Jesus as Son and Savior, Word and Lamb

STORY: My Beloved Son

We weren’t able to have children, so we chose to have fur-kin instead. When we lived in New Mexico, we learned an endearing term for beloved son—the Spanish word Mijo. It made sense to us (and probably no one else) to name our male Boston terrier “Mijo” after we brought him home to live with us. We turned a few heads when we called for him outdoors!

In this study, we examine a few more of the names of Jesus, starting with three versions of Mijo.

STUDY: The Names of Jesus

Son of the Most High

He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. (Luke 1:32 NLT)

• We recently celebrated the Christmas season by reading the first few chapters from the gospel of Luke. Even Linus quotes it in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Here we are looking at Gabriel visiting Mary about her supernatural pregnancy.
• Imagine Mary being told her son will be very great. That is an understatement! How is Jesus very great to you?
• Jesus is called the “Son of...” in several forms. This first one says he is Son of the Most High. Why do you think it was important for Mary to know this? Most mothers when told they are pregnant, can figure out who the father is. Mary, as a virgin, wouldn’t have known this unless she was told. Why is it important that Jesus was fathered by the Heavenly Father?
• Jewish people waited for several hundreds of years in silence, seeking a king to sit on the same throne as King David. How is Jesus as king a different arrangement than being an earthly king?

Son of God

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35 NLT)

• Gabriel went on to tell Mary that Jesus is the Son of God. He explains how this will happen. Think about the supernatural nature of Mary’s insemination.
• Gabriel didn’t belabor the details of the pregnancy. Instead he went on to focus on what would be different in this baby. He would be born holy. How do you think Jesus’ holiness affected raising him as a child? How does Jesus’ holiness impact you, when Jesus is born into your life?
• When you call Jesus Son of God, what does that mean to you? How does this change your focus in worship?

Son of Man

“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10 NLT)

• Later in Luke, when Jesus is talking to Zacchaeus, he refers to himself as Son of Man. There are 78 references to Jesus calling himself this, making it his most common designation. Why do you think he made this distinction, rather than saying Son of God? How is he each of these names?
• Jesus is perfectly God, but on earth, also perfectly human. Why is this detail important to our salvation and also our relationship with Jesus?

Horn of Salvation

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. (Luke 1:68-69 ESV)

• In this passage of Scripture, Zechariah (priest and father of John the Baptist) gave this prophecy. How is that significant to the title, Horn of Salvation?
• Zechariah also declared that this Horn of Salvation would come from what lineage? Why is that family tree significant to the God-followers in Israel as they awaited their Messiah?

The Word

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 NLT)

• As a writer, I love thinking about Jesus being the Word. Jewish rabbis often referred to God as the Word of God. The Greek word, logos, has a significant meaning here. Definition: the power that set the world in perfect order and kept it going in perfect order. The divine reason and creative order.

• In context, how does the rest of the verse tie in to the meaning of logos?

Lamb of God

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29 NLT)

• John the Baptist had one purpose, the prepare the way of the Lord—to announce his arrival and show people their need for a sacrificial lamb. Jewish people understood the meaning of Jesus as lamb, based on their religious ceremonies to atone for sin.
• What is the significance of Jesus as the Lamb of God, to you personally?

Prophet/Mighty Teacher

“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people.” (Luke 24:19b NLT)

• Cleopas and another Christ-follower were walking seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus after Jesus’ body was discovered missing from the tomb. The post-risen Jesus joined them, only they didn’t recognize him. One of the two made this statement to Jesus. We know that Jesus was more than just a prophet and mighty teacher, but he served in those roles too.
• How is Jesus meaningful to you as a prophet? As a miracle worker? As a mighty teacher?
• They stated Jesus was all these things to whom? I find the word all significant.

STEPS: His Name is Wonderful

1. Pray the names of Jesus. Go through each of these names, and pray to Jesus with a focus on the different roles each name plays in your personal relationship with him.
2. Share a Jesus story on social media. Take one of the names of Jesus mentioned here, and post on social media why this name means something special to you.

Copyright © 2020 Kathy Carlton Willis, used with permission.