A frequent misinterpretation distorts 'my Father is greater than I' to deny Jesus' full divinity or equality with God, suggesting an ontological inferiority as in Arianism, while overlooking the context of Jesus' temporary humiliation in the incarnation and his functional subordination to the Father's will, which preserves both his deity and the relational order in the Godhead.
John 14:28
King James Version (1769)
28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
Jesus comforts his disciples by explaining that his departure to the Father should bring them joy if they truly love him, as it advances God's redemptive plan; the statement 'my Father is greater than I' affirms the Father's positional authority over the Son during his earthly ministry and ascension, highlighting Jesus' voluntary submission within the perfect unity of the Trinity without implying any inferiority in divine essence.