This Christmas season I have been studying the names of Christ in the scriptures. I am trying to gain a deeper understanding of our relationship with Him. And I have found something profound.
In the Bible Dictionary, I found that Christ had 20 different names in the Old Testament. And in Revelation, there are 24 more names for the Savior. From the Gospels and Acts, 66 more names for Christ are added. And in the Epistles, a staggering 116 names for our Savior are listed. It’s amazing!
As the Apostles lived with Christ and learned from Him, their depth of knowledge grew. And He was given more names to give us greater understanding.
The Bible is beautiful and full of truth. It was also written by Jews for Jews and has a lot of cultural innuendoes that often escape me because I am not a Jew. For that reason, these names of Christ are especially precious. They expand upon the stories of the Bible and show me who He can be for each of us.
Names of Christ that describe His role
I’d like to highlight a few of those names for a minute. Clearly, there isn’t space in this article to list all His names, but I will give you a link to the Bible Dictionary for you to see them all.
1- Mediator
In the US, when there is a disagreement between parties that don’t involve a broken law, you can choose to go before a Mediator. The Mediator hears both sides of the argument and issues a ruling.
Several years ago, I was working at a title company and got a promotion. They wanted me to type up all the land descriptions that came in. It was an honor! But when they showed me the new office, there was no phone at my desk. To make calls I’d have to go across the room. I asked for a phone, but one was never provided, so I used my cell phone.
I had to interact many times a day with various land Searchers and maintain good relationships with them since we were at their mercy, and when something needed to be done fast, the more they liked you the better.
Serious problem
At the time of my promotion, the company president took an extended vacation. He had been receiving all the emails with land searches for me to type up, and he had been forwarding them to me. But he forgot to change that info, and for a long time, there was nothing new coming in because it was piling up in his email. Finally, I found the root of the problem and asked the Searchers to email the documents directly to me.
The next day I was called into the management office and scolded for hoarding these documents. They told me I was spending time on my cell phone instead of doing my work. (I was on my cell phone because I had no phone, so I was making work calls with my own resources.) And that I was trying to bring down the company since all the land descriptions from the Searchers stopped as soon as I was promoted.
The mediator sorted it all out
They wouldn’t listen to a thing I said and fired me on the spot. To make matters worse they said I didn’t deserve unemployment and that is what lead us to sit before a mediator two months later.
Understanding a Mediator’s job opened my eyes to what Jesus does for us. In this meeting, the Mediator listened to everything I had to say. She made the title company representatives listen to me. And she showed them all the places they had created the problems that they then blamed on me. She was on the side of fairness, impartiality, and able to see with a clear vision.
It was a truly vindicating experience! I left that meeting knowing I had done all I could in a flawed situation. I received my unemployment payments, and the company learned where they failed so another person would not be set up as I had been.
2- Councilor
As I have mentioned in previous articles, I have seen councilors for years. They are SO helpful. Every visit I am given homework- something to work on to improve myself. I learn a lot as we discuss various life issues. And I always gain a clearer perspective. Seeing a counselor has made me a better parent, partner, and human being.
When I place Christ in the place of a counselor, I can see how He is forever there for us. He provides a clear perspective for the reason of life. And He is forever trying to help us be our best.
Christ is there for us when we ask His guidance. He offers us an example of how to live a better life and lift others. And when we focus on Him, we can make changes in our lives that would have been impossible if not for His influence.
3- Christ as Comforter
The Savior’s role as comforter has been a major blessing in my life. As a teenager, I moved across the country to attend BYU Idaho. My family was in Pennsylvania. It was the first big trip of my life, and I went by train. It was scary! But I knew from the Lord that I was supposed to make this trip. Having that comfort made it a lot easier.
Add to that the comfort God has given me with the passing of loved ones. And the comfort and peace He gave me as I lost three babies. The Lord has never left me alone to face life’s challenges. And I am so grateful for that. My life would never be the same without His comfort and assurance.
4- Christ as Savior
When I was in college my roommates talked me into bridge jumping. (Yep, it’s as dangerous as it sounds. We literally jumped off a bridge into a river.) I was dumb enough to go along with them. Sadly, the minute I hit the water I froze. The water was barely above freezing, and I couldn’t catch my breath. I was powerless to save myself.
As I was pulled down the rapids, I offered a desperate prayer. God answered me and deposited me in a tranquil pool of water on the river’s edge. I literally could never have saved myself in that situation.
As the name implies, Jesus Christ is our Savior. He pulls us out of life’s rapids and saves us from certain destruction. He is the only one who had the power to save us from our sins and mistakes. It is through His matchless sacrifice that we will get to return to live with God again one day.
5- Christ as Good Shepherd
I learned some cool things about shepherds. First, they don’t drive the sheep the same way you do cattle. A shepherd will walk and because the sheep trust him, they follow him. So, a shepherd must have a good relationship with the sheep for that trust to be there.
Second, I learned that the Shepherd would live with his sheep. He keeps watch over them and guards them and protects them from danger. If an animal attacks his sheep a shepherd will fight to save the sheep.
I learned that when a sheep is lost, a shepherd will leave all the other sheep and seek out the one who is missing. Then he will bring that sheep home. What a beautiful analogy to what the Savior has one for all of us. He truly is the Good Shepherd. Because of Jesus Christ, we are defended, protected, and even brought back to the fold when we wander astray.
Keep learning about Christ
The scriptures are a gift. There are clearly MANY more names of Jesus Christ in the scriptures. I am going to keep studying more of them this Christmas season. It’s so fun getting to know Christ’s role in my life and in my eternal existence. And I encourage you to do the same and feel free to share some of your insights. For when we learn together we are both lifted.
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