Name: Jesus
Meaning: Yahweh [the Lord] is Salvation
His Character: Jesus was fully human and fully God. He is the creator of the universe and the sustainer of life.
His Sorrow: To come into a world that denied His divinity.
His Triumph: After His resurrection, Jesus rose with all-power. He took upon Himself the sin of humanity. Through Him, we have the gift of eternal life.
Key Scriptures: The Gospel of John
As modern-day Christians, we know Jesus as many names. We know Him as the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Son of David, the Lamb of God, the Son of Man, the Prince of Peace, the Lord, and our Savior. We know Him as the Christ, which comes from the Greek word “Christos,” which means the Anointed One. He is known as Immanuel, which means God with us.
His life and ministry are chronicled in the four gospels. In John, the writer focuses on the divinity of Christ. It begins, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” John 1:1-4, 14.
Throughout John, Jesus used the phrase “I am,” to describe who He is. It was a term used to illustrate His pre-existence and deity. “I am,” is familiar because it is the name God gave for Himself in Exodus. In John, Jesus says,
“I am the bread of life”
John 6:35
“I am the light of the world” John 8:12
“I am the door”
John 10:9
“I am the good shepherd”
John 10:11
“I am the resurrection,
and the life”
John 11:25
“I am the way, the truth,
and the life”
John 14:6
“I am the true vine”
John 15:1
To further illustrate Christ’s divinity, the Gospel of John tells of miracles and signs. These miracles include turning water into wine at a wedding feast, healing an official’s son who was dying, healing a lame man at the pool of Bethesda, feeding fish and loaves to 5,000 with little, walking on water, restoring sight to a blind man, and raising Lazarus from the dead.
As Christians, the most important miracle Jesus completed was the resurrection after His crucifixion. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, He gave us all the gift of eternal life. His death provided atonement for the sins of the world. As the Bible tells us, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.
Jesus’ life is an example to us all. He is the ultimate example of obedience to God. When faced with the limitations of His flesh, He turned His will over to God’s will. Through His humanity, He was tempted as we are tempted, yet He remained sinless.
Jesus is the ultimate example of God’s love for each of us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.
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