Since Philip referred to Jesus as “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,” in John 1:45, I made the following statement in “Goodness from Nazareth”: “Not having last names, outside of His hometown Jesus was called ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’”
The Bible even records that Jesus answered to that name!
Jesus and His apostles were on the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem, after having celebrated the Passover. Guided by Judas Iscariot, a band of soldiers and Israelite officials approached Jesus and His disciples with the intent to arrest Him. Here is the start of that confrontation:
Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said (John 18:4-5(a) NIV).
Jesus answered to the name of “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Yet there is no record of Jesus being called “Jesus Christ” by His apostles before the resurrection.
Now Jesus was identified as the Christ by people before His resurrection! For example, we learned that as we read about Andrew.
Yet the only person recorded in Scripture to use Jesus Christ as a name before the resurrection was, yes, Jesus Himself. In prayer with His Father in Jerusalem shortly before His arrest that night, Jesus said:
“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
Wow! Though speaking in that oriental third person manner, Jesus is speaking of Himself, and identifying Himself as the Christ.
Now after Jesus was resurrected from the dead, combining the name and the title was common.
In the introductions of their “gospel” books, Matthew, Mark, and John all three used the name of Jesus with the title of Christ.
1.) “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ….” (Matthew 1:1).
2.) “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God”
(Mark 1:1).
3.) “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
Another example comes from the apostolic times shortly after the apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit, when Peter performed a miraculous healing:
Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6).
Peter incorporated the title “Christ” into the name of Jesus, while keeping the “surname” of Jesus which He had as a human being in this world.
In a most subtle way, adding the title “Christ” emphasized the deity of Jesus, while maintaining “of Nazareth” emphasized the humanity of Jesus.
The entire “gospel” book of the apostle John had a primary objective to reveal the identity of Jesus. And interpreting the book of John with other Scriptures as a whole, we learn that once Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and once the Holy Spirit was given to those people who believed in Jesus, the term “Christ” quickly became incorporated into the full name of Jesus for future generations.
Hunter Irvine
Scripture Love Blog
