THE TITLES OF JESUS: - CHAPTER 2 - PT 31

THE TITLES OF JESUS:  

CHAPTER  2

1. - A few years ago, a distinguished professor of New Testament was invited to address an academic convocation at a large seminary. A convocation in a university or seminary usually is attended with pomp and circumstance: The faculty members are adorned in full academic regalia as they march in procession to the front of the auditorium, and the guest speaker is expected to bring an address of weighty, scholarly material. Thus, on this occasion, when the New Testament professor entered the hall, there was a hush of expectancy as students and faculty waited with eager anticipation for his remarks. Being an expert in the field of Christology, the lecturer was expected to present an address revealing his most recent research in the field.

2. - However, he stood at the lectern and began yo recite a litany of the titles of Jesus drawn from the Scriptures. The litany went on for several minutes as the full impact of the titles, given without commentary, was felt by the audience. The professor stood and simply said with pauses in between: "Christ . . . Lord . . . Rabbi . . . Son of Man . . . Son of God . . . Son of David . . . Lion of Judah . . . the Rose of Sharon . . . the Bright and Morning Star . . . the Alpha and Omega . . . the Logos . . . the Advocate . . . the Prince of Peace . . . the only begotten of the Father . . . the Lamb without blemish . . ." On and on it went as the man recited all of the titles that the biblical writers had conferred on Jesus. These titles reveal something of His identity and give us a hint as to the meaning of His actions. It is customary in theology to distinguish between the person of Christ and the work of Christ. The distinction is an important one, but it must never involve a separation. Jesus is known in part by what He did. On the other hand, the significance of what He did is strongly conditioned by who He is. Though we may distinguish between person and work, we must never isolate the one from the other. 

3. - When we look at the titles conferred on Jesus in the New Testament, we see an interplay between person and work. Space does not permit an examination of all the titles ascribed to Jesus not permit an examination of all the titles ascribed to Jesus biblically, but let us examine briefly those that are generally considered His chief titles. 

The Christ or the Messiah
The title Christ is so often used in conjunction with the name of Jesus that it has virtually become His name. One does not normally refer to Jesus as "Jesus bar Joseph" or even as "Jesus Christ." Because the term Christ is perceived to be a name, the full significance of it may be lost. Actually, Jesus is a name but Christ is a title. It is used more often than any other title for Jesus in the New Testament. 

4. - Christ comes from the Greek word chistos, which means "anointed." It corresponds to the Hebrew word translated "messiah." When Jesus is called "Christ." He is being called "the Messiah." If we were to translate the name and the title directly into English, we would say "Jesus Messiah." With this title, we are making a confession of faith that Jesus is the long-awaited anointed one of Israel, the Savior who would redeem His people. In the Old Testament, the concept of the Messiah grew over a period of many years as God unfolded the character and role of the Messiah progressively. The term messiah initially meant "one anointed of God for a specific task." Anyone who was anointed to perform a work of God, such as a prophet, a priest, or a king, could be called "messiah" in the broad sense. 

5. - Slowly, through the prophetic utterances of the Old Testament, a concept was developed of the Messiah, one who would be uniquely anointed of God to fulfill a divine task. When the New Testament writers ascribed the fulfillment of those prophecies to Jesus, they made a statement of tremendous importance. They were saying that Jesus was the one "who was to come." He fulfilled all the promises of God that converge in the person of the Messiah. In the Old Testament, the concept of the Messiah is not a simple one, but has many nuances. There are different strands of messianic expectancy woven through the tapestry of these ancient books. At first glance, some of these appear contradictory. One of the main  strands of messianic expectancy is the idea of a king like David who would restore the monarchy of Israel. There is a triumphant note in the expectation of a Messiah who would reign over Israel and put all enemies under His feet. This was the most popular variety of messianic expectancy at the time Jesus appeared on the scene.

6. - Israel had suffered since its conquest by the Romans and was bristling under the oppression of this alien yoke. A vast number of people were yearning for the fulfillment of the prophecies of the coming Messiah who would overthrow the Roman government and restore independence to Israel. Another aspect of the concept of the Messiah was that of the Suffering Servant of Israel, the one who would bear the sins of the people. This notion is found most clearly in the Servant Songs of the prophet Isaiah, with Isaiah 53 being the chief text that the New Testament writers used to understand the ignominy of Jesus death. The figure of a despised and rejected servant stands in stark contrast with the concept of a royal king. A third strand of messianic expectancy is found in the so-called apocalyptic literature of the Old Testament, the highly symbolic writings of men such as Daniel and Ezekiel. Herein the Messiah, or Son of Man, is seen as a heavenly being who descends to earth in order to judge the world. It is difficult to conceive how one man could be both a heavenly being and an earthly king, a cosmic judge and a humiliated servant, at the same time. Yet these are the three major varieties of messianic expectancy that were very much alive at the time of Jesus entrance to the world. In the following sections, I want to look more clearly at these strands of expectancy.

7. - THE SON OF DAVID
The Old Testament reign of King David was the golden age of Israel. David excelled as a military hero and as a monarch. His military exploits extended the frontiers of the nation, and Israel emerged as a major world power and enjoyed great military strength and prosperity during his reign. But the golden age began to tarnish under Solomon's building program and turned to rust when the nation split under Jeroboam and Rehoboam. The memories of the great days lived on, however, in the history of the people. Nostalgia reached a peak under the oppression of the Roman Empire as the people of the land looked to God for a new David who would restore the former glory to Israel. The expectation surrounding the hope of a political Messiah was not born simply from nostalgia, but had its roots in Old Testament prophecies that gave substance to such a dream. The Psalms declared that one like David would be anointed as king by God Himself.

8. - Psalm  132:11 says: "The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne." Psalm  89 declares: "I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens. I will not violate my covenant, or alter the word that went forth from my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. His offspring shall endure for ever, his throne as long as the sun before me" (Verses  29,  34__36 ). Not only in the Psalms but also in the Prophets we read of the future hopes for one like David. Amos, for example, proclaimed, "In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen" ( 9:11 ).

9.  These national hopes went through periods of fervor and dormancy in Israel, often depending on the degree of political freedom the nation enjoyed. In times of crisis and oppression, the flames of hope and expectancy were rekindled in the hearts of the people as they yearned for the restoration of David's fallen booth. With the advent of Jesus, the notion of the fulfillment of the seed of David's royal Messiah was sparked afresh. It was not deemed a coincidence by the New Testament authors that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, which had been promised the royal scepter by God. It was from the tribe of Judah, the tribe of David, that One was to come who would bring the new kingdom of Israel. The New Testament hope of a royal Messiah in the person of Jesus. 

10.  This is seen in the central place of importance that the ascension of Jesus is given in the New Testament. Jesus is regarded as the Son of David who announces and inaugurates the kingdom of God. There were times in Jesus ministry when He had to flee from the multitudes who sought to make Him king because their views of kingship were so narrow. Theirs was a kingdom that would be inaugurated without the price of death and suffering. The crowds had little time for a king who was to suffer. Jesus had to withdraw from the crowds repeatedly, and He cautioned His disciples about declaring openly that He was the Messiah. At no point did He deny that He was the Christ. When His disciples boldly proclaimed their confidence in His messiahship. Jesus accepted the designation with His blessing. The poignant momen t of messianic unveiling took place at Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus asked His disciples: "Who do the crowds say that I am?: ( LUKE  9:18 ). The disciples told Jesus the scuttlebutt of the mobs: "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Finally Jesus put the question to His inner core of disciples: "But who do you say that I am?" Peter replied with fervency, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" ( MATTHEW  16:14__16 ).

11.  Jesus response to Peter's confession is pivotal to the New Testament understanding of the identity of Christ. Jesus replied: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" ( verse  17 ). Jesus pronounced His benediction on the one to whom God had revealed His true identity. He acknowledged that Peter's recognition of His identity was correct. It had not been gleaned from an examination of external manifestations; rather, Peter had recognized Jesus because the scales had been removed from his eyes by the revelation from God the Father. On another occasion, John the Baptist greeted Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" ( JOHN  1:29 ).  

12.  But when John was arrested and cast into prison, his faith began to falter and he sent messengers to Jesus asking a pointed question: "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"  Jesus responded to the messengers by saying, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them" ( LUKE  7:20__22 ). These words were not idly chosen. Jesus was calling attention to the prophecy of Isaiah 61, the text that He had read the day He entered the synagogue in Nazareth: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" ( LUKE  4:18__19 ). After He finished reading the scroll, Jesus said, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" ( verse  21 ). Essentially, Jesus reply to the message of John was this: "Tell John to read again the prophecies of Isaiah, and he will know the answer to his question."

13.  The Suffering of Irael
The figure of the Servant of the Lord or "the Suffering Servant" spoken of by the prophet Israel  is normative to the New Testament understanding of Jesus. Debates rage as to the identity of  the author of Israel and the identity of the Servant in the author's mind. Some argue that the Servant referred to Israel corporately, while others apply the role to Cyrus, and some to Israel himself. This debate will surely continue, but the fact that the New Testament authors found the ultimate fulfillment of this figure in Jesus is beyond dispute. It is also clear that Jesus thought of His own ministry in terms of Israel's prophecy, as we have seen from His statement in the synagogue and from His reply to John the Baptist's inquiry. It is not by accident that Israel is the most frequently quoted prophet in the New Testament. 

14.  Prophecies from Isaiah quoted in the New Testament are not limited to Jesus suffering, but refer to Jesus entire ministry. It was the death of Christ, however, that riveted the attention of the New Testament authors to the Servant prophecies of Isaiah. Let's look at Isaiah  53:
Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up beforer him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground; 
he had no form of majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

15.  Surely he has borne our griefs and  carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisements that brought us peace, and with his strips we are healed. 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. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, Although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 

16.  Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him, he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 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. 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. Repeated study of Isaiah 53 augments rather than diminishes our astonishment at its content. It reads like an eyewitness account of the passion of Jesus. Here the principles of corporate solidarity and imputation of sin are clearly demonstrated. The scandal of Jesus is found in the centrality of His suffering as the way of redemption. 

17.  The Messiah comes not only as King, but as a Servant who receives the chastisement for the iniquity of the people. In this, the one dies for many. Any interpretation of the life and work of Jesus that fails to take this aspect seriously does radical violence to the text of the New Testament. That the concepts of the royal King of Israel and the Suffering Servant of Israel were merged in one man is seen dramatically in the heavenly vision that unfolded before the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos. In one part of the vision, John was given a glimpse behind the veil of heaven. He heard the cry of the angel, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" ( REVELATION  5:2 ). John reports with subdued emotion that no one was found worthy of the task. 

18.  His disappointment gave way to grief: "I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it"  ( 5:4 ). At that point, an elder consoled him, saying, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals" ( 5:5 ). A abrupt and marked change in the mood of the narrative follows, as a sense of excited expectancy replaces the atmosphere of despair. John awaits the appearance of the triumphal Lion. The irony is completed when John sees not the Lion but a slain Lamb standing in the midst of the elders.

{ 19 }. - He records that the Lamb took the scroll from the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne, and thousands of angels sang, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive . . . honor and glory and blessing!" ( 5:12 ). Here the Lion and the Lamb are one and the same person. The Servant reigns as King. 

The Son of Man
At the council of Chalcedon in the fifth century, the Christian church sought to find a formula that would call attention both to the full humanity of Jesus and to His full deity. The words the church settled on in A.D. 451 were "vere homo, vere Deus." The formula meant that Jesus was truly man and truly God, calling attention to His two natures. In the New Testament, we find that Jesus is called both the Son of Man and the Son of God. these two titles appearing in this way offer a strong temptation to assume that "Son of God" refers exclusively to His humanitionty. However, approaching these titles in this way would lead us into very serious error. 

{ 20 }. - With the title Son of Man, we stumble on something strange and fascinating. This is the third-most-frequently-used title for Jesus in the New Testament. It occurs eighty-four times, eighty-one of them in the four Gospels. In almost every case in which we find the title, it is used by Jesus to describe Himself. Thus, though it is only third in order of frequency of the titles that describe Jesus in the New Testament, it is number one with respect to Jesus self-designation. It was obviously His favorite title for Himself. This is evidence of the integrity of the biblical writers in preserving a title for Jesus that they themselves chose so infrequently. They must have been tempted to put their own favorite titles in Jesus mouth. It is commonplace in our day to argue that the biblical portrait of Jesus is merely the creation of the early church, rather than an accurate reflection of the historic Jesus. If this were the case, it would be extremely unlikely that the early church would put into Jesus mouth a title they almost never used themselves to describe Him. 

{ 21 }. - Why did Jesus use the title Son of Man? Some assume that it was because of humility__ that He shunned more exalted titles and selected this one as a humble means of identifying with lowly humanity. Certainly there is an element of that identification in it, but this title also appears in the Old Testament, and its function there is anything but a humble one. References to the figure of the Son of Man are found in Daniel, Ezekiel, and some extrabibical writings of rabbinic Judaism. Though scholars disagree, the historic consensus is that Jesus adopted the meaning of the term Son of Man as it is found in Daniel's visionary work. In the book of Daniel, the Son of Man appears in a vision of heaven. He is presented before the throne of the "Ancient of Days" and is given "dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed" ( DANIEL  7:14 ). Here the Son of Man is a heavenly being, a transcendent figure who will descend to the earth to exercise the role of supreme judge.

{ 22 }. - The testimony in the New Testament to the preexistence of Jesus is inseparably linked to the Son of Man motif. He is the one who is sent from the Father. The theme of the descent of Christ is the basis for His ascension. "No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heven, the Son of Man" ( JOHN  3:13 ). It is not enough to declare that the New Testament writers confessed Jesus was a heavenly being. Jesus was not just any heavenly being__angels are heavenly beings, but they are not like Jesus. He was described in language restricted to deity alone. It is interesting to compare the graphic description of Daniel's vision of Ancient of Days with John's description ofnt of Day's the Son of Man in the books of Revelation. Here is Daniel's description of the Ancient of Days:

{ 23 }. - "As I looked, 
thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat; 
his clothing was white as snow, 
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames; 
its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued 
and came out from before him; 
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment, 
and the books were opened." ( DANIEL  7:9__10 )
By comparison, here is John's description of the exalted Son of Man: Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lamp-stands, and in the midst of the lamp-stands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, a refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. . . . Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" ( Revelation  1:12__16;  5:11__12 )  

{ 24 }. - That the Son of Man was a figure of splendor and power cannot be missed. His deity is seen not only in the Old Testament portrait, but in Jesus understanding as well. Jesus linked the Son of Man with creation by saying, "The Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath" ( MARK  2:28 ). To claim lordship over the Sabbath if to claim it over creation. The Sabbath was not merely a piece of Sinaitic legislation but a creation ordinance given by the Lord of Creation. Jesus also said, "That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . ." ( LUKE  5:25 ). Here, Jesus claimed an authority that, to the Jews, was a prerogative of God alone. The Jews did not miss the inference of these claims. They sought to kill Jesus precisely because His claims to deity came through loud and clear. The Son of Man came from heaven to judge the world. He would separate the sheep from the goats; He would come in clouds of glory at the end of the age.     

{ 25 }. - The Son of Man who comes from heaven, however, is not one who is exclusively deity, but one who enters into our humanity through incarnation. It is probable that Paul's concept of Jesus as the second Adam was an elaboration of the Son of Man motif. In addition to the titles that came from these three strands of expectancy__Son  of David, Suffering Servant, Son of Man__the New Testament uses a number of other titles for Jesus. Let us now look more closely at some of these. We have seen that Christ is the most-often-used title for Jesus in the New Testament. The second-most-frequent designation for Him is Lord. So important is this title to the biblical understanding of Jesus that it became an integral part of the earliest Christian creed, the simple statement, "Jesus is Lord." Lord is the most exalted title conferred on Jesus.  

{ 26 }. - Sometimes it is difficult for people in the United States to grasp the full significance of the title Lord. An Englishman of my acquaintance came to this country in the 1960s and spent his first week in Philadelphia visiting historic landmarks such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in order to familiarize himself with American culture. He also visited several antique stories that specialized in Colonial and Revolutionary memorabilia. In one such shop, he saw several posters and sign-boards that contained slogans of the Revolution such as "No Taxation Without Representation" and "Don't Tread on Me." One sign-board particularly attracted his attention. In bold letters, the sign proclaimed: WE SERVE NO SOVEREIGN HERE." As he mused on this sign, he wondered how people steeped in such an antimonarchical culture could come to grips with the notion of the kingdom of God and the sovereignty that belongs to the Lord. The concept of lordship invested in one individual is repugnant to the American tradition, yet the New Testament boldly makes this claim for Jesus, asserting that absolute sovereign authority and imperial power are vested in Him.

27. - The New Testament synonym for lord is the Greek word kurkios. That word was used in several ways in the ancient world. In its most common usage, it functioned as a polite word for sir. Juest as our English word sir can be used in an ordinary sense and in a special sense, so it was with kurios. In England,  men who are knighted are given the title sir, and in that instance the word moves from the common use to the formal. A second use of kurios in the Greek culture was as a title given to men of the aristocratic class who were slave owners. This title was used figuratively for Jesus throughout the New Testament, where He is called "Master" by His disciples. Paul frequently introduced his epistles by saying, "Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ." The word he used is doulos. There could not be a slave ( doulos ) without a lord ( kurios ). Paul declared, "You are not your own , for you were bought with a price" ( 1  CORINTHIANS  6:19__20 ). Here the believer is seen as a possession of Jesus. Jesus owns His people. He is not a despot or tyrant, as we might expect in an earthly slave/ master situation.  

{ 28 }. - The irony of New Testament lordship is that only in slavery to Christ can a man discover authentic freedom. The irony is pushed further by the New Testament teaching that is through a slave/master relationship to Jesus that a person is liberated from bondage in this world. This twist in teaching is found particularly in the writings of the apostle Paul. The third and most important meaning of kurios was the imperial usage. Here the title was given to one who had absolute sovereignty over a group of people. It is a usage that was usually understood politically. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the title Lord was its relationship to the Old Testament used the word kurios to translate the Hebrew word adonai, a title used for God. The sacred name of God. Yahweh, was unspoken, often replaced in the liturgy of Israel with another word. When a substitute was used for the ineffable name of God, and usual selection was adonai, a title that called attention to God absolute rule over the earth. In many versions of the Bible, both Yahweh and adonai are translated by the English word Lord, though a distinction between them is found in the method of printing.    

PT.  29  When Yahweh is translated, the word is usually printed with a large capital letter followed by small capitals: "LORD" When adonai is the Hebrew word, it is printed "Lord" PSALM  8, for example, begins: "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" The Hebrew would be: "O Yahweh, our adonia, how majestic . . ." Here, Yahweh functions as the name of God and adonai is used as a title. One Old Testament passage that is quoted frequently in the New Testament is Psalm  110. Here we find something strange indeed. Psalm  110 reads, "The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand! Yahweh speaks to Adonai who is seen as David's Lord and is seated of God's right hand.


PT.  30  In the New Testament, Jesus is the one who is elevated to the right hand of God and receives the title Lord. This is the title that is "above every name" and is conferred on Jesus at His ascension. Jesus, being seated at the right hand of God, is elevated to the seat of cosmic authority where all authority in heaven and earth is given into His hands, and He receives the title Adonai that formerly had been restricted to God the Father. The exalted nature of the title can be seen not only from this context, but also from usage in its superlative form. While Jesus is called "Lord of lords," there is no doubt what is meant. The title Lord is so central to the life of the New Testament Christian community that the English word church derives from it. The Greek word for church is ekklesia, which is brought over into English in the word ecclesiastical. The English word church is similar in sound and form to other languages word for church: kirk in Scotland, kerk in Holland, and kirche in Germany all derive from the same root. The source is the Greek word kuriache, which means "those who belong to the kurios." Thus, church in its literal origin means "the people who belong to the Lord." One puzzling note in the New Testament is this statement, "No one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit" ( 1  CORINTHIANS  12:3 ).

{ 31 }. - Some have pointed to this as a contradiction because Jesus says on other occasions that people do in fact profess that He is Lord without meaning it. Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with the somber warning, "On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord. . . .And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me" ( MATTHEW  7:22__23 ). Since it is evident that people can honor Christ with their lips while their hearts are far from Him, so that they can speak the words "Jesus is Lord,"what does the Bible mean when it says, "No one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit"? There are two ways in which we can answer this question. The first would be by asserting what is tacitly understood in the text but left unspoken. That is, no one can say that Jesus is Lord and mean it except on the Holy Spirit.