His Name Shall Be Jesus

Laura Miller | Category: Christmas

Sometimes, says Tim Keller, "you don't realize that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have."

Or let's turn that around. Sometimes, you realize that if all you have is Jesus, then you have all you need.

Perhaps, like me, you have been guilty of thinking of the Christmas narrative as the prelude to the reign of Jesus. Yes, he comes as Immanuel, the King, but he is restrained until adulthood because, after all, he's just a baby lying there in that manger.

Matthew 1:21 says, "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 

Do we realize what that simple declaration really means? You shall call his name Jesus. You shall declare a truth, an identity, with his name. He shall be known as "God with us" (Immanuel). 

No wonder the angels proclaimed glory to the highest heavens and peace on earth! This isn't simply a change in residence. He was not merely the newest poor and disenfranchised member of the human race. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Ruler of the Nations, reigning and ruling the eternal and unbounded kingdom under his power, all that is visible and invisible, and yet, a helpless baby, crying and struggling, living and breathing as a human, restricted in this flesh.

There were a few who were privy to this knowledge and understood its implications. The shepherds returned to their flocks, praising and glorifying God. The wise men comprehended that the balance of the universe had just shifted and avoided the murderous Herod on their journey back east. Mary pondered all these things in her heart. Joseph obeyed the angels and forfeited a normal life for exile in Egypt. Simon and Anna celebrated him as the long-awaited Messiah. 

But most people went about their business. To most of the world, nothing seemed strange about that night. The same troubles, the same heartaches, the same anxieties, the same dead hearts, the same lost souls, the same chasm between man and God that had been for days, years, and centuries. It seemed that way to them as they drudged and muddled through their days and nights. But if they only knew Who had come to dwell among them, their lives could be forever changed. 

As the Keller quote and its inverse phrase capably reveal, everything that everyone would ever need is IMMANUEL -- here, with us.

This is Jesus, savior, healer, calmer of seas, straightener of limbs, giver of sight, gatherer of the outcast, bringing the foreigner into the fold, advocate with the father, dispenser of the Holy Spirit, crafter of the skies, timekeeper of the heavens, breather of life, heaven sent, dweller with the mortal, sufferer of iniquities, bearer of burdens, wielder of the sword, defender of the oppressed, guardian of the weak and helpless, everlasting father, captain of the army, elder brother, dearest friend, firstborn, the Word, wisdom, the very image of God, the brightness of his glory, the corporate Seed of Abraham, the bridegroom, the suffering servant, a man of sorrows, the anointed and unblemished lamb, the shepherd who knows his sheep, all the strength of the vine and all the nourishment of the bread, the bright and morning star, our sanctuary, a faithful witness, justice and righteousness in God's holy court, first fruit in the Resurrection, our shield, lord of rest, an ointment poured forth, the cornerstone, a brother born for adversity, altogether lovely, teacher.

He is my all in all.

This is what it means to have God with us, God among us, God in the flesh. This is what happened that night long ago. He was a baby. He was needful and he suffered as a child. But he was also my king then as much as he is now. This is the meditation of the season for me. Paraphrasing Mark Lowry's lyrics from the well-known Christmas song, "Mary, Did You Know?", "Laura, did you know that that baby boy is Lord of all creation? ... Laura, did you know that that sleeping child is the great I AM?"

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Mary, Did You Know?

Mary did you know that your baby boy
Will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy
Will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will calm a storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby
You've kissed the face of God

Oh, Mary did you know

The blind will see,
the deaf will hear,
The dead will live again

The lame will leap,
the dumb will speak,
The praises of the lamb

Mary did you know that your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your Baby Boy
Is Heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding
Is the great I am.


You can follow all Laura's Advent season postings on her blog here.