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Incarnation - Holy Cross Cycle - What's in a Name?

The ancient Christian sign of the fish - in Greek, the first letters of the words "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour" spell "fish" in Greek - Icthus

Please make sure that you have read the main "Incarnation" page first.

Setting the Scene

Names are not simply convenient labels we attach to things. A family name is evocative of the person to whom it is ascribed.  In like manner the names that apply to Jesus (including “Jesus” itself) are powerful theological words. 

Jesus means “God saves.”  “Christ is not a surname but rather a Messianic title with rich layers of meaning.  “Christos” is the Greek form of “Messiah” and means “Anointed (One)” … anointed by the Holy Spirit, that is.  “Lord” (Hebrew: “Adonai”) is applied only to God and refers to His rule and kingship.  Significantly, this is St. Paul’s favourite title for Jesus but he sometimes uses it of the Holy Spirit as well.  “Redeemer” has a more specific sense of the one who releases or delivers from a debt or bondage. Applied to Christ it refers to the deliverance from death and sin achieved by the resurrection, although for a fuller meaning of this the title “Saviour” might be better used.  “Son of God” indicates both the divinity of Christ and his filial (but not biological) relationship with the Father.  In St. John’s gospel we also have the great "I AM" sayings of Jesus:-

"I who speak to you AM He"  (John 4:26, 8:28)
"I AM the bread of life" (John 6:35,48)
"I AM the living bread" (John 6:51)
"I AM the light of the world." (John 8:12)
"before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58)
"I AM the door of the sheep" (John 10:7)
"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 in the Father and the Father in me" (John 14:10)
"I AM the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser" (John 15:1,5)
"I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last" [Revelation 1:8,11,17, 22:13]

Sometimes neglected in these phrases is the preface to each ascription, “I AM.”  This is not an innocent statement of identity in the Scriptures but rather the “Name that cannot be named” … the divine name or Tetragrammaton, so holy it cannot be uttered by a pious Jew.  It refers to God’s enigmatic self declaration to Moses on Mount Horeb when he spoke from the unconsumed Burning Bush (Exodus 4:14).  It is (appropriately) difficult to translate into English but means something like “He-Who-Is” or “I-am-who-I-am.”  It is significant that Jesus uses this way of referring to Himself.  Typically, icons of the Saviour have the Tetragrammaton inscribed to show that the Invisible and Ineffable has become manifest in Christ in the flesh.  It is a great affirmation of the Incarnation.

All these names, titles and ascriptions confess Jesus to be the God-man of our faith.  They speak of his Incarnation and link His Person and Work to the benefits conferred upon those who turn to Him in faith and love.  We shall speak more of these benefits in the next cycle when we examine the way in which the Incarnation of the Word has opened up for believers the possibility of sharing in his divinity by virtue of the Word’s sharing in our humanity.

Practical

For each of the "I AM" sayings above, explore what the reference might mean for your own faith and life

For example, "I am the good shepherd" might indicate that I need to listen out for His voice and follow Him with the rest of his flock (the Church) for both safety and guidance.

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