EP 67: The Titles Of Jesus
Did you know that Jesus was given more titles than any other person in history? I think this is so awesome, don't you?
Today, I want to reflect on some of these titles with you. Again, there is such an abundance of names and titles when it comes to Jesus, so by no means can I cover them all in this episode. But I will say this: There are 198 names and titles of Jesus in Cruden's Concordance, which was first published in 1737 and has stayed continuous in publication ever since. That's a lot!
Today, we are going to spend time reflecting on the three most popular ones with some brief information and Scripture resources for you to refer to as well.
THE TITLES OF JESUS
CHRIST
Christ is not the first or last name of Jesus. This can be confusing, especially for new Christians. Christ is a title–the supreme title–that refers to Jesus’ work as the Messiah!
The meaning of Christ is drawn from the Old Testament. God promised the ancient Israelites that a Messiah would come to deliver them from sin. This idea of the Messiah is carried over into the New Testament with the title Christ.
The title of Christ is derived from the Greek word Christos, which is used to translate the Hebrew word for Messiah. Messiah is derived from the Hebrew word mashiach which means "anointed one."
Both of these words, Christ and Messiah, mean "Anointed One." So, when the New Testament speaks of Jesus Christ, it is saying "Jesus the Messiah," which literally means, "Jesus the Anointed One."
Theologian Norman Geisler adds that the concept of MESSIAH (Christ) "is the key to the interpretation of the Bible, not only in that He is the fulfillment of OT types and prophecies, but in that Christ (Messiah) is the tie between the Testaments, the content of the whole canon and the unifying theme in the Bible!"
From start to finish, Scripture is Messiah-centric or Christo-centric. It all points to our Savior!
When Jesus started His public ministry, there were very few who truly recognized Him for who He was, despite the innumerable pieces of evidence that He walked in a special, divine anointing from God that was above anything anyone else had ever experienced.
In Matthew 16:13, Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
In response to Jesus' question, the disciples shared differing views that were being passed around: "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets" (v. 14).
Then Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" (v. 15b). Peter answered with what is now known as the great confession. He said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (v. 16).
With these words, Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.
How does Jesus respond? He tells Peter that he was blessed to have this understanding of Jesus' true identity.
Jesus explained: "For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (v. 17).
Peter had received a divine insight that Jesus was the Messiah; it was not something that he had discerned by his own ability.
Think of all the people who encountered Jesus and simply did not recognize Him or were confused by Him! As we stand on the other side of the resurrection, it can be easy to read this and think we would believe Jesus was who He said He was. But the truth is, the only reason anyone was ever able to believe this, both now and then, is because of the Father.
LORD
Did you know the Greek term for “Lord,” that is, kurios, is the second most popular title for Jesus in the New Testament? It appears a whopping 717 times.
Now, it is important to note that we are talking about the NT title of Lord, not the OT. When we see "LORD" used in the OT, it is a replacement for an occurrence of God’s Hebrew name "YHWH," also known as the Tetragrammaton. Don’t freak out if you’ve never heard this before! Tetragrammaton simply means “four letters.” You see, ancient Hebrew was a consonant-only language. In the original Hebrew, God’s name transliterates to YHWH due to the lack of vowels. Bible scholars debate how the tetragrammaton YHWH was pronounced, but many pronounce it as, “Yahweh.”
In its most generic state, the NT title of Lord is used as a polite address, similar to sir. When it comes to Jesus, however, the significance of the title Lord was powerful and meant to set Him above the rest as master.
When John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness as a “voice crying out…preparing the way of the Lord…” (Matthew 3:3), he was actually quoting Isaiah 40:3, where Isaiah says, “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” This verse referred to the Lord God coming among his people. In Matthew 3:3, John the Baptist was saying that he was a voice crying out: “Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight.”
John the Baptist was preparing Israel for the coming appearance of the Messiah, the Lamb of God who would be the propitiation for the sins of the world. He was preparing the way of the “Lord” or Jesus himself who was also the Lord of Isaiah 40:3.
The point I’m trying to make here is this: From start to finish, Jesus is the fulfillment of Scripture. Praise God!
"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." -Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)
SON OF MAN
Son of Man is the third most popular title of Jesus. It is not used as much as Christ and Lord are, but it is the title Jesus used most often in reference to himself. Pretty neat, right?
The fact that He was fully God and fully human matters so much. Not only could He relate to everything we have and will face in this life, but He was also the only one who could redeem us and reconcile us with God. He was the bridge. He came to follow the will of the Father, and that will was for Him to serve people in order to be the bridge to the Father.
Mark 10:45, Jesus says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many..” Don’t miss this...Jesus uses “the Son of Man” here in conjunction with his prophetic words about his own suffering. What an incredible reminder this is for us all that the Son of Man deeply related to the suffering of his fellow humans.
And there you have it- the three most popular titles of Jesus. But can I throw in a bonus, too? I’m totally going to! Let’s talk about the “I Am” Statements.
BONUS: The “I Am” Statements
Seven times in the Gospel of John, Jesus describes himself with an “I am” formula.
The Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48, 51)
The Light of the World (John 8:12; 9:5)
The Gate for the Sheep (John 10:7, 9)
The Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14)
The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
The Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)
The True Vine (John 15:1)
Something so powerful about the “I Am” Statements Jesus gives us is how He frames His identity in terms of His mission to serve others. He is the bread for the hungry; light for those in darkness; the gate and shepherd for wayward sheep; resurrection and life for those who will die; the way, truth, and life for those seeking the Father, and the vine that gives life to the branches.
Praise be to God for our merciful Savior!
Take some time to reflect on these titles as you recall all of who He is and what He has done as a result of His great love for us! For He alone is worthy!
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Day 01: Genesis 16:7-13: El-Roi: The God Who Sees Me
Day 02: Genesis 17:1-8: El-Shaddai: All Sufficient One/ Lord God Almighty
Day 03: Exodus 15:22-27: Jehovah-Rapha: My Healer
Day 04: Exodus 17:8-16: Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord My Miracle
Day 05: Exodus 31:12-18: Jehovah Mekoddishkem: The Lord Who Makes You Holy
Day 06: Deuteronomy 6:6-15: Qanna: Jealous God
Day 07: Psalm 18:1-6 El-Sali: God of My Strength
Day 08: Psalm 23 Jehovah-Raah: The Lord My Shepherd
Day 09: Psalm 24:1-10 Jehovah-Sabaoth: The Lord of Hosts
Day 10: Psalm 51:10-19 Adonai: God is my Lord and Master
Day 11: Psalm 57:1-5 El-Elyon: The Most High God
Day 12: Isaiah 7:7-14 Immanuel: God With Us
Day 13: Isaiah 9:6&7 Prince of Peace
Day 14: Isaiah 26:1-8 El-Olam: The Everlasting God
Day 15: John 1:1-14 The Word
Day 16: John 4:19-26 Messiah
Day 17: John 6:28-40 The Bread of Life
Day 18: John 8:49-59 I AM
Day 19: John 10:11-18 The Good Shepherd
Day 20: John 10:34-42 The Son of God
Day 21: John 14:1-14 The Way, The Truth & The Life
Day 22: John 15:1-9 The Vine
Day 23: Romans 16:20-27 Jehovah-Shalom: God is my peace
Day 24: 1 Timothy 6:13-21 Jehovah-Jireh: My Provider
Day 25: Titus 2:11-15 Savior
Day 26: 1 Peter 2:1-10 The Chief Cornerstone
Day 27: Revelation 5:6-14 The Lamb of God