Getting to Know Jesus by Name #90: The Sower

Matthew 13: 36 And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

Jesus here describes Himself as The Sower.  Sowing is defined as: "to plant seed for growing, especially by scattering; to set something in motion."*  As Jesus goes on in this passage to describe, He came to sow the seed of the Good News of the Gospel - that God had sent Him both with the message and the means of salvation.  The people who hear the good news are the different types of soil, and they demonstrate what kind of soil they are by whether they come to life and grow into healthy, fruitful plants.  Such gardening is not all that easy or simple; many will not be receptive and the jealous enemy will do all he can to disrupt things.  The angels will do the harvest, but the produce - both good and bad - will be brought before the Sower who will also serve as Judge.  What a vivid picture of the Mission of Christ! 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #89: Source of Eternal Salvation

 Hebrews 5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

The writer of Hebrews definitely had a knack for turning the work of Christ into titles. Such is the case in this name: The Source of Eternal Salvation. The Source is "someone or something what provides what is wanted or needed; the cause of something; the point of origin or procurement; beginning; one that initiates; author."* These words have all be used to describe Christ's place in our salvation. Eternal, as we have seen before, is "having no beginning or no end in time; lasting forever, existing at all times; always true or valid," and Salvation :"the act of saving someone from sin or evil; the state of being saved from sin or evil;  something that saves someone or something from danger or a difficult situation."*  All of this is put in context by the opening phrase In the days of His flesh - when Christ came to earth and became a man - that is when eternal salvation entered in to forever change humanity. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #88: Son of the Most High

 Luke 1:30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Throughout our study we have found several of the names of Jesus given when His birth was announced. In this cluster we have been building an array of names focused on His place as The Son, probably the greatest of which is this one: Son of the Most High.  When we break it down Most means "greatest in quantity, extent or degree," while High means "exalted in character; noble."*  God is the greatest of all in terms of character.  Theologically, we speak of all His perfections, like wisdom, power, and love.  As the Son, Jesus is a "Chip off the Old Block;" He shares all the perfect character of the Father.  Together with the Spirit, they are the most noble - not only in kingly authority, but what we would call goodness. Father and Son alike are to be praised for their infinite depth of character.  He is worthy to rule forever. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #87: Son of the Blessed One

Mark 14:60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 61 But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death.

One of Jesus' closest disciples was Peter, so it is no surprise that in Mark's Gospel, written from Peter's view, we find some of these unique names of Jesus like Son of Mary and Son of the Blessed. He was there when they were used, and he soaked up their meaning.  The term for Blessed here means: "having a sacred nature; connected with God: held in reverence; honored in worship; hallowed."*  In short, Jesus was being asked if He indeed was the Son of Holy God. When he affirmed that He was, He was viciously attacked for telling the truth - for being Who He really is.  It was right after this that Peter was then confronted with the accusation that He was a follower of Christ, which he emphatically denied three times. No wonder this name stuck with him and he passed it on to John Mark to record; it was forever impressed in his heart and mind. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #86: Son of Mary

Mark 6:1 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

As we have seen in the last few days, Jesus often referred to Himself as the Son of Man, and people, after coming to realize Who He really was, would refer to Him as the Son of God. Both were equally true. In yet other places - particularly among those with Whom Jesus had grown up, He was known as Son of Mary, as apparently Joseph had died by that point in His life. If nothing else, this name indicates that Jesus knew perfectly well what it was like to grow up in a family with parents, siblings, extended family, and nosey neighbors.  He was not exempt from the teasing, family feuds, financial struggles, joys, and sorrows of family life in a small town. He knew that relationships were tough and required attention each and every day.  Somehow, at the end of the day, these brothers and mother of Jesus came to see Him for who He fully was - the Son of God and fellow-member in the family of God. 

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #85: Son of Man

Matthew 26:63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 

Yesterday we saw Jesus referred to as the Son of God; here we find one of His favorite names for Himself: Son of Man.  Jesus wanted to make it clear that not only was He the Son of God, but that He truly was in every way human - except that He was without sin. He wanted it to be clear that he was "the second person of the Trinity;" yet at the same time "humankind."*  This was not the first time He had used the title for Himself; He had been using it since He began His public ministry.  In fact, John the Baptist used it of Him even before He introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God.(John 1)  Jesus used it often when He wanted to give the big picture that He was sent from the Father to live sinlessly, die sacrificially for our sin, be buried, rise again, then ascend back to the Father to intercede for us and prepare a place for us: the fullness of His mission to earth.  These two names: Son of Man and Son of God, go together in the same sentence, just like Jesus used them here. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #84: Son of God

 

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 

Yesterday we looked at the opening verses of Matthew's Gospel, which emphasized Jesus as the Son of David. Luke's gospel begins by emphasizing that He is the Son of God.  The presence of the article "the" is of utmost importance.  He is not one of many, but the One and Only.  He is holy - totally unique. He alone can also be called "God" - the one perfect in power, wisdom and goodness."*  He is worthy of the throne not only here on earth and in our lives, but also in heaven.  Thus, the Virgin Birth becomes one of the cardinal doctrines the Christian faith. It is a totally one-of-a-kind, once-for-all event only God could do.  Praise God for sending His Son in the perfect way.

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #83: Son of David

 

Matthew 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham... 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,... 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. 

Jesus Christ is The Son of David.  This plays strong not only throughout Matthew's gospel, but the Old Testament as well.  Ever since the promise given to David in II Samuel 7, people had been waiting for the Son of David to come. He was "the human male descendant" of "a Hebrews shepherd who became the second king of Israel in succession to Saul according to the biblical accounts."* Most of all, Jesus was the One Who fulfilled the promises of a King "after God's own heart" - even more so than David had been. He is the King Who is totally "on the same page" and "of the same mind" as God, because He is also God. He is not some small time king; He is the great one we need. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #82: Sinless

 

II Corinthians 5: 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Second only to the proclamation that Jesus Christ is God, this statement is extremely profound: that He is Sinless. Diann Cotton defines this as being "impeccable."* There has been no other to walk the earth about whom this could be said.  All have sinned - except Him.  Isaiah described Him as the pure, innocent lamb sacrificed for us.  John said: (I John 3:5): But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. Peter stated that: (I Peter 2:22) “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” and the writer of Hebrews (4:15): For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. He is not like us; there is no other like Him. That is why we all need Him so badly - to take care of our sin.  If any of us say we are "sinless", we lie, and the truth is not in us. (I John 1.)

*(100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #81: Shepherd

 

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 

Taking up one of the most fitting names and pictures of God from the Old Testament, Jesus announced that He is the Shepherd. A shepherd of course was "a person who guards or tends sheep". * As a verb, it means "to guide or guard in a manner as a shepherd; pastor."*  The Apostles went on to use titles of Him as "the great shepherd of the sheep" and "the guardian of our souls."  He does so much for His sheep: laying down His life for them, guiding them in the safe and wise path, guarding us from spiritual attack.  He does all of this because He really does love and care for us, and considers Himself personally responsible to do all He can to bring us into the fold, protect, provide for, and present us to His Father.  He is the Good Shepherd. Let's not be dumb and stray away from Him.

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus #80: Servant

 

Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

One of the names of Jesus that is readily apparent both in Old Testament Prophecies (particularly Isaiah) and in the way He lived His life on earth was Servant. Diann Cotton defines what it means to serve as: "to be of use; to be worthy of reliance or trust; to help persons with food; to wait at table; to set out portions of food or drink; to wait on customers; to comply with the commands of demands of; gratify; to perform the duties of; present, provide; to furnish or supply with something needed or desired; to wait on a customer in a store; to furnish professional service to; to answer the needs of; to be enough for, suffice; to contribute to, to provide services that benefit or help."*  Wow! What we notice is not only the extend Jesus went to, and how He did all of those things in relationship to His Father and those He came to serve, but also how much these things are in such short supply today.  Employers cannot find people to work in "service" industries.  There is a great lack of service because there is a great lack of Christ in our culture and our lives. May we trust in Him and learn from Him to be servants.

*(100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #79: Savior

 Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

From His first introduction by the angel to the shepherds, Jesus is best known as our Savior.  Diann Cotton defines a savior simply as: "one that saves from danger or destruction; one who brings salvation: Jesus."* When Peter stood before the Sanhedrin to explain what they had been teaching, he simply said in Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. When Paul and Barnabas went to the Jews at Pergamum they began by saying: 23 Of this man's (David's) offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Of course our salvation goes deep, as Paul tells Titus in chapter 3: 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus Christ our Lord!

*(100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #78: Ruler

 Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Something we can easily miss in the details of this account is what the prophet had said about the Christ: He would be a Ruler.  We are much more familiar with the term King, but the prophet said Ruler - "a person (as a king or queen) having supreme power over a nation; one that rules; sovereign."* Obviously, these wise men saw Jesus as more than one ruling over small, subservient Israel; they saw Him as one Who was worthy the investment of their time and resources to come all the way to worship.  He would indeed "shepherd (His) people Israel," but His Rule would extend so much further: the whole world. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name#77: Rock

I Corinthians 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

The picture of Christ as The Rock finds its roots deep in the Old Testament. Here Paul reminds us that Christ was very much present in the history of Israel, and the Psalmists often present Him as such, as in Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Rather than being cold, hard, and dumb, the Rock means: "a large mass of stone forming a cliff, promontory or cliff; solid in firmness, foundation, support, refuge."*.  The Rock gives us stability, security, and protection in all of life's storms and threats.  No wonder we sing: "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand."

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #76: The Risen One

Luke 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

From this point on, to those who knew Him referred to Christ as The Risen One.  His followers introduced Him that way when they spoke of Him.  Peter told his fellow Jews that Jesus was the one they had crucified but that God had raised up (Acts 2) and Paul often referred to Him as "The Risen Christ".  As we said yesterday, Christ's role as ransom and redeemer are incomplete without His resurrection as the Risen One.  That fact should make all the difference in what we seek and how we live.  

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #75: Resurrection and the Life

John 11: 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

The last three names of Jesus we have studied have focused on His sacrificing himself to reconcile us to God. This name moves beyond the sacrifice to the powerful reason He is able to pass on the results of His redemption to us: He rose again.  This response of Jesus to the sisters of Lazarus are amazing as He had not yet raised him from the dead. He was indeed "asking a lot" for Martha to embrace Him and pronounce that He is the Resurrection and the Life.  Especially keep in mind that Martha was the "practical" one of the two, not easily given to fanciful thought. This truth is still amazing and valid: Christ has risen indeed, and in Him we have the sure hope of resurrection to eternal life.  The other names are incomplete without it.

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #74: Reconciler

II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 

We might label these past three days "The Three 'R's of Salvation: Ransom, Redeemer, Reconciler," but there are more R's to come. To reconcile is to "restore friendship or harmony; used of the Divine work of redemption insofar as God Himself , by taking upon Himself our sin and becoming an atonement establishes the relationship of peace with mankind."* In a very real sense, reconciliation "ties together" Christ's work and payment as our Ransom and Redeemer, bringing them to the ultimate goal: our peace with God - the relationship we've always wanted and needed.  He makes us right with Him.

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #73: Redeemer

 Isaiah 59:20 “And a Redeemer will come to Zion,
    to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.

This promise from God given through Isaiah follows nicely on what we saw yesterday - that Jesus is our Ransom: He paid the price and was the price.  He was also the Redeemer who paid the redemption price to by us back.  To "redeem" is "to buy back, to free from captivity by payment of a ransom; to release from blame or debt; clear; to free from the consequences of sin."*  That is exactly what Christ does for those who repent, who turn from sin and trust in Him.  Paul puts it this way in Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  He is our Redeemer and He is the Redemption price paid to release us.  There is good reason so many songs sing the praise of our blessed Redeemer!

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #72: Ransom

 I Timothy 2: 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 

As Paul reflects on the Person and work of Christ as the Savior of all mankind, and the One through Whom we have access to God in prayer, he refers to Christ as a Ransom.  This is based upon the words of Christ Himself in Mark 10:43 But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus identified this as a name for Himself. The verb Ransom is "to free from captivity or punishment by paying a price; to deliver, especially from sin or its punishment."* Usually the person would pay the price in coin or property, but in this case, Jesus was the one who pays the price to deliver us from sin and free us from its punishment, and He Himself was the payment price.  What a motivation to trust Him, thank Him, and call out to Him in prayer for others.

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #71

 Hebrews 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Jesus Christ is The Radiance of the Glory of God.  Radiance means "to emit light or splendor", while glory, as we have seen before is: "Renown, great beauty or splendor."* So together we find this name shines brightly to reveal to us God's perfect beauty and glory.  In Him we can see what God is really like. In Him we find one who really can keep everything together and run the world.  He is so bright there is no dark corner that cannot be seen, and there are no dark corners.  In Christ we have the "full disclosure" of God and His perfect plan, and now He is back at the Father's right hand, saying to us: "Any questions?", and He is waiting for us to ask Him.    

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)*

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #70: Propitiation

Romans 3:22 For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Christ is our Propitiation - not an everyday word - He is one who "gains or regains the goodwill of; appeases or makes an atoning sacrifice." *  He steps in between us and God and pays what we owe so we can be in God's good favor.  He is willing to do that for all of us, because all of us have fallen short.  He freely offers to make the payment, and He has the means to do so.  Have you received His gift?

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #69: Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9: 6 For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
In this promise of God given by Isaiah, one of the names the Messiah would be given was Prince of Peace. As Diann Cotton points out in her book 110 Days with Jesus a prince is "a male member of the royal family; a son of the king," while peace is "Freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; the absence or end of strife; a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity. "  The title itself makes it clear that the King's Son will be the one who brings a peace agreement.  When He does so, he brings freedom to the ones who have been at war - not in a physical sense, but within.  War is devastating; so is sin.  Its results are fear, guilt, frustration, bitterness, and depression.  Peace lifts us out of that; Christ pulls us out of the ditch in which we have entrenched ourselves and establishes within us an eternal state of peace.  What a peace pact He has made for us.

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #68: The Physician

Mark 2:16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus, because of His great power to heal, became known as The Physician. He even at times referred to Himself that way.  By definition, a Physician is "one educated, clinically experienced, and licensed to practice medicine."*  Jesus had a very "non-traditional training and certification process." He made us, so He knows us inside and out, and His Father gave Him a "license" to heal when He came to earth.  What is interesting to note here in Mark 2 is that Jesus was not healing people at that time; He was spending time giving the gospel to "tax collectors and sinners" - those needing spiritual healing.  To be sure, one the most important way Jesus was, and is The Physician, is by changing people from the inside out to become God's family.  

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #67: Passover Lamb

I Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

Christ is our Passover Lamb.  Technically, the Passover is "a Jewish holiday beginning on the 14th of Nissan, and commemorating the Hebrews liberation from slavery in Egypt; and exemption of the Israelites from the slaughter of the firstborn in Egypt(Exodus 12)."*  Paul fills this paragraph with imagery from that celebration: the lamb, the unleavened bread, the festival celebration of God "passing over" His people and not bringing judgment. Paul's reason for mentioning Christ the Lamb in particular was to emphasize the purity that was present because the sinless Lamb was there. The problem Paul was addressing was sin in the Church that was not just being ignored, but almost celebrated.  It was a contradiction to the presence of the Holy Passover Lamb.  The blood of the Lamb was not a license to sin, but a call to repentance and dependence on God for deliverance.  Salvation in Christ calls us to a higher level of purity, not a lower one. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #66: The Nazarene

Matthew 2:21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. 

Over the last several days we have considered some of the loftiest and most impressive names of Jesus. Today we go to the opposite spectrum and a name that was meant to be an insult to belittle Him. Here, and in a few other places, Jesus was called the Nazarene, a place looked down upon as small, insignificant, and even dirty.  The name overemphasizes the humanity of Jesus and the poor, humble origins of His earthly heritage. Together with the names we have recently discussed it reminds us that Jesus Christ was the God-Man, which made Him not only qualified to be our substitute, but also the perfect demonstration of character for the child of God and the only one ever to be in the position to be our understanding advocate.  His humble beginnings give us hope that we too can and will someday be with God in heaven.

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #65: My Servant

 Isaiah 53: 

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

As God speaks through Isaiah about His Messiah, sent to do His saving work, He gives him many titles and descriptions, but one that really hit home with the people of Israel was Servant. It was a title He had used lovingly for them throughout their history.  The word My "is used to indicate affection to the one you are talking to."*  God does not use the word  "my" to express any sort of greediness - only His great love.  God also often called the people of Israel "My People. God had great affection for His people, but He had a greater affection for His Servant, His Son.  Yet, He was willing to send and give his Servant, Whom He loved more, as a sacrifice for us.  He also gives us the privilege of being called His servants through our connection with His Son as we follow Him.  

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #64: My Lord and My God

John 20:26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 

When Jesus' closest followers first heard that He had risen from the death, many responded with an understandable: "I can't believe it."  Thomas, however, after hearing not just from a disciple here or there, but all the other 10 disciples gathered at once stated: "I will not believe it."  He represents well the lives of many of us who "took awhile" to come in faith.  We may not have so honestly said it out loud, but there was in our lives reasons we refused to believe and receive Christ.  But when Thomas did see Jesus, his response was even more emphatic: My Lord and My God. We have seen both those names for Jesus before: Lord: "One having power and authority over others; a ruler by heredity right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due." and God: "The supreme or ultimate reality; the Being perfect in power, wisdom and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe."* Obviously, when Thomas joined the two together things really had all come together to proclaim who Jesus Christ really is: Our Lord and Our God, rightful ruler over all, including, and especially me.  

(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #63: Minister in the Holy Place

 Hebrews 8:1Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 

Christ is our Minister in the Holy Place or Sanctuary. As minister, He is "a person whose job involves performing religious ceremonies; and providing spiritual or religious guidance to other people." His place of "employment" is in the sanctuary: "a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter." The priests of The Law entered a place on earth, while Christ enters a place in heaven, the "true tent" of the Lord.  Something else of note is that the High Priest was required to offer a sacrifice, a lamb. Christ has given the greatest sacrifice instead: Himself.  Christ represents us before God with the holiest of sacrifices; He has "gone to the top" and remains there at all times on our behalf.  What a great Minister!

(*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #62: Mighty God

 Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Among the majestic titles Isaiah bestows upon the Messiah here is Mighty God. When we think of one who is mighty our thoughts go to things like: "possessing might, powerful; accomplished or characterized by might; great or imposing in size or extent; extraordinary; having or showing great strength or power; very great." As we have seen before God is "the supreme or ultimate reality; the being perfect in power, wisdom and goodness; who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe; a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human worship; a person or thing of supreme value; a powerful ruler."*  Indeed, when Jesus walked into town people marveled and wondered as He said and did all sorts of things unlike any other human they had ever heard or seen.  Many did come to view Him as their Lord and their God.  That has only increased throughout the ages, as people come to understand that He was not just "way back then" or "up in the sky", but powerful in our lives and our world today.  He is Mighty God.

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #61: Messiah

John 4: 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Jesus is Messiah: " Anointed; The expected King and deliverer of the Jews; a person who is expected to save people from a very bad situation."* This woman represents many (and in a sense) all people in the world.  They were (and are) in a very bad situation: they are blocked from a meaningful relationship with God. She expressed what is deep in the heart of man: a desire to know the true and living God. She rightly realized that the Messiah was needed to deliver her (and by her use of the pronoun "we", all her people) so that true worship would be possible.  Jesus was exactly what they were looking for and needed, and there He was, talking with her.  Because of what He then did through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension we too can have this talk with Him, and get to know the true and living God. 

*(Diann Cotton, 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #60: Merciful

Hebrews 2: 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

As we have been noting, when Christ came to earth He came as Man to do what only He could do.  As the High Priest, He had to take on human flesh to identify with as and die in our place.  That being the case, He understands us and we can comprehend how Merciful He is.  The term means: "treating people with kindness and forgiveness; not cruel or harsh; compassionate; providing relief."*  We see that in the Old Testament when the people of Israel would cry out to God in desperation and he would reach down and deliver, provide or heal them in their misery.  Christ amped things up infinitely when instead of reaching down, He came down to show us the grace, love and mercy of God "in the flesh." He now, more than ever, is able to be our Merciful Savior we can call out to in time of trials and temptations.