Jesus' Easter Names

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.”
Daniel 2:20

All of God’s names are wondrous in their depth and scope of their meanings. In this scripture Daniel was praising the omniscient, omnipotent God – “El Shadai.’” Volumes have been written on the all encompassing meanings of the names of God and His glorious attributes inherent in all those descriptive names. The universe could not hold all the vast descriptions of our God because He is God and cannot be put into words or into our finite imaginations. We just trust by faith and accept what we can understand (and that is not much) about the Truth that He is the great “I Am.”

Today begins the three day period we call Easter. Today is “Good Friday” – the day Jesus died on the cross for us; to satisfy the Father for a sacrifice for our sins, and so we wouldn’t have to die but have eternal life. In the Old Testament a blood sacrifice was required for forgiveness of sins. But in God’s magnanimous plan, His Son, Jesus, would come to earth and live a perfect, sinless man so He could become the Lamb of God, to die and shed His blood. Jesus had to die in our place as the Lamb of God to become our Savior, Redeemer, Advocate, Friend, Healer, Peace, Provider, Shepherd, Righteousness, Sanctifier, Healer and Banner of Victory. If He had not been willing to become the “Lamb of God” He could not have been any of these other names. Oh, such love!

Since most of us don’t have a Jewish background the name Lamb of God is unfamiliar to us. To the Jew, Lambs were for sacrifice. Charles Stanley describes very succinctly, ”God has always dealt with sin through the blood of sacrifices. When Adam and Eve sinned, an animal was slain to cover their nakedness and shame (Gen.3:21). On the first Passover, each household covered their doorway with sacrificial blood (Ex.12:1-7). Later, a goat was slaughtered for the atonement of the entire nation (Lev.16:15). Now in John 1:29 we see the ultimate sacrifice – the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.” God’s Lamb was Jesus – the perfect and eternal sacrifice that satisfied the Father.

All we have to do is receive this unfathomable gift – the Lamb of God. We don’t have to pay for this Gift by doing good deeds. We don’t have to do penance. This gift of salvation from eternal death is free. We simply receive the Lamb of God’s payment (His death) for our sins and love and serve Him, and this so great salvation and eternal life is ours.

I read a story of a man whose son was portraying Jesus in an enactment of the events of the crucifixion. He watched as they acted out the trial, the flogging, the burden of the cross, the stumbling, and the torture of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Watching his son endure this suffering, even as a performance, he was overcome with tears.

This was his son, and he loved him! He had many close friends, but he would not ask his son to endure this torture for any one of them, let alone for complete strangers, and certainly not for his enemies. But God did. And Jesus suffered. The man realized that both God the Father and God the Son endured immense pain that day.

Anyone with children can relate to the feelings of the man in the story. The Bible teaches us that The Lamb of God, Jesus, accepted this suffering. His mercy and sacrifice reach every sinner, every saint, every criminal, every role model, every abuser, every abused person – and you and me. God’s love for us and desire to reconcile us is that powerful.
We can’t comprehend such love – we just have to accept and receive it. How could we not worship such love?

Such Love
C. Bishop

That God should love a sinner such as I, Should yearn to change my sorrow into bliss,
Nor rest till He had planned to bring me nigh, How wonderful is love like this!

That Christ should join so freely in the scheme, although it meant His death on Calvary, Did ever human tongue fine nobler theme, than love divine that ransomed me?

That for a willful outcast such as I, The Father planned the Savior bled and died;
Redemption for a worthless slave to buy, who long had law and grace defied.

And now He takes me to His heart – a son, He asks me not to fill a servant’s place’ The “Far-off country” wand’rings all are done, Wide open are His arms of grace.

Such love, such wondrous love, Such love, such wondrous love,
That God should love a sinner such as I, How wonderful is love like this!