We have some reading and some listening to do!
Matthew 16:13 – “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’”
As we read through the Old Testament, we come across several different names the Israelites used for God as their relationship with Him grew. Here is a list of those names:
| – Jehovah Shammah (The Lord is There) | – Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness) |
| – El Elyon (The Most High God) | – Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You) |
| – Adonai (Lord, Master) | – El Olam (The Everlasting God) |
| – Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah) | – Elohim (God) |
| – Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner) | – Qanna (Jealous) |
| – El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty) | – Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals) |
| – Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd) | – Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide) |
What a wonderful list of names that describe the Israelites’ understanding of God, of how God operated in their lives, and how God asked them to rely on Him. As you look at that list, many of those descriptions must seem familiar as we learn about Jesus Christ in Gospels – shepherd, master, righteous, healer. Here are some descriptors that either Jesus Christ or others used in the NT for their understanding of Jesus Christ:
| Alpha and Omega | Good Shepherd | Only Begotten Son |
| Apostle | Head of the Church | Prince and Savior |
| Author of Life | High Priest | Redeemer |
| Beloved Son | Holy and Righteous One | Son of God |
| Blessed Hope | Lamb of God | Son of Man |
| Bread of Life | Light of the World | The Truth |
| Bridegroom | Logos | The Way |
| Chief Cornerstone | Living Stone | The True Vine |
| Chief Shepherd | Messiah |
Again, what a wonderful list! There are more references than these in the NT regarding Jesus Christ. These terms provide so much meaning in and for our lives. As you read through this list, challenge yourself on how you would be able to explain to someone else how these refer to and explain Jesus Christ for our lives. Go through and look in the Bible how these terms are used. Then look to see how they work in your life. For example, I like two references that go to the declaration the Jesus is the Messiah. The first one is when Simeon meets the baby Jesus and family at the temple as described in Luke 2:21-35. And the second one is in Luke 9:20. What is so nice is to see is how the recognition that Jesus is the Messiah is coming first from the Holy Spirit’s prompting through Simeon (Luke 2 passage) and then how Peter makes that declaration based upon his witness of Jesus Christ in action (Luke 9 passage).
The next exercise for you to do then is to add your descriptors of Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit in your life. To the list and explain how they play those roles in your life. Here are few descriptors that I use:
| God | Jesus | Holy Spirit |
| Sanctuary | Advocate | Teacher |
| Creator | Friend | Counselor |
| Liberator | Judger | Guide |
I look forward to hearing from you your words that describe your reliance and relationship with the Trinity! Reading the Bible, being led by the Holy Spirit, and the word of God spoken into our lives gives us the ability to develop a vocabulary to share the Trinity with others. Let us develop our vocabulary together.
Amen.