6.1. Why God prays to God

It seems like Jesus grew up being told by Mary and Joseph that the Holy Spirit—God—was His Father. That likely led to many discussions with His parents, probably with Joseph as the main educator. When Jesus was found in the temple, He displayed a different tone and wisdom, but it didn’t seem to surprise His parents—at least not in the way the story presents it.

It could be speculated that Jesus grew up knowing He was one of only two humans in that era whose existence was made special by God. Eventually, before His ministry, it’s likely that God the Father revealed Himself—as Jesus mentioned: “I saw the morning star fall from heaven like lightning”—and from there, began a special kind of communication between them.

Jesus said, “I know you always hear me, because you love me.” If that was accurate, it seems to refer to a specific turning point or prior event. Still, this raises many questions—such as why Jesus didn’t have clear, two-way communication in moments like Gethsemane, or why He needed to curse the fig tree. It’s reasonable to assume that the Father only acted or spoke as He willed, and didn’t establish a constant telepathic connection.

In some gospel accounts, we see Jesus going up a mountain early in the morning to pray. Did the Father manifest Himself there? Or was Jesus simply praying like we do—reflecting on progress and staying oriented toward God, based on the mindset and posture He had already prepared since His fasting in the desert?

It’s also worth noting that Jesus had miraculous power at His disposal, as shown in Cana, walking on water, raising Lazarus, and more. He didn’t need to ask the Father for those acts. But when it came to future events—like “that they may be one as we are one”—the Gospel writers suggest that Jesus deliberately made those petitions known in front of His disciples.

So one way to understand their communication is this: Jesus may not have heard directly from the Father often during His ministry. But He still spoke to the Father, knowing He was loved by Him—and He brought forward the petitions He wanted fulfilled in the future for His followers.