By Editorial Staff
How can Jesus be God though he needed others for birth, satisfying hunger and thirst and saving from death?
The names and attributes of God include “Self-sufficient”, “Enricher”, and “Everlasting Refuge”. It is quite logical that the Lord of this universe is described as “Self-sufficient”, “Enricher”, and “Everlasting Refuge”.
It is He Who created, provide for, take care of, and look after all creatures. Everything cannot do without Him, while He can dispense with everything.
The Self-sufficient in Islam
In the Qur’an, God (called “Allah” in Arabic) is described as “Self-sufficient”. We read:
And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And We have instructed those who were given the Scripture before you and yourselves to fear Allah. But if you disbelieve – then to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And ever is Allah Self-sufficient and Praiseworthy. (An-Nisaa’ 4:131)
We also read:
And your Lord is the Self-sufficient, the possessor of mercy. If He wills, he can do away with you and give succession after you to whomever He wills, just as He produced you from the descendants of another people. (Al-An`am 6:133)
We further read:
They say: ‘Allah has taken a son. Glory be to Him. He is Self-sufficient! His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Have you any authority to support (that Allah has taken a son)? Do you ascribe to Allah something of which you have no knowledge? (Yunus 10:68)
God is also described as “the Enricher”, i.e. the One Who is Self-sufficient, and can dispense with people, and it is He Who can enrich or impoverish them. We read:
And that to your Lord is the finality … And that it is He who enriches and suffices (An-Najm 53:42-48)
We also read:
And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied. Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge? And He found you lost and guided [you], And He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient. (Ad-Duha 5-8)
God is also described as “the Everlasting Refuge”, i.e. the One in Whom people eternally take refuge. We read:
Say, “He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Everlasting Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.” (Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4)
In the Prophetic tradition, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) quoted God as describing Himself in a Qudsi (divine) hadith as “the Everlasting Refuge”.
Abu Hurairah (may God be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah said: Allah Almighty has said: The son of Adam denied Me and he had no right to do so. And he reviled Me and he had no right to do so. As for his denying Me, it is his saying: He will not remake me as He made me at first and the initial creation [of him] is not easier for Me than remaking him. As for his reviling Me, it is his saying: Allah has taken to Himself a son, while I am the One, the Everlasting Refuge. I begot not nor was I begotten, and there is none comparable to Me. (Al-Bukhari)
The Self-sufficient in Christianity
As a matter of fact, belief in God’s self-sufficiency is such a belief which is totally absent from the Christian belief system. The Bible often tells us to which extent God is poor, helpless, needy, and deficient.
How can Jesus, taken as God along with God (called “the Father”) in Christianity, be Self-sufficient though he was born like any other human being?
In the New Testament, we read: “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18)
If God was really born, this implies that he needed a father and a mother. Is it rational that God stands in need of others for birth? Are God’s parents equally gods or not?
Moreover, the Bible also informs us that Jesus experienced hunger and thirst like any other human being. About Jesus’ hunger, the New Testament says: “Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving.” (Matthew 4:1-2)
We also read: “In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ And the fig tree withered at once.” (Matthew 21:18-19)
About Jesus’ thirst, the New Testament says: “After this, knowing that everything was already completed, in order to fulfill the scripture, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’” (John 19:28)
Besides, the Bible lets us know that Jesus was not self-reliant. He rather depended on others and prayed for help and assistance. We read: “When he sent them away, he went up onto a mountain by himself to pray. Evening came and he was alone.” (Matthew 14:23)
We also read: Then he went a short distance farther and fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup of suffering away from me. However—not what I want but what you want.” (Matthew 26:39)
We further read: Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. (Matthew 26:42-44)
We may ask here: how can Jesus be God though he needed and depended on others for birth, satisfying hunger and thirst and saving from death?
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References:
1- The Glorious Qur’an (Sahih International Translation)
2- Sahih Al-Bukhari
3- The Holy Bible (Visit biblegateway.com)