APPETIZER: God has revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his covenant for ever. The Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no further Revelation after him. Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up, commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all people. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline. (CCC #73, 75)
MAIN COURSE: We saw in our last entree (#3 Israel & the Old Testament), that God began the personal revelation of himself to humanity though the people and Scriptures of Israel. As Christians we still accept, venerate and read the Hebrew Scriptures as divine revelation - and they form an integral part of our Liturgy of the Word - but we do so through the lens, so to speak, of Jesus Christ and the New Testament. So in today's Main Course we will take a general overview of Jesus and the NewTestament, waiting to serve up the many details about Him in bits and pieces as our study continues over the next few weeks.
Briefly put, we can describe the New Testament as follows: God's love for us moved him to do more than simply communicate to humanity via prophets as intermediaries as in the Old Testament. He yearned to come to us himself, in person, in the flesh, and reveal to us by both word and example what it means to be human and to live as a child of God. This is the reason, the "why" of God the Son, Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, leaving the glory and power of Heaven to descend upon planet Earth and become a human being. The experiences that people had of Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God and Savior, are recorded for us by eye witnesses and by others who knew those who knew Jesus.
So at this point perhaps it is best to first of all look at who Jesus is by reflecting on the main names and titles he is given in the New Testament. There are many names and titles given to Jesus but I have chosen the primary ones that tell us who Jesus is, why he came, and what he is about. In future studies we will look at the New Testament itself to see if it is trustworthy in passing on to us what Jesus really said and did when he lived among us. In these future Bitesize studies, we will also, of course, look very closely at the life and teachings of Jesus, the heart and center of our Faith!
Jesus is the name given to the Son of God by God himself, so I guess we can say that he chose his own name! Recall that both the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph were visited by an angel who told them that this was to be his name. In their Hebrew-Aramaic language he was called Yeshua. In modern English we would call him Joshua. But the tradition has been to retain the Latin form of his name - Jesus - so as to distinguish him from all the other Yeshuas and Joshuas (which was an extremely common boys names among the Hebrews). In whatever language, the name of Jesus means Savior because, as the angel said to Mary, the child was destined to save his people from their sins. He would be this Savior primarily (but not exclusively) by his cross and resurrection.
Nazarene or Jesus of Nazareth refers to the extraordinary fact that Jesus, God-come-in-the-flesh, lived an ordinary life as an ordinary resident of the obscure village of Nazareth for the vast majority of his human life. This shows the his desire to live in solidarity with us, living as we live. It also shows his great humility because in his day Nazareth was looked down upon by the devout Jews of Jerusalem. They saw the Nazarenes as inferior "contaminated" Jews because they mixed with lots of different kinds of people due to their being somewhat close to the trade routes. Nazareth was the kind of place that people make fun of, with only a few hundred residents, up in the north central part of the country that was considered "the sticks". And it was there in such a place that Yeshua the Savior, son of Mary and supposed-child of Joseph, freely chose to live as a neighbor, citizen and tradesman. Jesus the Nazarene shows us the value and dignity of regular every-day ordinary life lived in union with God.
Rabbi was a title Jesus earned as one of the common traveling teachers of the Scriptures in Israel. it is related to other title of his - Master or Teacher- which indicates that he had a following of students called disciples. This is the Jesus we are probably most familiar with from the Gospel stories although as Christians we are probably not familiar with calling him Rabbi. Throughout the gospels we see that the people are amazed at Rabbi Jesus and they identify him as unique because he teaches with authority and with power over demons and illnesses. His words and teachings respect the value and dignity of the common person and he puts that law and commandments in proper perspective instead of making them a burden on the people. His style and preaching became a thorn in the side of many of the "official" teachers of religion in Judaism (Scribes and Pharisees) and their leadership turned against him and sought to destroy him.
Rabbi was a title Jesus earned as one of the common traveling teachers of the Scriptures in Israel. it is related to other title of his - Master or Teacher- which indicates that he had a following of students called disciples. This is the Jesus we are probably most familiar with from the Gospel stories although as Christians we are probably not familiar with calling him Rabbi. Throughout the gospels we see that the people are amazed at Rabbi Jesus and they identify him as unique because he teaches with authority and with power over demons and illnesses. His words and teachings respect the value and dignity of the common person and he puts that law and commandments in proper perspective instead of making them a burden on the people. His style and preaching became a thorn in the side of many of the "official" teachers of religion in Judaism (Scribes and Pharisees) and their leadership turned against him and sought to destroy him.
Christ is the most popular of Jesus' titles and it is so connected with his first name that, humorously, some people have thought that "Christ" was his last name! "Christ" is the Greek translation for the Hebrew word Messiah. Literally (in both languages) it means the Anointed One. You might recall that Baby Jesus was hailed under this title right from the first moment of his birth by the Christmas angels of Bethlehem. They said to the shepherds, "For born for you this day in Bethlehem is he who is both Christ and Lord."
This title was used in Israel to refer to the Savior, the Warrior-King, the Great Deliverer whom many believed would come one day to rescue the Jews from their sufferings. He would be a descendant of the family of the great King David of Jerusalem and he would restore the throne to its rightful place. Among a people who were long-oppressed and endured many cruelties from their enemies, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One was the long-hoped for Hero. They also called him the One-Who-is-to-Come. Devout Jews yearned for his arrival and Hebrew girls dreamed that they would be his mother. The reason many did not see this Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth was because of their notion that the Savior would be a worldly political figure. So when he was arrested, tortured and crucified by the Romans many lost hope that he was the Christ.
But hidden within the Old Testament Scriptures and prophecies there were also hints that the Messiah-Christ would be more of a spiritual revivalist and religious hero, not a political one. He would heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and raise the dead. The Resurrection victory of the Christ over his enemies and over death itself was the ultimate sign and proof that he was, indeed, the One-Who-is-to-Come.
This title was used in Israel to refer to the Savior, the Warrior-King, the Great Deliverer whom many believed would come one day to rescue the Jews from their sufferings. He would be a descendant of the family of the great King David of Jerusalem and he would restore the throne to its rightful place. Among a people who were long-oppressed and endured many cruelties from their enemies, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One was the long-hoped for Hero. They also called him the One-Who-is-to-Come. Devout Jews yearned for his arrival and Hebrew girls dreamed that they would be his mother. The reason many did not see this Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth was because of their notion that the Savior would be a worldly political figure. So when he was arrested, tortured and crucified by the Romans many lost hope that he was the Christ.
But hidden within the Old Testament Scriptures and prophecies there were also hints that the Messiah-Christ would be more of a spiritual revivalist and religious hero, not a political one. He would heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and raise the dead. The Resurrection victory of the Christ over his enemies and over death itself was the ultimate sign and proof that he was, indeed, the One-Who-is-to-Come.
Son of God is a name for Jesus that we understand much differently than people did when he walked upon earth. Back in his day it meant a holy man who was chosen by God, very intimate with God. Jesus himself, however, used it to refer to his unique status as the actual Son of God the Father, similar to how we use it today. And by the end of the gospel stories we see that many disciples and others begin to use this name with that understanding as well. For this reason they gave Jesus the title that they reserved only for God and that is the name, Lord. The Jewish people had a great respect and reverence for the Name of God, so they would never use it or say it. Instead the substituted the Hebrew word Adonai (which means Lord) in place of God. So in the New Testament whenever Jesus is called "Lord" it is usually a sign of belief in his Divinity.
Son of Man was the title Jesus used most frequently when referring to himself. It is also the most used title for Jesus in the gospels even though no one - to this day - is totally sure of what it means! As far as we know, this title typically refers to two things: the humanity of the Son of God and his glory as King or Messiah. By using Son of Man for himself Jesus could simply have been stressing the fact that he is truly human as this name can also be translated as "The Human One". It shows his solidarity with us in everything human except for sin. As a man, God the Son knows by experience what it means to be happy or sad, lonely and frustrated, even tempted and racked with pain. He can sympathize with us not just "in the head" but "in the heart". Son of Man can also refer to Christ's divinity. In the Old Testament Book of Daniel it stands for a mysterious figure who is given praise and glory by God and rules over all creation. So in this case it would point us to Jesus as the great victorious Messiah-King. Even though we don't know its full meaning, it's important for us to be familiar with it because Jesus used it a the #1 designation for himself and it occurs about 80 times as his title in the gospels.
The names/titles of Jesus were used to form one of the first symbols used by Christians before the cross became the #1 Christian symbol. They used the Greek word ichthys or ichthus (ikhthýs) which means "fish" along with the drawing of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish. The reason they chose this was because each letter of the Greek word for fish was an acronym for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" (see image above). Thus the names of Jesus became one of the first ways for Christians to identify one another int times of persecution as well as expressing the belief that God reveals himself to us through his Son.
Well, that brings us to the end of our first bite into reflecting upon Jesus as the greatest revelation of God to the human race. Before we start tasting more of this feast of faith, it's important for us to have at least this basic grasp of WHO Jesus is, WHY he came to live as one of us, and WHAT this means. And I think that looking at his primary names and titles is a good beginning. It's kind of like putting the napkin on our laps and taking up our utensils as we get ready to dig in and enjoy what will be placed before us as we continue our Bitesize studies on Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior!
The names/titles of Jesus were used to form one of the first symbols used by Christians before the cross became the #1 Christian symbol. They used the Greek word ichthys or ichthus (ikhthýs) which means "fish" along with the drawing of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish. The reason they chose this was because each letter of the Greek word for fish was an acronym for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" (see image above). Thus the names of Jesus became one of the first ways for Christians to identify one another int times of persecution as well as expressing the belief that God reveals himself to us through his Son.
Well, that brings us to the end of our first bite into reflecting upon Jesus as the greatest revelation of God to the human race. Before we start tasting more of this feast of faith, it's important for us to have at least this basic grasp of WHO Jesus is, WHY he came to live as one of us, and WHAT this means. And I think that looking at his primary names and titles is a good beginning. It's kind of like putting the napkin on our laps and taking up our utensils as we get ready to dig in and enjoy what will be placed before us as we continue our Bitesize studies on Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior!
DOGGIE BAG: Here are a few things to take away from our study for spiritual snacking throughout the day.
Prayer of Praise for the Holy Name: Jesus, Name full of glory, grace, love and strength! You are the refuge of those who repent, our banner of warfare in this life, the medicine of souls, the comfort of those who mourn, the delight of those who believe, the light of those who preach the true faith, the wages of those who toil, the healing of the sick. To You our devotion aspires; by You our prayers are received; we delight in contemplating You. O Name of Jesus, You are the glory of all the saints for eternity. Amen. (St. Bernadine of Siena, Franciscan, 1380-1444AD)
Prayer of Praise for the Holy Name: Jesus, Name full of glory, grace, love and strength! You are the refuge of those who repent, our banner of warfare in this life, the medicine of souls, the comfort of those who mourn, the delight of those who believe, the light of those who preach the true faith, the wages of those who toil, the healing of the sick. To You our devotion aspires; by You our prayers are received; we delight in contemplating You. O Name of Jesus, You are the glory of all the saints for eternity. Amen. (St. Bernadine of Siena, Franciscan, 1380-1444AD)
Traditional Catholic Practice: You may have noticed that some Catholics have the practice bowing their head whenever they say or hear the name of Jesus. This is very similar to the customs we have of bowing the body to an altar, genuflecting before the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle, or making the sign of the cross as we pass a Catholic Church or cemetery. Try forming the habit of bowing the head slightly at the Name of Jesus as a sign of respect, an act of faith, and even as a way of making up for those who abuse the Holy Name in their language.
Scripture Verse to Memorize: "You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt.1:21)
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