Month: September 2024

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.
Psalms 5:11

I like titles that are clear and crisp, that are right there in scripture so that they jump out at you when you read them in boldface. I get a little bothered by other name-finders who invent titles from phrases or ideas, thus making them equal to the obvious appellations of the King of kings. 

I’ll go with implied titles when I must, when it would be blatantly obvious that it is missing and it would be irresponsible not to include it. In Psalm 68:5, God (Elohim) is described as the “Defender of the widows”, but He is also the Defender of all who are poor and needy.

In Old Testament writings, the LORD defended Israel time and time again, delivering them from overwhelming odds. The empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome (and more recently the Third Reich) tried to annihilate the Jewish people, but God was their Defender. 

The New Testament clearly portrays Christ as our Defender. He defended the woman caught in adultery by writing her defense in the sand (John 8:1-12). Jesus defended his disciples when they were surrounded by Judas’ army in the Garden of Gethsemane. He spoke the words, “I am” and all the bad guys fell down. He then commanded His followers to be released and they were (John 18:1-8).

Christ encouraged His followers in the sermon of the Mount of Olives not to worry about what to say when they were persecuted and arrested for His sake (Mark 13:9-13). He would be their Defender.

Paul had first-hand experience with the Defender of the saints, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed – always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).

April 23

So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me,
‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
Acts 22:8*

Everybody has a small list of names they go by: first name, surname, middle name, nick name, pet name, maiden name, pen name as well as aliases (also known as “a.k.a”). It can and does get confusing, so at some point, those in charge want to know your legal name. 

Jesus of Nazareth was Christ’s legal name. It is the name that set Him apart from all the other Jesuses of His time. It was how friends and enemies knew Him; it was the name brought up at His trial and the name put on His death certificate. Legally, that’s who the Savior was. 

Family names have been around for only around 600 years. They weren’t necessary when people lived in small rural communities. If people needed to differentiate between two people with the same personal name, a by-name was added. This was a descriptive term or phrase that would set that person apart from others. The name would stick and people would be introduced with that moniker.

When Saul of Tarsus was struck down by a blinding light on the way to Damascus, he saw a vision of the celestial. Someone was up there talking to him, demanding answers for the persecution he was meeting out. Saul wanted to know who this messenger of God really was. “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,” was the reply. Saul then had no doubt who He was. 

Jesus of Nazareth – the name on the accusation sign at the cross
Jesus of Nazareth – the name the Sanhedrin had made illegal to mention.
Jesus of Nazareth – the name Stephen was executed for preaching.
Jesus of Nazareth – the name on the letters of authority that Saul carried to arrest Jesus’s followers in Damascus.
Jesus of Nazareth – the newly found Lord and Savior of Paul of Tarsus. 

*used a total of 17 times in Matthew through Acts

April 22

Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Luke 20:21-22

When Jesus taught His creation on this earth, many rejected Him as the Christ, denied Him as Lord and refused to accept that He was “God with us.” However, one title that even His critics and enemies had to acknowledge was that he was a great teacher. This sparks my interest as one who has been in the teaching profession for over forty years. What was Jesus’ teaching style? What kind of lesson plans did He use? And how can I teach like the grand master?

In the portion above, it’s clear that Christ had what every educator eventually runs into, students that try to to get the teacher to say something that can be used against him. It’s the classic “student that comes, but doesn’t want to learn” scenario. They complimented Him for being politically incorrect and then baited Him with a loaded question that they hoped would bring Him down. Jesus not only took their bait, He took the whole rod and reel and made their question backfire on them.

Christ responded to their question with a question, “Why do you test me?” showing that He saw through their ruse.  Instead of side-stepping the issue and avoiding the question, He took it head on. (In pedagogy, it’s called a “teachable moment”). They showed interest in something, so He’d tell them something they didn’t know. Show me a denarius,” He added. This used many teaching techniques:
1. It got the student kinetically (physically) involved.
2. It made them put their tax money where their mouth was (i.e. showed that they had the money to pay their taxes).
3. It produced a manipulative (i.e. a physical object to focus on).
Whose image and inscription does it have?” was His next “right there” question. It was a simple question that anyone could get right and caused the answerer to buy into the learning process. “Caesar’s,” they responded acknowledging the obvious.

At this point the Lord hit them with the zinger, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Luke 20:25). The lesson came short and to the point, just like a really good teacher does it.

April 21

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 10:11

Although this title occurs only in the tenth chapter of John, few are as well known. The Good Shepherd is found in the name of countless local churches and has been found in early Christian art from the second century.

Depictions of a young shepherd carrying a lamb on his shoulders have been found on the walls of the catacombs of Rome and are among the most common symbolic representations of Christ.  In those early centuries of the church, believers hid in caves and risked death to be a disciple of Jesus.  Focusing on the Good Shepherd who loved them unto death, surely was a comfort and encouragement in the darkness.

Most people in this modern urban society don’t have a clue about the details of a shepherd’s job description. They certainly did in the Roman Empire. Shepherds had the thankless job of caring for poor, smelly, helpless critters that were too dumb to take care of themselves.  Left on their own, sheep soon die, because they can’t find their own food and water, nor can they protect themselves from predators.

Isaiah 53:6 connects the dots: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” We are those stupid, stubborn animals that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gave His life to save and care for.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
                                          Psalm 23:1-3

April 20

And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.”
Revelation 16:5

Because God is omnipresent, He is everywhere at once. Because not only did He invent time, He owns the patent to the time-space continuum. Just as God made atoms and energy, He also created time.  Time didn’t exist before creation, because there were no reference points or mile stones.  At the final judgment, time will be no more, but God and his people will continue forever. 

Revelation, the last book in the Bible, is a book of prophecy. It speaks of things yet to come, but it uses the past and present tenses to describe them. In the soon to come future, the “angel of the waters” will pour out his bowl of wrath on planet Earth and then he’ll report to Christ that His orders are carried out.  He’ll say “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be” (Revelation 16:5). 

Since Christ by nature controls past, present, and future, He can now allow evil men to persecute His church, because their coming judgment is just as sure as it was when it was written down long ago. In the same way, those who are persecuted will be greatly blessed, because that was his plan all along.

When time is irrelevant, the first century Christians will not spend more time in heaven than believers today. The opposite is also true; those who actually crucified the Savior will not spend longer in hell than the twenty-first century Christ-rejecters.  Infinity plus 2000 years equals infinity minus 2000 years (∞ + 2000 = ∞ – 2000). This makes sense not only to a mathematician, but to the One who is and who was and who is to be.

April 19

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 John 2:1

The modern use of the word “advocate” communicates the idea of a supporter or enthusiast, such as we use when we say, “he’s a green energy advocate.”  That’s a long stretch from what the Greek word meant. The original word here is “paraklesis” which means “a calling to one’s side” (para “beside”; kaleo “to call”).  A “paraclete” would be someone who you could call on in difficult times.

Although this word is translated as advocate in English it is translated as “abogado” (i.e. lawyer) in Spanish. This translation is a better description of the original word, since a paraclete was allowed to stand with the accused at trial and defend him before the court.

When people stand before God on the day of judgment they are not accused of lying so many times or stealing so much money. They are brought as enemies of God and are accused of rebellion and complicity in the murder of the Son of God.  The whole human race is guilty of crucifying an innocent man – God Himself.  Our human nature does evil instead of good and believes a lie instead of the truth.

The creation rejected, tortured, and put to death its Creator. Our sins only prove that we would have done the same thing given the opportunity. We are guilty because it is in our nature and the evidence is stacked against us.

The only thing that you can say to a criminal who is clearly culpable is “I hope you have a good lawyer.”  The good news of the gospel is that believers do have a good one; He is “Jesus Christ the righteous.”  He’s not only the Advocate, He is the judge and the victim.  So, if the Lord Jesus died in order to save someone, s/he is going to walk.

April 18

Although you won’t find “Holy Fish” on most lists of the names of Christ, this title has a very significant place in church history.  As the second century dawned, the emperor Trajan made the Christian faith outlawed in the Roman Empire, so the faithful were careful not to call attention to themselves.  If two people were overheard talking about Jesus Christ, they could be arrested.  If an eavesdropper picked up a conversation about a fish, however, the two people would be ignored.

IΧΘYΣ (Ichthys) is the Greek word for “fish” but it is also an acronym for Iesous Christos, Theou Yios, Soter (English translation – Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior).

Iota is the first letter of Iesous (Ιησους), Greek for “Jesus.”
Chi is the first letter of Christos (Χριστóς), Greek for “Christ.”
Theta is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for “God’s.”
Upsilon is the first letter of Huios (Υἱός), Greek for “Son.”
Sigma is the first letter of Soter (Σωτήρ), Greek for “Savior.”

At a time when to be identified as a Christian meant death, the believer not only needed to know what he believed, but why he believed it.  This secret code word not only communicated the object of one’s faith, but also his doctrine.

• Jesus was the personal name of the one they loved and worshiped. 
• Christ was God’s chosen one who was exalted over everyone.  
• God’s Son made Him equal with God. Crucifying God’s Son is a very serious matter. That is how the centurion that guarded Jesus at the crucifixion saw it. 
• Savior is the only one who can save the sinner from the bondage of sin.

Centuries have come and gone since Christ’s early followers talked in soft whispers of the “Holy Fish,” yet pictures of fish can still be seen carved in stone in the walls of ancient churches and in the Roman catacombs.  Bumper stickers of a stylized fish <><  are also sometimes seen in circulation today and with them the memory of “Ichthys,” the Holy Fish.

April 17

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16

Without a doubt “Christ” is the quintessential title given to the Lord.  It is used 555 times in 552 verses of the New Testament and is only surpassed in use by His personal name, Jesus (stated 983 times).  It would be safe to say that one would not have a clue who Jesus is unless he or she had some concept that He is the Christ.

Literally Christ means “anointed” and comes from the Greek word “Christos.” The Hebrew word “mashiach” (messiah) also means anointed and was translated as “Christos” in the Septuagint.  At the most basic level the term Christ means the Jewish Messiah, the anointed of God. In the first century, both the Greek speaking Gentile world and Hebrews understood this word.  “Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:17). The Christ was God’s chosen one who was sent into this world.

The first time Jesus went to the synagogue after He began His public ministry, He was given the book of Isaiah and read from chapter 61.  He announced “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).  When Christ was finished reading, He closed the book, sat down, and announced, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

The significance of this declaration is almost always missed in our culture and generation, but they totally got it at the time He said it. He was clearly saying that He was the LORD’s anointed; He was the Messiah; He was the Christ.

April 16

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2

Statistics can be a very useful tool in analyzing title combinations such as Christ Jesus. It is interesting to discover that of the 69 times the phrase occurs in the New Testament, Paul uses it 66 times. It is used by the writer to the Hebrews once and by Peter twice. The question that begs to be asked is, Why?  Why is this almost exclusively a Pauline idiom?

Whereas the other apostles followed the Lord during his earthly ministry and often called Him Jesus to His face, Paul, then known as Saul of Tarsus, was not counted among Christ’s disciples. Paul rejected the Nazarene as the Messiah and persecuted the church. While the others found it more natural to form the phrase “Jesus Christ” (because it emphasized their close relationship) Paul didn’t have this experience.

Grace is another word that Paul dominates. He was overwhelmed and humbled by the grace that saved such a sinner and murderer of God’s people. It was this same humility that caused him to acknowledge the Christ title before saying the name Jesus. Saul of Tarsus who rejected the Messiah was transformed by the Savior and after he started using his Greek name, Paul would openly acknowledge Him as God’s anointed – The Christ. He then was a follower of Christ Jesus. 

April 15

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham,
Matthew 1:1*

Jesus Christ. To those who love Him it says all. It’s His name; it’s His title; it’s precious. This title combination is used more than any other in the New Testament, beginning with the first verse and then found in every book except 3 John. Peter preached it at the birth of the church on Pentecost. Paul used it more than any other apostle and finally, the last verse in the Bible ends, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

Jesus Christ. To little children and the un-churched it’s His family name. They think He was called “Jesus Christ,” His mother “Mary Christ,” and His step-father “Joseph Christ.” They don’t know how special or how important He is. They’re clueless and the worst part is that they don’t even know that they don’t know Him.

 Jesus Christ. To the God-haters and Christ-rejecters it’s a curse word. They use it to blaspheme the LORD. They see it as no big deal, because in their eyes, He is no big deal. No other name on earth is used as profanity. No one invokes the name of Buddha if he hits his thumb with a hammer. The names of Mohammed and Krishna are not used in vain. It is proof again that the name is so great and so special that the enemies of God feel they need to put it down.

Jesus Christ. Peter concludes His second epistle with these words: “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:17,18)

*(also in Acts 2:38; 3:6, 20; 4:10; total use: 186 times in 178 verses)

April 14