The Name of Jesus

If there is one name sweeter than another in a believer's ear, it is the name of Jesus. Jesus! The life of all our joys. Jesus! It is the name which moves all the harps of heaven to melody. If there be one name more charming, more precious than another, it is this name. It is woven into the very warp and woof of our psalmody. Many of our hymns begin with it, and scarcely any that are good for anything without it. It is the sum total of all delights. It is the music with which the bells of heairen ring; a song in a word; an ocean for comprehension although a drop for brevity; a matchless oratorio in two syllables; a gathering up of the hallelujahs of eternity in five letters.

Thus wrote Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a preacher of a bygone generation, a man of God who was known in his day, and who is regarded by many even today, as the "prince of preach­ers." What a wonderful tribute to our blessed Lord is contained in these lines! Note the em­phasis on the sweetness and the preciousness of this name of the Son of God. How appropriate it is that we sing about Him. Think of some well-known hymns, such as "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds," "Take the Name of Jesus With You," "There Is a Name I Love to Hear," "There's No Other Name Like Jesus," and so many others.

It is this holy name that we shall consider in this presentation. Several aspects of this unique and remarkable theme will be studied under the following headings:

I. Jesus—His name

It may be that His name should be considered in its various forms, for names other than "Jesus" are ascribed to Him.

Let us observe:

1. His names in the New Testament:

a.    "Thou shalt call his name Jesus" (Matt. 1:21).

b.   "They shall call his name Emmanuel" (Matt. 1:23).

c.    "His name is called the Word of God" (Rev. 19:13).

2. His names in the Old Testament:

a.    "His name shall be called Wonderful, Coun­sellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6).

The LXX reads "His name is called the Messenger of great counsel."—The Sep­tuagint Version of the Old Testament With an English Translation (S. Bagster SC Sons, London, 1844). This text was re­garded as Messianic by the ancient rabbis. We read: "His name shall be called from of old, Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, He who lives forever, the Anointed One [or Messiahr—J. F. STENNING, Tar-gum of Isaiah, p. 32.

b.   "Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH" (Zech. 6:12).

The "Branch" is also mentioned in Zecha­riah 3:8 as "my servant the Branch," and in Jeremiah 23:5 in "I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper."

In the Targum on Jeremiah 23:5, we read: "I will raise up for David the Messiah the Just." And another significant com­ment in ancient literature: "Behold, a man whose name is the shoot, and who shall shoot up (Zech. 6:12). This refers to the Messiah."—Midrash Rabbah, on Num. XVII:21.

c.    "And this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUS­NESS" (Jer. 23:6).

This text was recognized by many of the godly Jews of ancient days as referring to the Messiah. "[As regards] the Mes­siah—it is written: and this shall be the name whereby he shall be called, the Lord our righteousness."—Talmud Baba Bathra 75b.

d. Jesus and His Recognition of His Father's Name

Over and over again Jesus mentioned that the Father "sent" Him (John 5:24, 36, etc.); that He came "from heaven" (John 6:38); that His will was to do, not His own will, but the will of His Father (John 5:30). This is revealed particularly in rela­tion to the "name" of God. Jesus said, "I am come in my Father's name" (John 5:43); "The works that I do in my Father's name" (John 10:25). He declared "I have manifested thy name" (John 17:6);

"I have declared . . . thy name" (John 17:26). It is evident then that there was an intimate relation­ship between our Lord on earth and His Father in heaven. This relationship is beautifully expressed in His remarks "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30) and "I do always those things that please him" (John 8:29).

III. Jesus and Equality With God

This wonderful unity between the Father and the Son is further emphasized in the following:

1.  Christ and equality with God: (See PDF for table of verses)

2.  All things have been given to Jesus:

"All things are delivered unto me" (Matt. 11:27).

"All power is given unto me" (Matt. 28:18).

"[God] hath put all things under his feet" (Eph. 1:22).

"The Father . . . hath given all things into his hand" (John 3:35).

"The Father . . . sheweth him all things that himself doeth" (John 5:20).

"The Father . . . hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (John 5:22).

"The Father . . . hath given him authority to execute judgment" (John 5:26, 27).

IV. Jesus—His Name Joshua

1.   The Latin form for Jesus is Jesu. The Greek form is lesous, and the equivalent in Hebrew is Joshua or Jeshua.

2.   Joshua is a contraction of Jehoshua (Num. 13: 16). Jehoshua or Yehoshua means "Jehovah is salvation," or "Jehovah the Saviour"—the Je is a contraction of Jehovah, and Hoshua means "Saviour" or "salvation."

3.   The name "Joshua" appears in various forms in the Old Testament: (See pdf for table of verses)

4.   There are three instances in some editions of the King James Version where the indication is given that "Joshua" is another way of expressing the name "Jesus."

See Joshua in the text; Jesus in the margin (Ex. 17:9).

See Jesus in the text; Joshua in the margin (Heb. 4:8).

See Jesus in the text; yet it means Joshua (Acts 7:45).

5.     Joshua or rather Yeshua is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus.

6.     The name "Jesus" of Matthew 1:21 then refers to Jehovah the Saviour and this name ac­cords well with the name "Emmanuel" of Matthew 1:23—God with us, i.e., Jehovah God is with us in the person of His Son the Saviour.

V. Jesus—"My Name Is in Him"

Centuries ago, Moses, the servant of God, repre­sented the LORD (Yahweh) thy God ('Elohim) (Ex. 23:19) as saying to Israel:

"Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

"Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgres­sions: for my name is in him" (Ex. 23: 20, 21).

God is not referring to a created angel in this passage, but to a member of the Godhead—One who could forgive sins (Mark 2:7), One in whom is the Father's name. It would be but natural that this should be the Son of God, for as Son, He would bear the Father's name.

Ancient Jewish testimony equates this "Angel" with Deity. Kalisch, a Hebrew commentator writes:

"The messenger (Angel) of God has certainly 'divine qualities' . . . the messenger and God are virtually identical; the former as representative of the latter; Providence re­quires a concrete personification.

"Some commentators say that the Angel is The Metatron, because the letters of his name, have, like (God Almighty) the numerical value of 3l4."—Hist. and Crit. Corn. on O.T.

It is not surprising that one of the Church Fathers believed that this text referred to God and to His Messiah.

"Lo, I send my Angel before thy face, to keep thee in the way . . . 'My name is in Him.' Whence He Himself says in the gospel, 'I came in the name of My Father' . . . 'Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord.' "-NOVATIAN, Treatise Concerning the Trinity, ch. XVIII.

God's name was in His Son. But not only His name, God Himself was in His Son. Hence we read, "God was in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:19); "God was mani­fest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16); "the Father is in me" (John 10:38); "all things that the Father hath are mine" (John 16:15).

With this intimate relationship of the Father and the Son, it is not surprising that divine names and titles are ascribed to Jesus our Lord.

VI. Jesus and the Divine Names and Titles

1. Jesus—His names of deity:

We will notice a few instances in which divine names are given to Christ our Lord.

a.  He is called "God blessed for ever."

"Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever" (Rom. 9:5).

"Christ was God essentially, and in the high­est sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forever­more."—ELLEN G. WHITE, quoted in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1126.

b.  He is called "God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

"The grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:12).

Robertson remarks: "Here strict syntax re­quires, since there is only one article with theou and kuriou that one person be meant, Jesus Christ."

The same view may be taken regarding two other scriptures: "Our great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). "Our God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:1).

c.   He is called "God."

"But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever" (Heb. 1:8; see Ps. 45:6).

d.  He is called "The Word of God."

"And his name is called The Word of God" (Rev. 19:13).

"And the Word was God . . . Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father,—one in nature, in character, in purpose,—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God."—Patriarchs and Proph­ets, p. 34.

e.   He is called "My Lord and my God."

This is the confession of Thomas as recorded in John 20:28. Thomas uses two of the frequently used names of God in the Old Testament, "God" and "Lord" and applies them to Christ.

"Jesus, revealed in His love and mercy as the crucified Saviour, will bring from many once unwilling lips, the acknowl­edgement of Thomas, 'My Lord and my God.' "—ELLEN G. WHITE, quoted in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1151.

2. Jesus—names of God applied to Christ:

In the following classification of scripture refer­ences it will be seen that some of the names and titles of God are, in the New Testament, applied to our blessed Lord.

a. YAHWEH

Acts 2:21: "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (See also Romans 10:13.) These words are from: "Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD [Yahweh] shall be delivered" (Joel 2:32).

Matthew 3:3: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." This is quoted from "Prepare ye the way of the LORD {Yahweh]" (Isa. 40:3).

Luke 1:76: "Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways." This is with reference to: "I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD [Yahweh]" (Mal. 4:5, 6).

Mark 2:28: "The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." This is confirmed in Exodus 20 where we read: "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lorin [Yahweh] thy God" (verse 10).

Hebrews 1:9-12: "Thou hast loved righteous­ness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a gar­ment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail."

These verses are quoted from Psalm 102: 25-27 and clearly refer to the LORD (Yah­weh) (see verse 12).

Jeremiah 23:5, 6: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall . . . dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUS­NESS."

Here is the LORD (Yahweh) (verse 5), ad­dressing the Messiah and calling Him LORD (Yahweh).

Other instances can be seen by comparing Jere­miah 31:31 with Hebrews 8:10; Haggai 2:6 with Hebrews 12:26.

b. YAHWEH, 'ELOHlM

We read in Hebrews 2:13: "I will put my trust in him," and the context shows Jesus is speaking and is really the object of that trust. (See Hebrews 2:9-17.) But 2 Samuel 22, the Old Testament passage from which the expression is taken, reads: "The LORD [Yahweh] is my rock" (verse 2). "The God [Eloliim] of my rock" (verse 3).

e. YAHWEH, 'EL

Hebrews 1:10-12 reads: "And, thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail."

This is a quotation from Psalm 102:22, 24-27, and is applied to Christ Jesus. In Hebrews the applica­tion is made to "Lord," but in Psalm 102 we read concerning the LORD (Yahweh) in verse 22, and concerning God ('El) in verse 24.

Compare also Matthew 12:18-21 with Isaiah 42: 1-3. Reference is evidently to God ("El) the LORD (Yahweh).

d.    'ADON, 'ADONAI

In Matthew 22:42-45 we read: "What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?"

This scripture is quoted from Psalm 110, where we read: "The LORD [Yahweh] said unto my Lord rAdonir (verse 1). "Lord [Adonai] at thy right hand" (verse 5).

e.     'ELOHIM

Hebrews 1:8, 9: "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteous­ness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."

These words are taken from Psalm 45:6, 7 and the word "God," in "Thy throne, 0 God," is ('Elohim).

f.     JEHOVAH, IMMANUEL

The Biblical basis for the combined expression is Isaiah 7:14—Immanuel, God with us, refers to LORD (Yahweh) in verse 10. The same connection can be seen in chapter 8:5, 8.

The Spirit of prophecy uses this expression sev­eral times. See Counsels on Health, page 455; Testimonies, volume 5, page 195; Testimony Treas­ures, page 54, et cetera.

"Jehovah is the name given to Christ."----ELLEN G. WHITE, in Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899, p. 2.

g.    Other Titles

To Jesus our Saviour have been applied other titles from the Old Testament.

Holy One. The term "Holy One" is used concerning Jesus in several places in the New Testament (Acts 2:27; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34; Acts 3:14, etc.), but this is used in the Old Testament with reference to the LORD (Yahweh), "The Holy One of Israel," Isaiah 45:11; also in Isaiah 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, et cetera.

King of glory. In Psalm 24:8 where this title appears, it refers to the LORD (Yahweh), but this is applied to Jesus. Compare James 2:1; 1 Cor. 2:8; The Desire of Ages, pages 43, 52.

King of kings. See Daniel 2:47 with Reve­lation 17:14; 19:16; also Patriarchs and Prophets, page 357 and The Desire of Ages, page 739.

Everlasting Father. See Isaiah 9:6; also Isaiah 40:28 and Genesis 21:33. See also The Desire of Ages, pages 483, 578.

Alpha and Omega. See "Alpha and Omega" in Revelation 1:11; 21:6; 22:13; "First and Last" in Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; "Beginning and Ending," Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13. Patriarchs and Prophets, page 367; Counsels on Health, page 369.

I AM. Exodus 3:14; and see list of the "I AM's" of John and Revelation. See also Patriarchs and Prophets, page 366 and The Desire of Ages, pages 24, 25.

What the name of Jesus is in heaven has not been definitely revealed, but there are some things made plain in the Word of God. He has "a more excel­lent name than they [the angels]" (Heb. 1:4). His name is "far above . . . every name that is named" (Eph. 1:21). God has given Him "a name which is above every name" (Phil. 2:9).

Throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity the anthems of heaven will make the arches of the celestial city ring with glory and praise to His won­derful name.

"Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever" (Rev. 5:13).

Such is the wonderful name of our wonderful Lord. Let us ever remember that we are "forgiven" through His name (1 John 2:12); we are "justified" through the same blessed name (1 Cor. 6:11). Shall we not "believe" (1 John 5:13); "confess" (Rev. 3:5); "declare" (Rom. 9:17); and "glorify" (Rev. 15:4) the wonderful name of Jesus our Lord?

We glory in the Name of Him

Who left His Father's throne

Who came to earth in human form

To make our life His own.

To manger bed at Bethlehem—

To stable dark and chill—

He came in deep humility,

To do His Father's will.

He—Lord of all the stars that shone—

Whom angel hosts obey,

Became the Babe of Bethlehem,

To work—and weep—and pray.

He went at last to Calvary,

To win life through the tomb;

His praises must be on our lips,

Our hearts must find Him room.

—Selected