I’ve been thinking about titles that we use to describe one another. Maybe at work you are called Director or Manager. Some people have titles like Doctor or Vice President. Other countries recognize royal titles like Queen or Prince. These titles often refer to the role a person fulfills. My titles remind me of my responsibilities as Pastor and soccer Coach. Then there are family titles like Dad, Mom, and Grandma. One of the finest titles we could have is simply Friend. Each of these titles tells us something about what a person does or how they are related to others.
As we approach Christmas, I see several titles ascribed to Jesus when the angel Gabriel visited the virgin Mary. First, Mary is told the Baby’s name would be “Jesus” (Luke 1:31). This is kind of a title in itself, as “Jesus” means “Jehovah saves.”
Second, she is told that her Son would rule over an everlasting kingdom. Thus, He would be King (verses 32-33).
Gabriel also says that Jesus would be called “Holy”—meaning He would be set apart from everything sinful and set apart unto the pure purposes of God (verse 35).
Finally, the angel tells Mary her Child will be called “the Son of God” (verse 35). This awesome title describes Jesus’ eternal relationship with the heavenly Father. The Father and Son are of the same essence. In fact, the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus because, “He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:17-18).
The Christmas miracle is that Jesus was not the son of Joseph, but the Son of God. May our Christmas celebrations include worship of the One who is Savior, King, Holy, and beloved Son of God.