Jesus' Many Names

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given... And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:6

The Bible gives over 200 names to Jesus: Christ, Son of God, Lamb of God, Messiah, Emmanuel, King of Kings... the list goes on. Today’s verse is the announcement of Jesus’ birth where we’re given four of His many names. The more we understand about each of His names, the better we can get to know who Jesus really is. Some interpretations take these four names as four elements of the same name. Jesus is one being, with many different elements. His different names don’t symbolize different people or different personalities. Since it was customary for people of this time to call children by a name that meant something, we can infer that each name suggests a different quality of Christ. “Wonderful Counselor” takes on a few different meanings. It can mean “a wonder of a Counselor,” “one who counsels wonderful things,” or “wonderful in counsel.” This name embodies the wisdom of the future Messiah. “Mighty God” is significant in that it means an absolute deity. “Everlasting Father” or the Father of Eternity, purposefully uses the word “Father” to represent Jesus’ love and protection. “Prince of Peace” represents the Prophet clinging to the idea that Jesus represents peace, not war. Why does Jesus have so many names? It’s not to confuse us. Each name the Scripture gives to Jesus represents a different one of His purposes: what He did in His short time on Earth and what He’s doing now. Recognizing the many names of Jesus helps us understand Him and grow closer to Him as Christians. Use one, two or many of His names during prayer, depending on your need.