Rejected by men

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious

1 Peter 2:4

Choosing and rejecting go hand in hand. Whether it’s a new car or a brand of deodorant, once a buyer has selected what he wants, he’s rejected all the competition. In matters of faith, it all comes down to what a person is going to do with Christ: choose Him or reject Him.

Judas Iscariot wanted money more than the Savior. The mob outside the governor’s palace demonstrated to get a murderer released while shouting down Jesus. Pontius Pilate condemned an innocent man to death, choosing political expediency instead. That’s the way it has been throughout the centuries. Multitudes have sold the Lord short, choosing rather things of dubious value.

Making bad decisions always has consequences. Some people pay thousands of dollars more than others for the same make and model of car because they trusted their salesman to be honest. Believing a lie is usually linked with making bad decisions. This world claims to offer more benefits than can be found in Christ Jesus, but that is a deception that keeps people out of heaven.

The only real reason that people reject the Master for something else is that they don’t see His value; they don’t know He is precious.

The enemies of God lie to us about what really matters. They have rejected Christ and the eternal life He offers. They go about trying to deceive others but don’t understand that they themselves have been deceived (2 Timothy 3:13). How can they refuse the most valuable gift in the universe? The answer is simple. They believed a lie and rejected the truth. The Savior continues to be rejected by men.

Precious Cornerstone

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.”

Isaiah 28:16

The surest way to prove that an Old Testament title is a name of Christ is to see it quoted in the New Testament referring to the Savior. Peter paraphrases this verse calling Christ “a chief cornerstone, elect, precious” (1 Peter 2:6). Now the job is to figure out what it means. 

Something precious is of great value such as precious metals or precious jewels. A precious cornerstone would be very costly and certainly would set itself apart from the ordinary stones around it.

When the Washington Monument was completed in 1884 a 3,300 pound marble capstone crowned the top. On top of this was a nine inch apex made of 100 ounces of pure aluminum. At the time, aluminum was worth more than silver and the tiny pyramid cost the government $225.00. That might not sound like an extravagant amount, but a worker on the monument earned $1 a day for ten hours of work. The little ornament was worth almost as much as a working man’s salary for a year.

Before being placed on Washington’s tallest monument, the apex was displayed in the window of Tiffany’s in New York City, as the crown jewel of the nation’s capital. The rare, rust-proof metal that composed it made it architecturally unique; it was a precious cornerstone.

Christ has always had a special and singular position for the redemption of the human race. He fit into God’s plan at the right time and place and was worth more than a hundred galaxies. The Lord, the Precious Cornerstone is the pinnacle of God’s glory and will stay remain for mankind and angels to praise for all eternity. 

Chief Cornerstone

Have you not even read this Scripture: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?”

Mark 12: 10, 11*

Chief Cornerstone – a really important title – used eight times in scripture – Christ quoted from the Old Testament to refer to himself in this way – I need to understand this one; I need to get it right.

After Peter and John healed the lame man in the temple, they were arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin. He tells them that they crucified the Christ but God raised him from the dead. He then says: “This is the stone which was rejected by you builders which has become the chief cornerstone” (Acts 4:11). The next verse is just as significant: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The Jewish leaders rejected their Messiah because he wasn’t like them and didn’t fit their mold. Yet God, the grand architect of the church chose the Savior to be the chief building block that pulled all the other pieces together.

The modern concept of a cornerstone isn’t exactly in the corner and is not indispensable for the design. This image not only doesn’t work, it’s confusing. A better comparison would be that of the capstone of a pyramid. It is probably made first and laid last. It can’t fit anywhere else in the structure yet the whole blueprint was engineered so that the capstone could turn it into a wonder of the world.

Christ’s position as the Chief Cornerstone was planned before the foundation of the world and He pulls together all the saints in every country and every age to build the church. Without this “stone that the builders rejected” everything would fall apart because He is the indispensable “Chief Cornerstone.”

*see also Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; and 1 Peter 2:6,7

Master

And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.

Luke 8:24

Master: the title of a slave owner. We don’t like to think of Christ in that light but it is what it is. Slaves obey their masters; it’s part of their job description.  When Jesus told the wind and waves to cease raging, the elements immediately obeyed Him.  He was their Master.

It is more politically correct to think of Jesus as a master teacher. The title would be more like an academic degree than the designation of a slave owner. But such is not the case. When a disciple vowed to follow his master, he voluntarily became an indentured servant, giving up his liberty; He had to obey whatever he was told to do. The master didn't pay the disciple but he’d provide for him and protect him.  That is why when the disciples were in a sinking ship they cried out to their master to take charge.

In this analogy, if Christ is the master, His followers are His slaves. It is not a bad comparison because everyone is a slave to something. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

A drug addict self-destructs not because he or she has made a wrong choice but because s/he has no choice. Anger, bitterness, grief, and depression are all terrible task masters. The Lord Jesus would like to buy us out and change ownership. “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).

What a wonderful truth this is! I can be enslaved by my passions, greed and pride or I can serve Christ who gave His life for mine.  It’s a no-brainer.  I’ll go with the Master of the universe. 

Good Shepherd

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

John 10:11

Although this title occurs only in the tenth chapter of John, few are as well known. The Good Shepherd is found in the name of countless local churches and has been found in early Christian art from the second century.

Depictions of a young shepherd carrying a lamb on his shoulders have been found on the walls of the catacombs of Rome and are among the most common symbolic representations of Christ.  In those early centuries of the church, believers hid in caves and risked death to be a disciple of Jesus.  Focusing on the Good Shepherd who loved them unto death surely was a comfort and encouragement in the darkness.

Most people in this modern urban society don’t have a clue about the details of a shepherd’s job description. They certainly did in the Roman Empire. Shepherds had the thankless job of caring for poor, smelly, helpless critters that were too dumb to take care of themselves.  Left on their own, sheep soon die because they can’t find their own food and water, nor can they protect themselves from predators.

Isaiah 53:6 connects the dots: “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.”  We are those stupid, stubborn animals that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gave His life to save and care for.

                             The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

                             He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

                             He leads me beside the still waters.

                             He restores my soul;

                             He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.

                                                          Psalm 23:1-3

Great High Priest

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Hebrews 4:14

Like presidents and popes, the position of high priest was the highest station anyone could attain. Yet not everyone even had a chance at the office. They had to be a descendant of Israel, a member of the tribe of Levi and a direct descendant of Aaron. Still, of the very few that qualified only one was anointed high priest. 

Although the position was singular, scores of individuals have entered this confraternity of supreme Jewish clerics over the centuries. Even so, all of them together are nothing more than a copy and shadow of Him who was to come: The Great High Priest.

There were no chairs in the temple or tabernacle for the high priest to sit down. His was the duty of serving and not the privilege of fellowship. Once a year without fail, the high priest needed to make atonement for God’s people. He would go into the Holy of Holies, sprinkle the blood, and get out. What seemed to them an end in itself was only a harbinger of better things to come.

When Christ offered His own blood to atone for the sins of the world, He did it once and for all and then sat down on the throne on high. There would never be a successor. He is the Great High Priest.

O God, we come with singing,
Because the great High Priest
Our names to Thee is bringing,
Nor e’re forgets the least:
For us He wears the mitre,
Where holiness shines bright,
For us His robes are whiter
Than heav’ns unsullied light

                                     Mary Bowley Peters (1813-1856)

High Priest

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens…

For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things....

Hebrews 8:1, 4, 5

No one in the Old Testament got closer to God than the High Priest.  Endowed with great privilege and responsibility, he was allowed to enter into the presence of the LORD once a year and advocate for a sinful people before a most Holy God. The title is used 74 times in scripture, most often in the Old Testament but ten of those times the reference clearly speaks of Christ and all of those occur in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Hebrews explains how Temple sacrifices and rituals were “shadows” (i.e. clues and illustrations) that help us understand what God is doing on planet earth through Christ Jesus.  So then, all seventy-four mentions of high priest sheds some light on God’s Anointed and the ten direct references bring it into detailed view.  The distinction is similar to the difference of a man standing in the sunlight and the shadow that he casts.

Aaron and his high priestly descendants interceded for God’s people.  That’s what Jesus came to do.  “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.  For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens: who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself” (Hebrews 7:25-27).

As High Priest, Christ was given the job to atone for our sins. He did that well and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Now, He continues to stand in the gap for His people and intercedes for us before the throne of God against anyone who would bring a charge against God’s chosen.

The Ancient of Days

I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire.

Daniel 7:9*

Jesus wasn’t born yesterday.  He didn’t even come into existence some 2,000 years ago.  He always was as He is now.  The Bible never speaks of the origin of Christ.  As the prophet Micah put it, His “goings forth have been from old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

To some the phrase the Ancient of Days summons up thoughts of antiquity and being out of date, but that misses the whole thrust of the title.  The idea is not about age but rather about the ageless character of Christ.  He never grows old, impatient, or unconcerned.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (i.e. always young and lovely).  As David said it in Psalm 110, “You have the dew of youth.”

The Lord is as fresh as the sunrise even though that too has an ancient origin. Yet Christ’s energy will be just as strong long after the sun has run out of fuel. As Ancient of Days, He can remember other suns long since extinct but His own brightness has diminished not at all.

The years are unkind to human flesh and the centuries crumble away civilizations. But, to the Lord, “one day is a thousand years and a thousand years one day”(2 Peter 3:8). Time becomes irrelevant. When everything in this world seems to be in a state of flux, there is great comfort in knowing that the Christian can go to One who never changes – The Ancient of Days.

*see also Daniel 7:13 and 22

LORD of Hosts

Therefore say to them, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Return to Me,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

Zechariah 1:3

Zechariah truly got it; this is an important title of God. Used 235 times in the Old Testament, it conveys power and authority. The International Standard Version translates this phrase “LORD of the heavenly armies.” This view of God sees him backed up by an innumerable force of fighting angels. No power in the universe can stand against Him.

The title clearly belongs to God, but is it also clear that it pertains to God the Son (a.k.a the Lord Jesus Christ)? Well…yes, of course. Just examine how the name links to verses that obviously describe the Messiah.

“Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously” (Isaiah 24:23).

"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ' I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God’” (Isaiah 44:6).

“'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and in this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of hosts" (Haggai 2:9).

"Many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you” (Zechariah 2:11).

When Christ comes at the final day of  judgment with the assembled armies of heaven, the whole world will acknowledge that Jesus is the LORD of hosts.    

They bound the hands of Jesus 
In the garden where He prayed;
They led Him thro' the streets in shame.
They spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin;
They said, "Crucify Him; He's to blame."                                                                              
He could have called ten thousand angels,           

To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,  
But He died alone, (alone), for you and me.                                                     

                                        Ray Overholt  (1924-2008)

Branch

Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: "Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD.'"

Zechariah 6:12*

As unusual as it sounds, Branch was a well-recognized term for the Messiah, used four times by Old Testament prophets. First century Jews understood the meaning but last century folks like us usually wrestle with the sense of it.

In an agricultural society the orchard is as important as the garden or herds of livestock.  Fruit, oil, nuts, and berries come from trees so caring for them is a basic life- skill.  Planting, pruning, grafting, and harvesting all involve knowing something about branches.

Isaiah 11:1 tells us: “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” Obviously a branch is a living thing that grows out of a tree’s trunk.  Branch-like shoots also come out of the roots to make new trees, but what is this idea that a branch comes out of a rod?

I've learned a lot about the simple things of life having lived in the Amazon rainforest for many years.  In a land where rainfall can exceed 200 inches of rain per year, literally everything rots.  Leather shoes grow mold within a week and fence posts decompose at the base in less than six months. This is a problem because the jungle people need to keep their small herds of 6-12 cows fenced in to keep them safe. They will take their machete and cut several pointy-ended sticks which they will thrust into the damp ground.  Within weeks those sticks have leaves and roots and within a few months the long, slender, new trees are strong enough to support barbed wire.

Jesus was the Branch that was cut down and cast away but He sprung to life again and produces fruit for all who believe.

*See also Isaiah 4:2; 11:1, Zechariah 3:8

Lord

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Matthew 7:21 *

Abraham Lincoln is known at times to have asked his colleagues “How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg?”  -  Do you know the answer? According to Lincoln, the answer is four. “Calling the tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”

Today, just as in the first century people approach the Lord Jesus using the right title but their actions and attitudes deny that He has any control or authority over their lives.  In Luke 6:46 Christ asks his would be followers, “’But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?”

Calling someone Lord ascribes to him sovereignty and headship.  It means that the Lord has power to issue orders and see them obeyed.  Without the follow-through of obedience the title is meaningless.  The person who uses the title without yielding to the Lord lies.

In the upper room, the night Christ was betrayed, He said, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet” (John 13:13).

Judas Iscariot had his feet washed that night but would have never stooped to washing anyone else’s feet. It’s interesting that it’s never recorded that Judas ever called Jesus “Lord.” That is probably because Jesus was never really Judas’ Lord.

The title Lord is used only sparingly of Jesus prior to the resurrection but it is exceeded only by “Christ” as the principle title after Jesus rose from the dead. Thomas called out to Christ, “My Lord and My God!” and he meant it.  Church tradition tells us that Thomas the apostle traveled as far as India preaching the gospel and was martyred there around AD 52.

* This title is used 711 times in 657 in the New Testament referring to Christ.

Creator

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

Colossians 1:16

God was from the very beginning; before anything else, before time and space, and before matter and energy, there was God. That is the starting point, not earth, not the universe. They came from God, not God from them so you start with God. He is the giver. He is the origin. He is Creator.

An atom can be weighed and a scientist knows how many nanos are in a second. The starting point is what is known. From there, the unknown can be extrapolated. 

An Indian arrowhead is nothing more than an odd shaped piece of flint. Each one of the hundred or so chips out of the rock could be formed by a random act of erosion, yet no educated person would conclude that is what happened. The size, shape, symmetry, balance, and material allude to utility and function. The logical conclusion is that it was made by someone smarter than the rock itself.

To say that the universe started with a Big Bang and gravity and forces of nature formed it into what we can observe now is ludicrous. Whatever was the supposed core of the Big Bang was never observed, measured, or reproduced in the laboratory. It's unknown.   What actually can be proved is nothing comes from nothing (∅g∅).  If matter didn't exist before the Big Bang, then gravity, inertia, and energy didn't exist either. Scientists are forced to say that someone or something was out there before the universe existed, but whatever it was, they don’t want to acknowledge Jesus as God.

Without trying to prove that God exists, the Bible states a simple fact: “God created the heavens and the earth.” We can also see in scripture that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1; Romans 9:5; 1 Timothy 1:17; 3:16, etc.). Therefore, if God is Creator and Christ is God, then Christ is also Creator. As Colossians 1:16 confirms, “All things were created through Him and for Him.”

The Just

But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.

Acts 3:14*

Some time after Peter healed the lame man in the temple, he preached a powerful sermon to those who gathered there to marvel.  All, or certainly most, of the crowd would have been present to see the crucifixion just a few months before and would have heard rumors of the resurrection. The former fisherman turned evangelist pointed out that Jesus was really the Holy One and the Just who they traded off for a murderer. More than a few in that group would have been part of the mob that cried out: "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" (John 19:15).

The title “Holy One” labeled the One whose blood was on their hands as the Messiah and the Just meant He was innocent; He was not guilty of any crime. The Holy Spirit must have used those titles to convict them of sin and judgment which brought many to faith in Christ and brought about a great conversion.

One tremendous truth in this title of Christ is that it is one that can also be given to believers.  Romans 1:17 declares “the just shall live by faith.” Those who were guilty of condemning the guiltless to death could be forgiven and then made just (i.e. justified) before God.  Only Christ, the Just one, could do this.

Romans 3:25-26 declares: “…in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be The Just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

.

*See also Acts 7:52; 22:14; Romans 3:26

Carpenter

“Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.

Mark 6:3

Attitudes and opinions change over time and according to culture. Here and now, carpenters are regarded as skilled professionals that earn a better than average wage for a service that is in high demand. Apparently, that wasn't the case when Jesus lived in Nazareth; “they were offended at Him.”

I think I understand why. Many years ago, I lived in a very poor country and learned much about third world life-style. We lived in a town where electricity was available for less than four hours a day, so carpenters plied their trade with hand tools. There were no furniture stores where we lived, so when someone needed a table, chair, or set of drawers they hired a carpenter. These tradesmen usually lived in the poorer section of town and often made furniture much nicer than they could afford for themselves.

Carpenters also seemed to have the worst reputation among the blue-collar workers. They all seemed to lie; their work was never ready on time, and they usually charged more than the price they first quoted; besides, most were alcoholics. Knowing that Jesus also worked with wood, often led to jokes about Christ being the world’s only honest carpenter.

Christ must have been different. He would have been a skilled craftsman, wasn't a drunk, and would have kept His word. His work must have been in high demand and that’s exactly where the problem was. I can imagine the reaction of the wealthier class – “The nerve of Jesus closing up shop to preach. I have a lot of things for Him to do. Who does this carpenter think He is anyway?”

Jesus’ neighbors never came to the realization that He was the Son of God, the promised Messiah. To them He was just the Carpenter. 

Jesus Christ

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham

Matthew 1:1*

Jesus Christ. To those who love Him it says all. It’s His name; it’s His title; it’s precious. This title combination is used more than any other in the New Testament, beginning with the first verse and then found in every book except 3 John. Peter preached it at the birth of the church on Pentecost. Paul used it more than any other apostle and finally, the last verse in the Bible ends, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

Jesus Christ. To little children and the un-churched it’s His family name. They think He was called “Jesus Christ,” His mother “Mary Christ,” and His step-father “Joseph Christ.” They don’t know how special or how important He is. They’re clueless and the worst part is that they don’t even know that they don’t know Him.

 Jesus Christ. To the God haters and Christ rejecters it’s a curse word. They use it to blaspheme the LORD. They see it as no big deal, because in their eyes, He is no big deal. No other name on earth is used as profanity. No one invokes the name of Buddha if he hits his thumb with a hammer. The names of Mohammed and Krishna are not used in vain. It is proof again that the name is so great and so special that the enemies of God feel they need to put it down.

Jesus Christ. Peter concludes His second epistle with these words: “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3: 17,18)

*(also in Acts 2:38; 3:6, 20; 4:10; total use: 186 times in 178 verses)

Christ Jesus

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2

Statistics can be a very useful tool in analyzing title combinations such as Christ Jesus. It is interesting to discover that of the 69 times the phrase occurs in the New Testament, Paul uses it 66 times. It is used by the writer to the Hebrews once and by Peter twice; all the other times Paul is speaking. The question that begs to be asked is, Why?  Why is this almost exclusively a Pauline idiom?

Whereas the other apostles followed the LORD during his earthly ministry and often called Him Jesus to His face, Paul was not counted among Christ’s disciples. Paul rejected the Nazarene as the Messiah and persecuted the church. While the other’s found it more natural to form the phrase “Jesus Christ” (because it emphasized their close relationship) Paul could not.

Grace is another word that Paul dominates. He was overwhelmed and humbled by the grace that saved such a sinner and murderer of God’s people. It was this same humility that caused him to acknowledge the Christ title before saying the name Jesus. Saul of Tarsus who rejected the Messiah was transformed by the Christ and after he started using his Greek name, Paul would openly acknowledge Him as the LORD’s anointed – The Christ. He then was a follower of Christ Jesus. 

Christ

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:16

Without a doubt “Christ” is the quintessential title given to the Lord.  It is used 555 times in 552 verses of the New Testament and is only surpassed in use by His personal name, Jesus (stated 983 times).  It would be safe to say that one would not have a clue who Jesus is unless he or she had some concept that He is the Christ.

Literally Christ means “anointed” and comes from the Greek word “Christos.” The Hebrew word “mashiach” (messiah) also means anointed and was translated as “Christos” in the Septuagint.  At the most basic level the term Christ means the Jewish Messiah, the anointed of God. In the first century both the Greek speaking Gentile world and Hebrews understood this word.  “Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" (Matthew 27:17). The Christ was God’s chosen one who was sent into this world.

The first time Jesus went to the synagogue after He began His public ministry, He was given the book of Isaiah and read from chapter 61.  He announced “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).  When Christ was finished reading, He closed the book, sat down, and announced, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

The significance of this declaration is almost always missed in our culture and generation but they totally got it at the time He said it. He was clearly saying that He was the LORD’s anointed; He was the Messiah; He was the Christ.

The Holy Fish

(From Church History)

Although you won’t find “Holy Fish” on most lists of the names of Christ, this title has a very significant place in church history.  As the second century dawned, the emperor Trajan made the Christian faith outlawed in the Roman Empire, so the faithful were careful not to call attention to themselves.  If two people were overheard talking about Jesus Christ, they could be arrested.  If an eavesdropper picked up a conversation about a fish, however, the two people would be ignored.

IΧΘYΣ (Ichthys) is the Greek word for “fish” but it is also an acronym for Iesous Christos, Theou Yios, Soter (English translation – Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior).

Iota is the first letter of Iesous (Ιησους), Greek for “Jesus.”
Chi is the first letter of Christos (Χριστóς), Greek for “Christ.”
Theta is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for “God’s.”
Upsilon is the first letter of Huios (Υἱός), Greek for “Son.”
Sigma is the first letter of Soter (Σωτήρ), Greek for “Savior.”

At a time when to be identified as a Christian meant death, the believer not only needed to know what he believed but why he believed it.  This secret code word not only communicated the object of one’s faith but also his doctrine.

Jesus was the personal name of the one they loved and worshiped. 

Christ was God’s chosen one who was exalted over everyone.                        

God’s Son made Him equal with God. Crucifying God’s Son is a very serious matter. That is how the centurion that guarded Jesus at the crucifixion saw it. 

Savior is the only one who can save the sinner from the bondage of sin.

Centuries have come and gone since Christ’s early followers talked in soft whispers of the “Holy Fish,” yet pictures of fish can still be seen carved in stone in the walls of ancient churches and in the Roman catacombs.  Bumper stickers of a stylized fish  are also sometimes seen in circulation today and with them the hushed sound of “Ichthys,” the Holy Fish.

Advocate

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

 1 John 2:1

The modern use of the word “advocate” communicates the idea of a supporter or enthusiast, such as we use when we say, “he’s a green energy advocate.”  That’s a long stretch from what the Greek word meant. The original word here is paraklesis which means “a calling to one’s side” (para “beside”; kaleo “to call”).  A paraclete would be someone who you could call on in difficult times.

Although this word is translated as advocate in English it is translated as “abogado” (i.e. lawyer) in Spanish. This translation is a better description of the original word since a paraclete was allowed to stand with the accused at trial and defend him before the court.

When people stand before God on the day of judgment they are not accused of lying so many times or stealing so much money. They are brought as enemies of God and are accused of rebellion and complicity in the murder of the Son of God.  The whole human race is guilty of crucifying an innocent man – God Himself.  Our human nature does evil instead of good and believes a lie instead of the truth.

The creation rejected, tortured, and put to death its Creator. Our sins only prove that we would have done the same thing given the opportunity. We are guilty because it is in our nature and the evidence is stacked against us.

The only thing that you can say to a criminal who is clearly culpable is “I hope you have a good lawyer.”  The good news of the gospel is that believers do have a good one; He is Jesus Christ the righteous.  He’s not only the Advocate, He is the judge and the victim.  If the Lord Jesus died for someone, s/he is going to walk. 

The One who is and who was and who is to be

And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.”

Revelation 16:5

Because God is omnipresent, He is everywhere at once. Because He invented time, He owns the patent to the time-space continuum. Just as God made atoms and energy, He also created time.  Time didn’t exist before creation because there were no reference points or mile stones.  At the final judgment, time will be no more but God and his people will continue forever.

Revelations, the last book in the Bible, is a book of prophecy. It speaks of things yet to come but it uses the past and present tenses to describe them. In the soon to come future, the “angel of the waters” will pour out his bowl of wrath on planet Earth and then he’ll report to Christ that His orders are carried out.  He’ll say “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be” (Revelation 16:5).

Since Christ by nature controls past present and future he can now allow evil men to persecute His church because their coming judgment is just as sure as it was when it was written down long ago. In the same way, those who are persecuted will be greatly blessed because that was his plan all along.

When time is irrelevant, the first century Christians will not spend more time in heaven than believers today. The opposite is also true; those who actually crucified the Savior will not spend longer in hell than the twenty-first century Christ rejecters.  Infinity plus 2000 years equals infinity minus 2000 years (∞ + 2000 = ∞ - 2000). This makes sense not only to a mathematician but to the One who is and who was and who is to be. 

Lord Jesus

Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Luke 24:3

It may be just a curious piece of Bible trivia but it is interesting that although the title Lord Jesus is used 118 times in 115 verses, it appears only once in the gospels and that is only after the resurrection.

The realization that Jesus was Lord didn’t have its fullest impact until after He conquered sin, death, and hell. After that it was hard to say the name “Jesus” without owning Him as Lord.

When I was growing up, there were certain words that I never heard. I can’t ever remember my dad saying “Sunday.”  It was always “the Lord’s Day.”  I also can’t remember my mom ever referring to Jesus. He was always “the Lord Jesus.”

Mom slipped more quickly into Alzheimer’s after Dad passed away. The gracious lady who was known for saying “I love you” to all the attendants who cared for her in the nursing home eventually wasn’t able to recognize family or friends.  Dementia took away her sharp wit, so towards the end, Mom could say only three words: “Love,” “Lord Jesus,” and “potty.”

All the complexities of life were reduced to the bare basics: The emotional, the spiritual, and the physical. The thing that really impressed me in all of this, however, was that she called out “Lord Jesus” as if it were one word. Her simple mind got to the lowest common denominator and she could divide it no more.  In that, she taught me a great spiritual truth. Jesus is nothing if He isn’t Lord.  

Teacher

Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
Luke 20:21-22

When Jesus taught His creation on this earth, many rejected him as the Christ, denied Him as LORD and refused to accept that He was “God with us.” However, one title that even His critics and enemies had to acknowledge was that he was a great teacher.  

This sparks my interest as one who has been in the teaching profession for over forty years. What was Jesus’ teaching style? What kind of lesson plans did He use? And how can I teach like the grand master?

From the portion above, it’s clear that Christ had what every educator eventually runs into, students that try to trick the teacher into saying something that can be used against him. It’s the classic student that comes but doesn’t really want to learn scenario. They tried to compliment Him for being politically incorrect and then baited Him with a loaded question that they hoped would bring Him down. Jesus not only took their bait, He took the whole rod and reel and made their question backfire on them.

Christ responded to their question with a question, “Why do you test me?” showing them that He saw through their ruse.  Instead of side-stepping the issue and avoiding the question, He took it head on. (In pedagogy, it’s called a “teachable moment”). They showed interest in something, so He’d tell them something they didn’t know.  

“Show me a denarius,” He challenged.  This used many teaching techniques.   

1. It got the student kinetically (physically) involved.

2. It made them put their tax money where their mouth was 

(i.e. showed that they had the money to pay their taxes). 

3. It produced a manipulative (i.e. a physical object to focus on).

“Whose image and inscription does it have” was His next “right there” question. It was a simple question that anyone could get right and caused the questioner to buy into the learning process. “Caesar’s,” they answered acknowledging the obvious.

At this point the Lord hit them with the zinger, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's"(Luke 20:25). The lesson came short and to the point, just like a really good teacher does it.