What is in a Name
A agood name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
You got it from your father,
t'was the best he had to give,
And right gladly he bestowed it
It's yours, the while you live.
You may lose the watch he gave you
and another you may claim,
But remember, when you're tempted,
to be careful of his name.
It was fair the day you got it,
and a worthy name to bear,
When he took it from his father
there was no dishonor there.
Through the years he proudly wore it,
to his father he was true,
And that name was clean and spotless
when he passed it on to you.
Oh there's much that he has given
that he values not at all,
He has watched you break your playthings
in the days when you were small.
You have lost the knife he gave you
and you've scattered many a game,
But you'll never hurt your father
if you're careful with his name.
It is yours to wear forever,
yours to wear the while you live,
Yours, perhaps some distant morn,
another boy to give.
And you'll smile as did your father,
with a smile that all can share,
If a clean name and a good name
you are giving him to wear.
- Edgar A. Guest
4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner 1of the Lord, 2beseech you to awalk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit bin the bond of peace.
4 cThere is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 done Lord, eone faith, fone baptism;
6 gone God and Father of all, who is above all, and hthrough all, and in 3you all.
7 But ito each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
If you were to go through the four Gospels, or the whole New Testament for that matter, and list the numerical frequency of the titles used for Jesus, which do you suppose would be used most often?
The answer is the title, Christ. In fact, this title is used of Jesus so often in the New Testament that many people think that ‘Christ’ is part of his name. But his name would have been ‘Jesus bar-Joseph’. ‘Jesus’ is his name; ‘Christ’ is a title. We shall study this title later in chapter 2, but for the present note that the word ‘Christ’ is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word for ‘the Messiah’. Therefore, when the New Testament says ‘Jesus Christ’, it is saying ‘Jesus the Messiah’.
The second most frequently used title for Jesus in the New Testament is the title ‘Lord’. We shall consider the significance of this title in chapter 4. In third place, in terms of numerical frequency, is the title ‘Son of Man’. It is used about 80 times. What is striking about the use of the title is this: it is the title that Jesus most frequently used to describe himself. Of all the times that this title is used of Jesus in the New Testament, only two or three times is it used by someone other than Jesus.
Different uses of ‘Lord’ in the New Testament
The title, ‘Lord’, which is from the Greek, kurios, has three meanings attached to it in the New Testament
First, there was the common use of the word, simply as a polite form of address, similar to calling somebody in our own day, ‘Sir’, or ‘Mister’
A second usage of the term ‘Lord’ is similar to what happens in Britain. When someone is elevated to the peerage the word ‘Lord’ is put in front of his name. This is a formal title of respect and dignity. In the New Testament world, this second usage was applied to a slave-owner. A person who was wealthy enough to purchase slaves was called a kurios, or a lord. Usually, when it is used in this sense in the New Testament, it is translated by the word, ‘Master’.
The supreme title of substitution was Adonai (‘Lord’ in most Bible versions), meaning, the one who is absolutely sovereign. The Jews also used the word Melech, which means king, but that was a lesser title. Adonai is the one who is sovereign over the kings of the world.
Popular titles of Jesus
If you were to go through the four Gospels, or the whole New Testament for that matter, and list the numerical frequency of the titles used for Jesus, which do you suppose would be used most often?
The answer is the title, Christ. In fact, this title is used of Jesus so often in the New Testament that many people think that ‘Christ’ is part of his name. But his name would have been ‘Jesus bar-Joseph’. ‘Jesus’ is his name; ‘Christ’ is a title. We shall study this title later in chapter 2, but for the present note that the word ‘Christ’ is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word for ‘the Messiah’. Therefore, when the New Testament says ‘Jesus Christ’, it is saying ‘Jesus the Messiah’.
The second most frequently used title for Jesus in the New Testament is the title ‘Lord’. We shall consider the significance of this title in chapter 4. In third place, in terms of numerical frequency, is the title ‘Son of Man’. It is used about 80 times. What is striking about the use of the title is this: it is the title that Jesus most frequently used to describe himself. Of all the times that this title is used of Jesus in the New Testament, only two or three times is it used by someone other than Jesus.
Popular titles of Jesus
If you were to go through the four Gospels, or the whole New Testament for that matter, and list the numerical frequency of the titles used for Jesus, which do you suppose would be used most often?
The answer is the title, Christ. In fact, this title is used of Jesus so often in the New Testament that many people think that ‘Christ’ is part of his name. But his name would have been ‘Jesus bar-Joseph’. ‘Jesus’ is his name; ‘Christ’ is a title. We shall study this title later in chapter 2, but for the present note that the word ‘Christ’ is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word for ‘the Messiah’. Therefore, when the New Testament says ‘Jesus Christ’, it is saying ‘Jesus the Messiah’.
The second most frequently used title for Jesus in the New Testament is the title ‘Lord’. We shall consider the significance of this title in chapter 4. In third place, in terms of numerical frequency, is the title ‘Son of Man’. It is used about 80 times. What is striking about the use of the title is this: it is the title that Jesus most frequently used to describe himself. Of all the times that this title is used of Jesus in the New Testament, only two or three times is it used by someone other than Jesus.
I find in teaching adult classes and even in theological seminary, that if I ask my students, ‘Why does Jesus call himself the Son of Man?’, there is a common answer. Generally the response is that the title ‘Son of Man’ was a humble, self-designation that Jesus used to call attention to his humanity, his identification with us as people. There is an element of truth in this answer, but it is inadequate.
The New Testament has another title for Jesus, ‘Son of God’. In the history of Christianity, the church has confessed its faith that Jesus, though he is one person, has two natures, one divine and one human. Therefore, if we think that the title ‘Son of God’ is used in the New Testament for Jesus’ divinity, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that when it uses the title, ‘Son of Man’, it is with reference to his humanity. But if we jump, we are going to jump into all kinds of trouble, because it simply isn’t a valid conclusion. If anything, the situation is reversed.
In the Bible, the title, ‘Son of God’, is ascribed to angels and also to human beings, with specific reference to people who are particularly obedient to God. This is not to say that the title ‘Son of God’ has no reference to the deity of Christ; it does, particularly the special way in which it is used of Jesus. But the phrase, in and of itself, often refers to creatures and doesn’t necessarily indicate deity. Similarly, although the title ‘Son of Man’ has reference to Jesus’ solidarity with humanity, there is something about the biblical use of this title which focuses on the transcendent majesty of Christ.
Daniel’s vision
This phrase, ‘the Son of Man’, was not invented by Jesus in the first century, but has its roots in Old Testament literature, particularly in the book of Daniel. Daniel is a difficult book to interpret because it is apocalyptic literature, with vivid images.
In the seventh chapter of Daniel, the prophet is describing a vision which God gave him of the inner sanctum in heaven. He is transported, as it were, by the Spirit, much as John was on the Isle of Patmos when he wrote the book of Revelation. Daniel was given the privilege of looking into the interior of heaven itself. In writing of what he saw, he uses sharp crystal images to describe his experience. If you are familiar with the book of Revelation, you will realise that it is almost verbatim recapitulation of this scene in Daniel.
First of all, Daniel describes what he saw in the vision:
‘As I looked,
thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened’.
Daniel 7:9, 10
Do you get the picture? Daniel, looking into the inner court of heaven, sees someone seated on this throne of splendour who has the title, ‘the Ancient of Days’. He is referring to God the Father, seated in regal splendour upon the throne, surrounded and attended by tens of thousands of angelic beings.
The scene portrayed is that of a courtroom where, with the Judge seated, the court comes to order, and the books are opened. We can imagine how breathtaking this was for the prophet: to see the future when the Ancient of Days will be seated on the throne of authority and judgment. But Daniel kept looking. And this is what he saw:
‘In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed’.
Daniel 7:13, 14
Daniel is saying, ‘I looked into heaven itself, and as the court was come to order with the books opened, suddenly I saw the Shekinah cloud: the visible, tangible, perceivable manifestation of the blinding glory of God himself. And in this cloud, being brought in to the throne room, was One who was identified as the Son of Man. This Son of Man was brought to the immediate presence of the Ancient of Days, and presented to him. The Ancient of Days then commanded that the Son of Man be given dominion and glory and an everlasting kingdom.’ What Daniel saw was the exaltation of Christ.
We are not going to examine every occurrence of this title, ‘the Son of Man’, in the Old and New Testaments, but essentially the title is used, not to describe a human being whose sphere of operations is the earth, but a heavenly being. It concerns One who left the presence of the Ancient of Days in heaven, became human, and at the completion of his sojourn returned to his place of origin, heaven itself, where he was given dominion, glory and a kingdom.
It is no accident that when, after his resurrection, Jesus left this world from the Mount of Olives, the biblical description is that he ascended in a cloud of glory which disappeared beyond the vision of the disciples (Acts 1:9). Luke, the author of Acts, tells us of the departure of Jesus, but he does not describe the arrival at the other end. It is that arrival which Daniel saw.
Jesus once made this statement: ‘No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man’ (John 3:13). In fact he frequently made reference to the fact that his place of origin was not Bethlehem. Yes, he was born in Bethlehem, but he predated his own birth. He repeatedly stressed the fact that he came from above, that he came from the Father. He descended from heaven before he ever ascended to heaven.
Two incidents in the life of Jesus
Two episodes in Jesus’ ministry call attention to the significance of this title, ‘Son of Man’.
On one occasion Jesus healed a crippled person. In the act of healing him he said, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven’ (Matthew 9:2). When the religious authorities heard this, they were furious. They thought that Jesus was just a human being making himself out to be God.
As twentieth-century people, we are accustomed to hearing ministers and priests pronounce the promise of God’s forgiveness on people who repent of their sins. Jesus commissioned the church to make those utterances in his name. Therefore it doesn’t offend us.
In the Jewish community of the first century, however, it was clearly understood that the only person who had the authority to forgive sins was God. Yet when Jesus ministered to the crippled man, he didn’t say, ‘Let me pray for you that my Father will forgive your sins.’ Unilaterally he made a declaration: ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ That is why there was an angry response with the charge of blasphemy being brought against him.
How did Jesus respond? ‘Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.…” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home” ’ (Matthew 9:4–6).
Jesus did this to teach them something. What was the lesson? He performed the miracle so the onlookers would know that he, the Son of Man, had authority to forgive sins. That is not a statement of self-effacing humility, and his contemporaries understood this. When they heard Jesus saying that the Son of Man had the authority to forgive sins on earth, they knew he was claiming to be divine.
The other occasion was when the disciples ate some corn as they walked through a cornfield on a Sabbath day (Mark 2:23–28). The Pharisees found fault with their behaviour. Jesus, in his explanation of why he had permitted his disciples to eat the corn, said, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’
Listen to that with the ears of a first-century Jew, who understood that only the Creator of the universe had lordship over the Sabbath day. The Sabbath had not been established by Moses but by God, so when Jesus said, ‘the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath’, he was saying, ‘the Son of Man is God.’
Taking these two incidents together, we can see that the title ‘the Son of Man’ bespeaks divine authority to forgive sins and to authorise what was acceptable Sabbath behaviour. Both areas belonged exclusively to God and so when Jesus used the title to describe himself, he was saying that he was God.
So far, in the book, we have looked at several names of Jesus. But what was God’s favourite name for Jesus?
The answer to that question is found in Philippians 2:5–11. This well-known passage is frequently called a Kenotic Hymn:
‘Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something
to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
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.’
And hthrough the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. iAnd they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.
they came to aThessalonica
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19 xIf you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet ybecause you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you, z‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. aIf they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21 But ball these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
22 cIf I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, dbut now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 eHe who hates Me hates My Father also.
Your Name
You got it from your father,
t'was the best he had to give,
And right gladly he bestowed it
It's yours, the while you live.
You may lose the watch he gave you
and another you may claim,
But remember, when you're tempted,
to be careful of his name.
It was fair the day you got it,
and a worthy name to bear,
When he took it from his father
there was no dishonor there.
Through the years he proudly wore it,
to his father he was true,
And that name was clean and spotless
when he passed it on to you.
Oh there's much that he has given
that he values not at all,
He has watched you break your playthings
in the days when you were small.
You have lost the knife he gave you
and you've scattered many a game,
But you'll never hurt your father
if you're careful with his name.
It is yours to wear forever,
yours to wear the while you live,
Yours, perhaps some distant morn,
another boy to give.
And you'll smile as did your father,
with a smile that all can share,
If a clean name and a good name
you are giving him to wear.
- Edgar A. Guest
