Jesus no I understood that you mean that the fact that father is greater than Jesus doesn't necessarily mean he's a superior in nature alright and what proof did I give what proof did I give to show that Jesus not saying the father is greater than me in terms of nature that he is God I'm not well the fact that Jesus claims to be the life and it's something no creature can claim and also the fact that Jesus and the father will both dwell in those who believe in him and what else what does he also do uh what else does he do uh hold on I don't remember it's a bit late for me oh now blame the night see preacher of night dude shoot man you just read it man he just said in 13 or 14 oh yeah exactly that that he will perform the miracles in heaven and no other like no creature can do that besides god alright so right there that refutes that objection so what else is bothering you about Jesus I'm not really like bothered I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding I hundred percent believe in these I was just trying to understand the logical arguments uh so I can first of all like defend what I believe in better without just claiming something cause I know the Trinity is true in my heart but I don't know how to defend it against the people who claim it's not learn the faith we have playlist answering all these objections but and to show you that Jesus is claiming that while he's on earth the father's greater in terms of status cause if you read it carefully 28 he says this right here you heard that I said to you I go away and I will come to you if you loved me you would have rejoiced because I go to the father for the father's greater than I now notice this is what you need to start asking questions when you read why is he saying that if you love me you should be happy that I'm leaving not sad'cause they're sad'cause he's saying I have to leave you but you will see me again in glory that's what John 14 says I'll come and take you to heaven but I will have to leave you I'm not gonna remain on earth so they're heartbroken and sad but he says you shouldn't be you should be happy for me and rejoice that I'm going to the father for the father is greater than I what's the connection why should I rejoice that you're going to the father because the father is greater than you well the answer is here if I do not go to the father this will not happen John 17 5 now father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was so notice on earth he does not have that glory the glory that he had alongside the father before the world but if he goes back to the father he'll have that glory again you see it yeah so you understand what it means you should be happy for me that I'm going cause if I remain the father will be greater than I in terms of his status cause the father is basking in the glory right by which the angels see and recognize that is God something Christ veiled on earth so he's greater in status he's exalted I am humbled on earth so if you love me and you'd rejoice you would want me to return to the glory that is mine and that I've had with the father before creation of the world but I set aside for you alright so if I understand correctly this is uh due to the fact that Jesus incarnate on earth you know Jesus still flesh in heaven right yes yes yes of course but on earth uh at least that's how they explained it to me during the no it's not because he's incarnate on earth that's a given he came to the earth became flesh it's when he's on earth he was a slave okay so he's serving the father on earth that's why not only serving the father serving mankind as okay yeah let me show you so Romans 15 8 when Jesus is on earth what did he do for I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision when he came to earth he came to the Jews first cause they had the promises on behalf of the truth of god to confirm the promises given to the father so on earth he became what he became a servant all right now watch John 13 1 to 17 it's a long passage but Jesus gets up does what servants do in that culture you had a house servant who would come and wash your feet so if you were invited to my house my servant will meet you bring water and wash your feet so Jesus gets up puts a towel around himself and washes their feet okay John 13 okay all the way to 17 right then he poured water in the basin began to wash the disciples feet you caught that right yes but now why does he do it versus thirteen to 17 explain okay you call me teacher and Lord and you are right for so I am if I then the Lord and the teacher washed your feet I became a servant to wash your feet and I'm your teacher and your Lord I am the Lord and the teacher you also ought to wash one another's feet'cause I'm teaching you by example for I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you truly truly I said you a slave is not greater than his master so if I'm your master I'm the Lord the teacher I own you then you are not greater than me so be like me and do what I did nor is one who sent greater than the one who sent him if you know these things you are blessed if you do them so is he a servant on earth yeah okay um Luke 22:27 for who is greater knows that word again greater right yes okay the one who reclines at the table or one who serves now notice I'm gonna ask you a question okay when it says the master is greater than the servant aren't they both humans yes they they are and what way is the master greater than the servant then uh in our society I think would be by status not in nature no they would share the same human nature right yeah OK you got that yes someone can be greater than you in terms of rank and authority but equal to you in nature right so when Jesus says who is greater the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves the one who reclines is the master if you're being served that means you're greater than the servant in authority is it not the one who reclines but I am among you as the one who serves now Jesus saying I'm serving you so that means logic shows you are greater than me if I'm serving you but we know Jesus is greater than the disciples right yeah of course so again being a slave brother are you on drugs or something brother huh no it's very late I are you are you something wrong with your heart you're like oh no no no I just have a is it like is it a full moon are you gonna like now start no I have a condition I have a breathing condition sadly ha ha ha OK I'm sorry I don't know what's going on man I swear all of them yeah I know I know I know I'm sorry I'm sorry I just have a breathing condition you scared me I thought it's like the full moon and you're gonna become a werewolf and I didn't know that I'm sorry no no no at least let me know you got a condition bro you're freaking me out man no it's okay it's okay I'm sorry for for scaring you well because I already got Greg Stafford manifesting laughing like and then I got you know Woodstein having a meltdown so like man is this guy too gonna like cuss me out no no we are VJ we're coming for you sir you scare me bro shoot you're scaring the hell out of me man I understand and I would have a another question cause OK but you understand before let me finish it yes yeah honestly what is he doing he's serving he's being a servant OK one more then you can ask Mark 10:45 for even the son of man that's Jesus talking he is the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a Ransom for many alright so you got your answer yes I I understand this fully now and thank you