Exegeting John 14:28

The teachings of the New Testament about God's metaphysical nature become immensely clearer when one understands that the Bible never equates Jesus with Yahweh, as if the two names are interchangeable terms referring to the same being.  The truth of the matter is far simpler, yet also far more controversial!  Jesus himself denies the tenets of evangelical Trinitarianism in multiple instances.  One instance is found in John 14:28:

"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.'  If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I."

In the aforementioned verse, Jesus explicitly distinguishes between himself and Yahweh by declaring that Yahweh, his "Father," is greater than himself.  Even basic exegesis reveals that Jesus is denying that Yahweh and himself are the same.  If one being is "greater" than another, the two beings cannot be identical.  Trinitarians tend to ignore--or perhaps even be genuinely ignorant of--verses like this, as the verses are rather clear about the fact that the Bible distinguishes between Jesus and his Father, meaning they cannot be the same entity.  This is not a distinction between sub-components of a whole (as modalism holds), but a distinction between one being and another.

The Bible does not offer many examples of specific metaphysical differences between Yahweh and Jesus, but it does plainly say that Jesus does not (or did not) possess knowledge of all things, for Christ himself admits that he does not know the exact timing of his return--although Yahweh does (Matthew 24:36).  This particular difference can help explain what John 14:28 means by calling Yahweh greater than Jesus: Yahweh has (or at least had) a superior epistemological and metaphysical status.

Nothing about one's devotion to living out the commands of Jesus should change because of this realization.  One of the most bizarre things about Trinitarian ideology is that its followers often act as if the rejection of common Trinitarianism, which contradicts logic and thus is impossible, has any significant impact on the way that the majority of Christians live.  What does this change about one's lifestyle?  It will likely have little effect.  More importantly, what does this change about our moral obligations to God and other people?  Nothing at all!  Either way, we are still commanded to have a relationship with Yahweh; either way, Jesus is still a supra-human being that died for the salvation of humanity.

People who believe in traditional Trinitarianism have two options.  They can cling to a contra-Biblical doctrine that is infected with irrationalism, with the latter fact alone disproving the very possibility of their Trinitarianism, or they can surrender their eisegesis and denial of logical truths.  Once a person grasps the concepts at stake, which option they choose depends on whether they care about truth or want to embrace comfortable, familiar lies.