Day Thirteen: The Incarnation and Names of Jesus, Part Four

“Students will be able to list the “names” of Jesus and explain how each of those names is a sign of God’s desire to have a relationship with us.” I recall the prayer: “Dear Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have Mercy on me, a sinner.” We are not what we should be. As sinners, we literally cannot Love the way we are made to Love. To learn how to Love again, the way we are made to Love, we must have a relationship with one who can Love perfectly. Jesus. These “names” of Jesus are signs to remind us of who He is, and as we know and recognize these signs, we can know and recognize what it means to be “fully human”… what it means to Truly Love.

A reliquary of Pope Saint John Paul II, a great teacher and model of Christ's Love. This is in the Oratory of Our Lady the New Advent in Denver, Colorado. (photo P. Smith)

For the most part, this is a vocabulary lesson. I give the following notes and explain the literal meanings behind these “names”.

• Jesus
• Yehoshua; “God Saves” “God is Salvation”
• Christ
• Cristos; “Messiah” “Anointed One”
• Son of God
• Second Person of the Trinity; God calls Jesus His Son during the Baptism and the Transfiguration
• Lord
• Kyrios; Replacement term in Hebrew Scripture for “Yahweh”. When Jesus is called “Lord” in scripture, they are equating Jesus to God.

The names of Jesus are like ropes so we can begin to understand how a relationship with Jesus will help us develop a relationship with God and learn to Love and to be Loved again.

• Jesus “saves”. This name is a sign that we can be saved from sin and we can Love again.
• Christ is the “promised one” who will get us out of the Pit. This name is a sign that we can have Hope if we develop a relationship with Jesus.
• The Son of God is the one who is “family” of God. This name is a sign that if we grow in relationship with Jesus, we are, in fact, becoming family of God.
• The Lord is one who is God. This name is a sign that Jesus does, in fact, have authority to save us.

This is an easy assignment to memorize, but not an easy concept to live. It requires reflection and contemplation. As a teacher, I have to realize that this is part of a process of growing in relationship with God. To start, I give them this assignment. For some of my students, it could be the beginning of a real relationship with Jesus.

“Review your notes. Pick a ‘name’ of Jesus that we have talked about in class. Explain what that name means or says about the person of Jesus. Explain what that name says about God and God’s desire for a relationship with us.”