Messiah

Often, we overlook the significance of a human name; sometimes a name becomes a label, a designator, a descriptor. In doing so, we forget that our Bible heroes were real people. They had names, and like many of us, their friends gave them nicknames linked to an action or a personal quality. They also had personal histories; their names are sometimes associated with those histories. One person who helped Paul a great deal was Joseph, or Barnabas, “son of encouragement.” Luke wrote to a person named Theophilus, or "God lover." One Church Bishop Ignatius, was also known as Theophorus, or "God bearer." Some of them were known by their relationship with one of their parents, or a sibling. The name given to us is usually based on our heritage, a desired future blessing, or perhaps some personal idiosyncrasies. The wonderful thing about Jesus, however, is that how we are described or who we become does not have to be forever tied to those things included in our name, or label. The name Jesus was both a name and a label. It was based on derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua, which is based on the Semitic root y-š-ʕ (Hebrew: ישע‎), meaning "to deliver; to rescue." His name then is an accurate descriptor of what he would do with his life. Jesus is the promised Messiah, a descendant from "the stump of Jesse," a descendant of King David. And the Spirit of God was at work in Jesus without limitation (John 3:34). All of which the Spirit inspired in the prophets, and so much more, was fully present in Jesus. He was one with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus was God with us (Matthew 1:23), fully present and available for the purpose of making God known to men as much as possible, (John 1:14-18). He lived a very simple life and rose to become the only man to fully obey God’s desires. Around the time He lived there were many men who claimed to be the promised Messiah; they gained followers, but without the support of God via the Holy Spirit, they were all annihilated by the Roman government. However, because of his actions, Jesus became the deliverer or rescuer of all who would trust him, the real Messiah. We too, can allow Jesus to remove the past mistakes from our past and make us new because of God’s Grace. Again, if we will allow it and pursue it, the indwelling Holy Spirit can use those failures as the beginning of testimony and ministry for Jesus. We can become something more valuable than our beginning. For those who are willing, and recognize they are on a unique, individual spiritual journey, the Holy Spirit that Jesus left behind, can transform each of us into a powerful servant of our Lord, Jesus. Sometimes it is helpful to remember that the first apostles began as ordinary, unschooled working men. Later, because of the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the religious elite were impressed with these unlearned men, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 (ESV). We have the same Holy Spirit that they had, and although the details may be different, what He did with those men He can do with us; however, His unique work with us may appear differently because He might need something different, from each of us.