The Names of Jesus - Elmer Towns

Jesus is called “mine elect” (Isaiah 42:1) or “the chosen of God” (Luke 23:35). This title
emphasizes the priority of Christ as the uniquely appointed Servant of the Lord. When we have a
job that needs to be done, often we will spend time looking for the most qualified one to
accomplish the task. The greater the job, the more diligently we seek out the most capable and
qualified person available. We want to be sure that the chosen one is the best available. When
God sought to redeem a lost world, only One qualified to complete successfully that task, and
God chose Him to do it. When the mockers at the foot of the cross called out to Him as “the
chosen of God” (Luke 23:35), they no doubt intended insults in order to add to His suffering.
Actually, it was a reminder to the One who at any moment could have called on legions of angels
to release Him and destroy His enemies that He was God's Elect, chosen to complete the specific
task in which He was then engaged.
Several titles of the Lord include the words, “the firstborn” (Hebrews 12:23). He is “the
firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29), “the firstborn of the dead” (Revelation 1:5-”first
begotten” in KJV), “the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15), and the “firstborn son”
(Luke 2:7). The emphasis of the Greek word prototokos, translated “firstborn” or “first-begotten”
in Scripture, is that of a priority in relationships. When used of Christ, it affirms His priority with
the Father and preeminence over all creation. It does not imply the idea that He first came into
existence at some point of time so as not to be eternal in nature; rather, it is used in the sense that
He held a certain superiority of position (cf. Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 21:16,17).
Another priority name of Jesus relates to the concept of firstfuits (Romans 11:16; I
Corinthians 15:20). The Greek word aparche closely relates to the verb aparchomai, meaning
“to make a beginning, “ and was normally used in Scripture in the context of the offering of the
first part of the harvest. As a title of Christ, it is a guarantee of our resurrection after the pattern
of His resurrection. Just as the firstfruits of the harvest assure the farmer that more will follow,
so the resurrection of Christ assures us of our future resurrection.
CHRIST OUR PASSOVER
The Apostle Paul urged the church at Corinth to deal with sin in their personal and
corporate lives, stating, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are
unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (I Corinthians 5:7). Although Jesus
is the fulfillment of all of Israel's typical feasts and sacrifices, the need for personal holiness in
Corinth caused the apostle to single out the passover and apply this word to Christ.
The passover feast was so named because of the promise of God which accompanied its
first observance, “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and
when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you,
when I smite the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13). The final of the ten plagues in the land of Egypt
involved the death of the firstborn son in every home. Israel was instructed to kill a lamb as a
substitutionary sacrifice and apply that blood to the doorpost of the home. By midnight “there
was not a house where there was not one dead” (Exodus 12:30). In the homes stained with blood,
the lamb was dead. In the homes lacking the bloodstain, the firstborn son of the, family was
dead.