His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that questions such as “Does God cry? Hunger? Thirst? Die? Nurse?” arise from confusing Christ’s divine nature (divinity) with His human nature (humanity).
All these experiences — hunger, thirst, pain, and growth — belong to His humanity, not His divinity.

1. The Union of Divinity and Humanity:
Christ is fully God and fully Man.
These two natures united without mixture, confusion, or separation.
However, what belongs to the body is not attributed to the divine essence.

2. Distinguishing Between the Two Natures:
When the Bible says that Christ cried, hungered, or died — this refers to His human nature.
His divine nature cannot cry, hunger, or die because it is eternal and unchanging.

• He cried as a human (John 11:35).

• He hungered and thirsted through His human body.

• He died in the flesh, but His divinity never dies.

• He was nursed and grew as a human child, while His divinity neither grows nor changes.

3. The Purpose of the Incarnation:
God took human flesh to save humanity and to share in our weakness — not because He needed anything.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
He experienced human suffering to redeem it, not because His divinity was limited.

4. The One Answer to All Such Questions:
Questions like “Does God pray? Does God suffer?” have one answer:

These acts belong to Christ’s human nature, not His divine one.
He prayed and was tempted as a man, but His divinity cannot be tempted or need prayer.

5. The Theological Summary:

• Divine Nature: unchanging, impassible, eternal.

• Human Nature: capable of hunger, pain, growth, and death.
  Yet both are united in one Person — Jesus Christ.

Faith Message:
God did not lose His divinity when He became man.
He chose to live our humanity to raise it, not because He needed anything.
Thus, every human aspect of Christ reveals divine humility and love, not divine weakness.

“For better translation support, please contact the center.”