The Name Above All Names
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.” Philippians 2:9
When couples have children, they usually give them three names, first, middle, and last. In some countries, perhaps where they have royalty, the children receive a name that consists of a long list of predecessors, names of which are designed to carry on the legacy of the family. And then, of course, we have nicknames that we give to people which either signify some physical feature or personality trait or the opposite of some feature about them. In bygone days, names were given because of their meaning or in the hopes that the child would live up to the meaning of his or her name. Nowadays, folks either name the child after someone they admire or just because they like a particular name. Naming a child is the prerogative of the parent.
According to one of the commentaries that I checked, the name of Jesus is hidden in the Old Testament about 100 times. These are not the literal names of Jesus, but names that describe His divinity and majesty. The first mention of Jesus is found in Genesis 3:15 where He is referred to as the Seed which shall bruise Satan’s head. In Exodus 23:20-21, Jesus is call the Angel and identified as bearing the name of God. Jesus is called the Captain of the host of the LORD in Joshua 5:14 wherein Joshua “fell on his face to the earth and did worship”. In Psalm 61:2-3, Jesus is the Rock, the Shelter, and the Strong Tower from the enemy. He is called our Dwelling Place in all generations in Psalm 90:1. The prophet Isaiah has many names for Jesus including the Branch (11:1), Immanuel (God with us) (7:14), Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace (9:6). In Jeremiah, Jesus is described as a Fire and a Hammer (23:29), that which purifies and destroys evil. In Job 19:25, Jesus is known as the Redeemer who “shall stand at the latter day upon the earth”. These are just a few of the references to Christ in the Old Testament, each one describing His power, mercy, and love for all people.
The New Testament certainly refers to Jesus with a number of names and/or descriptions, the main one being the Son of God. He is also called the Son of man, which was one of Jesus’ favorite ways to describe Himself. In John, He is called the Word (1:1), the Light (1:8), the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world (1:29), the Bridegroom (3:29), the Messiah (4:25), the Door (10:9) by whom “if any one enters in, he or she shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture”, and probably the best known of Jesus’ descriptions of Himself is found in John 14:6, the Way, the Truth, and the Life without whom no one can come to the Father. Luke 1:78 calls Jesus the Dayspring from on high who has visited us through the tender mercy of our God. Matthew 2:6 calls Him the Governor who shall rule His people. In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, the only One who will be able to open the book and break the seven seals which will reveal the events of the end times. In Revelation, Jesus is called the Lamb (5:6) and the “Lord of lords and King of kings, and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (7:14).
There is no one who could bear these names other that Jesus Christ. It makes me sad, sometimes angry, to hear people use Jesus’ name as a curse word or in an unthoughtful way as if the name meant nothing. Exodus 20:7, the third Commandment, minces no words about the command to not take the name of the LORD our God in vain and that includes the name of Jesus. God said that He would not hold those who take His name in vain guiltless. God doesn’t say anything that He doesn’t mean. The 19th century missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, said, referring to Christ, “If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all”. Besides the name of Lord, I think the next best name of Jesus is Savior for without His saving grace, we would all be without hope.
I pray that each one of you have a merry, blessed, and healthy Christmas.