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Jesus’ Titles
By Peace | July 3, 2008
Madonna: Live To Tell – Messenger of God
Lamb of God
John The Baptist described Jesus as the Lamb of God, who took away the sin of the world, reminding his disciples of the lambs used as sacrifices and especially of the lamb killed by each family at Passover festival. When God sent Moses to rescue the people of Israel from Egypt, the Egyptians would not let them leave. Finally Moses, under God’s direction, brought about nine terrible disasters upon the land and people. The tenth and last disaster that Moses called down upon them was the death of every firstborn animal and son in one night. By God’s instruction, the Israelite families each killed a lamb and sprinkled its blood on their doorpost. God protected their homes from the death that came to every Egyptian family.
Messiah
Messiah is the Hebrew for ‘anointed one’. The Greek word is ‘Christ’. In Israel, kings, prophets and priests were all anointed with oil at a ceremony dedicating them to God. The people of Israel often referred to their King as “God’s anointed”, but they were looking for the promised Messiah who would one day come to reign. Prophets and psalm writers had described this king and many expected a conqueror who would turn out the Romans and give Israel independence. Others longed for a ruler who would bring justice and fairness to poor as well as rich.
Servant of the Lord
The prophet Isaiah called the nation of Israel the servant of the Lord but he also described an obedient, perfect servant who was going to come one day. He would not be proud or overbearing but gentle and quiet. He would suffer and die for his people’s sins. It was this picture of the Servant Messiah that Jesus recognized as God’s Plan for his life — and death.
Son of God
Not everyone expected a Messiah who would be God’s Son. Jesus waited for his disciples to discover for themselves that he was more than an ordinary man. Gradually they realized that no mere man could do the things that Jesus did, or make the claims he made.
Son of Man
Jesus called himself ’son of man’. It was a title found in the Book of Daniel to describe someone Daniel saw in a vision, to whom God gave the right to rule over all humankind. Jesus may have used it because it did not give the crowd the impression of a political conqueror.
