The Names of Jesus - Elmer Towns

The first of these is John 1, in which Jesus is introduced as the Logos. John affirmed, “All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).
In discussing the creative work of Jesus, John uses the verb egento, meaning “generated or
energized.” Jesus created by producing life and energy from nothing. The verse following
argues, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Jesus is life.
The second key passage is Colossians 1:15-22. Perhaps no other statement concerning
Jesus Christ is as magnificent as this one. Although Jesus is never mentioned by name in this
passage, no fewer than fifteen pronouns are used with reference to Christ. “For by him were all
things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
and he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16,17). These verses
identify Christ as both the Creator and Sustainer of life. The terms “thrones, dominions,
principalities, and powers” are generally considered to refer to various rankings of angels. Christ
created them all and came before them all. Here Paul is portraying Christ as more than a superangel,
probably in an effort to correct a false teaching in the early church.
The word “consist” (Colossians 1:17) literally means “to hold together.” This is similar to
John's portrayal of Jesus as life. Energy is the glue that holds this universe and all of its
component parts together. God is the source of energy because life begets energy. Scientists have
discovered an incredible amount of energy in every atom, but God is the source of that energy.
When viewing this aspect of the nature of God, we must be careful not to go to the extreme of
Spinoza who defined energy as his god. Although God is the source of energy, we must not think
of Him as energy itself.
THE INSTRUCTIVE NAMES OF JESUS
Several names of Jesus in the New Testament emphasize His role as a teacher. It is
interesting that the Scriptures never call Jesus a preacher (although that may be implied by the
title Prophet), but at least four terms are used to distinguish Him as a teacher. Each of these terms
differs slightly in meaning, and together they give a more complete picture of both the nature and
emphasis of His teaching ministry.
Rabbi
The word rabbi is an Aramaic word which the writers of the New Testament
transliterated into the Greek. In many cases, translators have done the same, bringing the word
over into the English language letter for letter. It was a common way to address a religious
teacher in the first century and was first used to address Jesus by two of his first disciples (John
1:38). In that place John explains to his Greek readers that the title was equivalent in meaning to
“Master” (kurios), a common Greek reference to a philosopher or teacher.
The Aramaic word literally means “my great one” and represented the great respect the
Jews had for their rabbis. The title included not only the idea of teaching but also a certain
content in their teaching. It was used much as we today speak of a charismatic teacher, or a
deeper-life teacher, etc. When people addressed Jesus as “Rabbi,” they were normally discerning
the nature or content of His teaching.