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What is the middle name of Jesus Christ? Did you ever wonder this yourself when you were younger or maybe hear someone else ask the question? Most of us probably laugh at such a question now because it shows our propensity to try to make our Savior just like us. I mean it's pretty clear, isn't it? His first name is Jesus, his last name is Christ, so he has to have a middle name. If you happen to catch someone in the middle of using our precious Lord's name in vain, you may hear that his middle name is "H". But who in the world knows where that idea came from! It's probably safe to say that the question of Jesus' middle name is probably asked most often by children. So if you are reading this and you have a child in your life who has ever asked this question, maybe this post will provide you with some information you can share.

Many of you probably already realize that the first paragraph was mostly tongue-in-cheek. But that doesn't mean that the name of the incarnate Savior isn't important. Jesus lived and walked at a time that was way before people starting having last names and my guess is that middle names didn't come until well after that. In the old days, you were identified by your given first name and some other distinguishing factor, such as your occupation or your hometown. Examples include John the Baptist, Simon the Tanner, and Saul of Tarsus. Since there were obviously many people with the same names, there had to be something extra to identify them. This was true with our Savior as well. You have heard him referred to as Jesus Christ, but you have also heard him called Jesus of Nazareth.

The great thing about the name of "the Word that became flesh" that we are all familiar with is that it reveals what we need to know about his incarnate state. "Jesus" is the English translation of the Greek version of a Hebrew word meaning "the Lord saves". The English translation directly from the Hebrew is "Joshua", referring to the one who led the Israelites into the Promised Land. Variations of the word also result in Hosea and Hoshea, two other names from the Old Testament. Joseph and Mary gave their son the name "Jesus" because they were told to do so by an angel who told them "he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). But make no mistake about it, "Jesus" is an earthly name based on the languages of men. As Katie pointed out in Monday's blog, the Word existed "in the beginning", meaning he was here way before there was such a thing as "flesh", such a town as Nazareth, or such languages as Hebrew, Greek, or English. So because Jesus was not his name before all of those other things were created, we can be sure that "Jesus" shows his HUMANITY.

Let's move on to "Christ". No, this is not Jesus' last name. But had those who saw him said "here is Jesus THE Christ", they would have been correct. The term "Christ" comes from the Greek "Christos", which is a translation of the Hebrew word for "Messiah", which can also be translated "Anointed One". In the name "Christ", we see our Savior's MISSION. He came in the flesh to fulfill all the prophecies that we see in the Old Testament. He is the One who has been anointed to rescue the people from their sins and to reveal his Father to the human race in a way that He had not previously been revealed - in the flesh! Everyone knew what had been prophesied in the Scriptures and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the "Christ". Jesus came and said "I am he", and Peter followed suit by being the first disciple to proclaim this truth. Today, those who declare that Jesus is the "Christ" make up the world's most popular religion - Christianity!

But even after we had the names "Jesus" and "Christ", there was still something missing in order for the Savior's name to be a complete description of who he is. There was his human name and his mission name, but frankly anyone of us can have those 2 things. You could call me "Logan the Preacher" or "Logan the Blog-Writer". So, for his name to be a complete description of who he is, there needed to be some inclusion of his DIVINITY. It doesn't appear that the gospel writers included this, which only goes to show they probably didn't fully understand who Jesus was until long after he was gone. However, the Apostle Paul would not settle for a name or description that did not explain his divinity. That's why you see through Paul's letters the phrase "Lord Jesus Christ" or "Christ Jesus our Lord". Paul understood and purposely conveyed to his audience that Jesus was not only a man who is the Anointed One of Israel, but that he is also God Himself. Nowadays, we pay little attention to the name by which we describe our Savior. But we must understand the significance of having all 3 titles, especially in the culture and context which Paul was writing. Maybe we ought to pay more attention to how we describe Jesus, just in case we encounter someone who really knows nothing about him.

As Katie described in Monday's blog, "incarnation" literally means "in the flesh". However, it also refers to the Christian theological doctrine that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. These truths, as well as his mission which just happened to be the most important mission there ever was or ever will be, are all wrapped up in his very name. We must always remember that Jesus was HUMAN, DIVINE, and had a MISSION. So maybe when we describe him to others, we just ought to get in the habit of using that phrase made popular by the Apostle Paul. He is our Lord, Jesus the Christ!!