Nicknames of Jesus

 Nicknames are popular with people. Some of them are given to individuals just for convenience or humor. But often a nickname is a condensed description of one’s outstanding qualities. For example, Ivan The Terrible is a nickname expressing the cruel character of the man; whereas The Little Flower is the nickname given to The’re’se of Child Jesus, capturing the gentle and humble character of the saint. Jesus too has some biblical nicknames.
            The Servant: Jesus is the servant of God. ’’Israel, you are my servant’’ said the Lord (Is49:3). This servant is a messianic figure referring to Jesus and what an all-out servant he was. When you are in some serious trouble, not many would come all out to serve you. There is a story of a man who had fallen into a well and was crying for help. A passer-by saw the man in the well, said, ‘’Life is full of sorrow’’ and went away. Another passer-by went a step further and said, ‘’if you are able to spring up to me, I can try to get you out,’’ but the poor man could not spring up to him. A third man came by the well, and on seeing him, actually climbed down into the well, took him out and brought him to safety. Jesus served us all in that manner. He got himself personally involved in our redemption even accepting death on the Cross. But the ‘’Servant of God’’ is more than a nickname because it challenges us to serve others as Jesus did. To be able to give a large part of oneself to others is the most satisfying thing in life. It is not always the talented ones who serve best, but the consecrated ones. We were consecrated to God and his people at our baptism, but do we live up to our consecration?
            The Lamb: Jesus is the “Lamb.” “Look there! The lamb of God’’ (Jn 1:29), said St John the Baptist. Yes, the lamb went to his slaughter in silence but in strength, for the redemption of many, which he does even today. As you know, when a tiger dies, it leaves only its skin and when we die, many of us leave only our ashes; but when Jesus died, he left his name. Therefore, in the name of the Lamb of God, his followers even today continue to take away the sins of many and continue to sacrifice their very lives to liberate those who suffer as victims of poverty, injustice, oppression, racial bigotry and appalling human conditions. A wealthy young couple walked into a large orphanage one day to ask to adopt two children. The director, beaming with satisfaction, said, ‘’Now we’ll show you two of the nicest children in the orphanage.” The wife turned quickly and remarked kindly but firmly: ‘’oh, please, no! We don’t want the nicest children; we want two that nobody else would take.’’ That was a sacrifice, which challenges us to make sacrifices similar to his for love of our neighbor. If the heart is denying sacrifice, it means love is dying.
            The Lord: Jesus is the Lord. ‘’Grace and peace to all those who, wherever they may be, call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’’ (1cor 1:2-3). Yes, Christ is not valued at all unless he be valued above all. As the Lord, he is the goal of human history and the centre of the human race. Yet so many in the world are still away from him, on an endless road, in a hopeless maze. But how can the Lord bring them also into his fold, if his own household still remains divided? A great musical conductor called Toscanini was rehearsing a Beethoven symphony with one of the great orchestras of the world. After a long day, the orchestra was not still producing the sort of music he had expected. Distressed by this performance, Toscanini turned to the orchestra and said, ‘’Gentlemen, you are nothing, I am nothing-Beethoven is everything.’’ If only we Christians could consider the differences which exist between our Churches as nothing, and believe that the Lord is everything, Christian unity under the same Lord would soon become a reality.