Names of Christ: Jesus

Today is Christmas, and I thought it was a perfect occasion to research the name most know best--Jesus.

Our Savior is called Jesus many times in the scriptures, but here are a few examples:

"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS" (Luke 1:31). 

"Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ" (Ether 3:14). 

"According to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (2 Nephi 25:19).

I found a pretty cool article that talks about the name Jesus Christ. But I really like using the LDS Resource version of WordCruncher so I can get deep into the research on my own. So here's what I learned from my own study:

The English version Jesus is translated from the Greek form of the name, Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoús). The Greek translation comes from the Hebrew form, יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (yėhôshûa‘). Interestingly, this word comes from two different places: יהוה‎  (yhvh) and ישׁע‎  (ysh‘).

The first part, יהוה‎  (yhvh), means "(the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God." According to WordCruncher:

"Traditional scholars say it means: the one who is; the existing, ever-living. Many recent scholars say it means: the one bringing into being, lifegiver; giver of existence, creator (e.g., he who creates)."

I think that's awesome. In addition to creating our world and everything we know, Jesus created universes beyond our knowledge.

The other part of יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (yėhôshûa‘) comes from ישׁע‎  (ysh‘), which carries the meaning of "properly to be open, wide or free, i.e. (by implication) to be safe; causatively to free or succor." I love this! Drawing from the first half of that definition, Jesus keeps us safe. He gives us a sense of safety and security that we can find nowhere else. His Spirit can provide us with a feeling of safety even in the darkest and most dangerous times of our lives.

Pulling from the second half of that definition, Christ is able to succor (aid or assist) us when we are hopeless and helpless--or even when we're not! Furthermore, He is the reason we are free.

"And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh" (Mosiah 5:8, italics added). 

"Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people (D&C 38:22, italics added).

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32, italics added).

Can I just share an awesome connection that I made when I read John 8:32 this time around? We've all heard the phrase "the truth shall make you free" a thousand times. We've heard it in church, at home, and on TV shows about crime and justice (am I right?). But what might the truth mean in this context?

Consider this verse, which comes a few chapters later: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

Mind. Blown.

I think that one valid interpretation of John 8:32 is that the truth we read about in this verse is in fact Jesus Christ, who Himself declares that He is the truth! This is further supported by the etymology I outlined earlier, which informs us that the name Jesus comes in part from a Hebrew word that means "causatively to free."

This can be summed up in part by this pseudo-equation (my math-loving husband would be so proud of me):

ישׁע‎  (ysh‘) = to free

יהוה‎  (yhvh) + ישׁע‎  (ysh‘) = Hebrew יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (yėhôshûa‘)

= Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoús)

= English Jesus

= "I am... the truth"

Therefore, "The truth [Jesus] shall make you free."

Maybe it was totally unnecessary to go through all of that in the form of an equation, but I had fun doing it, and I think it provides a nice little summary of what I've discussed in this article.

Well, I'll probably end my post here. I've really enjoyed being able to research names of Christ during this Christmas season. I think I'll actually keep this going and try to research a name of Christ every week until... who knows when. I've learned a lot from doing it, and I hope you've learned something, too.

Before I sign off, I want to share a brief testimony of our Savior. Jesus Christ is our Lord, our Maker, and our King. Because of Him, we have hope. We can be with our families forever, and we can receive "all that [the] Father hath" (D&C 84:38). I am thankful for the Christ Child that was born so many years ago on the rough plains of Bethlehem. The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Savior of the world, the Prince of Peace, was born in the humblest circumstances. He lived and died for us. I am eternally indebted to Him, and I am eternally grateful to Him.

Names of Christ: The Carpenter and Carpenter's Son

Today, I'm focusing on two references to Christ: the carpenter (Mark 6:3) and the carpenter's son (Matthew 13:55).

I consulted several dictionaries, including the Greek-English Parallel Bible that I love so much, and they all said essentially the same thing: A carpenter is someone who builds and mends things made of wood.

That was no surprise. I mean, I've known what a carpenter is for a long time. But a couple of the entries/translations used another word that adds an extra layer of meaning to this occupation: artificer. An artificer is "a skilled craftsman or inventor" (Google), "a skilled craftsman" (Cambridge Dictionary), or "a person who is skillful or clever in devising ways of making things; inventor" (dictionary.com).

The Oxford English Dictionary offers another, more specific definition for artificer: "God or a god, considered as the creator of the universe."

With that background, we can talk about the symbolism that I think is behind this reference to the Lord.

(1) On a practical and not-really-all-that-symbolic note, I really believe that Jesus chose to labor with His own hands to make a living. He has commanded us to work and be productive (e.g., Doctrine and Covenants 42:42, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12), and He serves as our example in all things (John 13:15). Even though He is the Son of God and probably could have chosen to sit down and let others serve Him all day, He values hard work. He earned His livelihood.

(2) A carpenter builds. This brings us back to that special word artificer. I think it's significant that this word has been used to refer to the Lord, the Creator of the universe. Christ's occupation of building things on Earth seems to be a temporal representation of His grander spiritual calling of Maker.

(3) A carpenter repairs. What more fitting occupation for the One who repairs like no one else can? I mean, I have no doubt Jesus was skilled with woodwork. But think of how skilled He is when it comes to us, his brothers and sisters! He can take broken hearts, broken minds, and broken spirits and mend them until they are broken no more. He can wash away our sins and infirmities so that "though [our] sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk entitled "Broken Things to Mend." (If you have time, I cannot recommend this talk enough. He speaks frankly and lovingly about the mental and emotional challenges of this life and, more important, how we can overcome them.) In his address, he quotes a poem (click here to hear this excerpt from his talk):

In Nazareth, the narrow road,

That tires the feet and steals the breath,

Passes the place where once abode

The Carpenter of Nazareth.

And up and down the dusty way

The village folk would often wend;

And on the bench, beside Him, lay

Their broken things for Him to mend.

The maiden with the doll she broke,

The woman with the broken chair,

The man with broken plough, or yoke,

Said, “Can you mend it, Carpenter?”

And each received the thing he sought,

In yoke, or plough, or chair, or doll;

The broken thing which each had brought

Returned again a perfect whole.

So, up the hill the long years through,

With heavy step and wistful eye,

The burdened souls their way pursue,

Uttering each the plaintive cry:

“O Carpenter of Nazareth,

This heart, that’s broken past repair,

This life, that’s shattered nigh to death,

Oh, can You mend them, Carpenter?”

And by His kind and ready hand,

His own sweet life is woven through

Our broken lives, until they stand

A New Creation—“all things new.”

“The shattered [substance] of [the] heart,

Desire, ambition, hope, and faith,

Mould Thou into the perfect part,

O, Carpenter of Nazareth!”

I love this poem. It is so beautiful. Truly, the Carpenter can mend our broken hearts and lives.

(4) Finally, I think it is so significant that Christ is referred to as the carpenter's son (Matthew 13:55). Maybe it was common for sons to take up the trade of their fathers in those days--in fact, it probably was. But I think this reference speaks beyond traditions of the day. I believe that Christ taking up Joseph's trade symbolizes our Savior taking up His Heavenly Father's trade. Consider this scripture found in John 5:

17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. (emphasis added)

The Savior then goes on to list a few examples of things that He has seen the Father do and, therefore, has done Himself. Christ followed the example of His father on Earth, just as He follows the example of His Father in Heaven.

I have a testimony of Jesus Christ, the Carpenter and Carpenter's Son. He works, builds, repairs, and does the work of the Father faithfully. I am grateful I have the opportunity to know Him better through the scriptures, until I can meet Him at that great day.

                               

Names of Christ: The Great I Am

Last week, I researched the name Prince of Peace. Today, I'm researching the name I Am in the scriptures. This is a name that has confused me because I'm an English language enthusiast, so it always confused me that (1) the Lord would refer to Himself with a verb and (2) the verb doesn't even conjugate according to tense like all verbs do!

Like Prince of Peace, this name is found in just a few verses in the scriptures:

1 Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins... (Doctrine & Covenants 29:1, emphasis added)

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (John 8:56-59, emphasis added)

14 And God* said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (Exodus 3:14-15, emphasis added)

*To clarify, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe that the Old Testament God or Jehovah is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe that Jesus Christ is the literal Son of God and, therefore, a separate and distinct individual from God our Heavenly Father. However, they are completely united in purpose and mission, so they are often referred to by the same name in the scriptures (e.g., God, the Lord, the God of Abraham, etc.). For more info, please ask me or visit this link.

Now, that last scripture (Exodus 3:14-15) was quite revealing to me. To address my second point of confusion that I mentioned earlier, the Lord doesn't conjugate I Am because there's no need to; the verb tense is eternal and therefore constantly present. Christ isn't "the Great I Was" or "the Great I Will Be" or "the Great I Would Be." From eternities past through eternities future, He is! We are frequently reminded in the scriptures that the Lord does not change:

9 For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?
19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. (Mormon 9:9, 19; see also 3 Nephi 24:6, Doctrine & Covenants 76:4)

 As I mentioned, God and Christ are fully united. If God does not change, I would suggest that Christ also does not change. They are both "the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in [Them] there is no variableness neither shadow of changing."

Now to address my first point of confusion: Why does Jesus refer to Himself with a verb? In order to find some insight, I had to do a little digging in the Parallel Bible in Word Cruncher. In doing so, I found out that there are a couple of different ways to say "am" in Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament. I've organized two of them here.

Hebrew conjugation	English meaning	Example
אֲנִי‎  (’ănî)	pronoun I	And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord (Exodus 6:2)
היה‎  (hyh)	to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)	And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14)

We see that there is actually a special term set aside for when the Lord reveals Himself as "I AM." In fact (granted, I'm no expert in Hebrew), it seems as though am gets lumped together with the pronoun I in non-nominal situations--sort of how I can get lumped together with the verb in some languages such as Spanish (e.g., Hablo rather than Yo hablo).

If we look at the English meaning for היה‎  (hyh), we see the note that it is always emphatic (if you're interested in learning what copula and auxiliary mean in terms of language, I'm happy to lend you my gigantic grammar book). The Lord is giving special emphasis to His existence, or His being. By using the word choice that He did, He is placing special attention on the fact the HE IS!

To summarize what I've learned about the name I Am:
(1) Jesus Christ wants to place special emphasis on the fact that He exists, and that He is.
(2) Christ is constant, unchanging, and unfailing. He is "the Great I Am," not "the Great I Was/Will Be/Would Be."

Names of Christ: Prince of Peace

We live in a crazy world. There are wars, tragedies, natural disasters, wickedness, conflict, and much more that can cause us to wonder if there ever will be peace on earth, as the angels declared: "On earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). However, through and in Christ, we can find peace.

The very first name of Christ that I'm focusing on is "Prince of Peace." This name can be found in Isaiah 9:6 in the New Testament, and it's also quoted in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 19:6). As far as I know, these two references are the only uses of this particular name.

I used the LDS View version of WordCruncher, which contains an English Parallel Bible that gives you the original Hebrew and Greek text alongside the English translation, to research this name a little bit more. Here's what I found:

The name is pretty straightforward! The original Hebrew is śar-shālôm, which translates to "a head person (of any rank or class)" (śar) and "Jehovah (is) peace; Jehovah-Shalom, a symbolical name of an altar in Palestine" (shālôm). So it's pretty cool that not only does the name flat-out say that Jehovah is peace; it adds the idea that He is the head, the leader, the master of peace.

So then I wanted to investigate a little bit more. What exactly does peace mean when we're talking about Christ?

In the New Testament, Jesus tells his disciples, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).

But Jesus doesn't explicitly define what that peace feels like or what it entails, though He does mention that we should not be troubled or afraid. That seems to suggest that trouble and fear are not conducive to Jesus's peace; His peace can remove those negative feelings from our hearts, minds, and spirits. Other than that, He seems to leave the meaning of peace up to personal interpretation or experience. And indeed, the peace that I've felt in my heart at times is no better described than simply peace from Christ or sometimes just God's love.

Christ also mentions peace in John 16:33: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

To me, this verse speaks again to the notion that Christ's peace is a very specific kind of inner peace that we find only in Christ, though the world may be in tribulation. Furthermore, the peace that is mentioned in this verse gives perhaps a near-synonym, or at least an element, of Christ's peace: "good cheer." Not only does Christ's peace help our heart not be troubled or afraid--that is, not only does it remove those feelings--but it also fills that space with happiness.

The Guide to the Scriptures gives this description of peace: "In the scriptures, peace can mean either freedom from conflict and turmoil or the inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that God gives to His faithful Saints." Personally, I think that the scripture mentioned above refers primarily to the latter part of this definition; Christ promised His disciples peace in the sense of "inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that God gives to His faithful Saints."

In April 2017, President Henry B. Eyring gave an address based off John 14:27, entitled "'My Peace I Leave with You,'" in which he describes the various ways we can witness peace in our lives. At the conclusion of his remarks, he says:

"Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost will have a sanctifying and purifying effect on your spirit. You will then feel the peace the Savior promised to leave with His disciples. With that peace will come a bright hope and a feeling of light and love from the Father and His Beloved Son, who leads His kingdom on earth through revelation to His living prophet."

So that gave me some further insight about peace. We can receive peace through the companionship and comfort of the Holy Ghost. All of this, because of the Atonement that Jesus Christ fulfilled for the purification, sanctification, and salvation of man.

In September 2001, Elder Robert E. Wells offered this insight, as well:

"In the meridian of time, any expected Christ to take a political stand against Roman rule and offer peace to the oppressed people. Christ did indeed offer peace, but it was not external or political; rather, the peace Christ taught was internal and personal."

All of these sources seem to suggest one idea above the rest: Christ's peace is internal. It is something that happens inside of us. If that is the case (and I have a testimony that it is!), then the Prince of Peace can supersede the feelings of fear and trouble that come from the tribulations of the world and replace them with an inner peace that will calm our hearts and minds and reignite the conviction that, truly, there can be "on earth peace, good will toward men."

                  

Image from LDS.org

Names of Christ: Introduction

This month, I want to study the various names of Christ in more depth. I want to do this in order to feel closer to my Savior and be able to share His light with those around me! Additionally, I want my descendants to know that I believe in Christ, and I strive to draw closer to Him. I think that as I study the names of Christ, I will receive a greater testimony of His ministry and doctrine, as well as feel His love and power more greatly in my own life.

Throughout the next month or so, I will post my insights and thoughts about the significance of the names of Christ. The full post will be on this blog, though I will post snippets to my personal Facebook page for those who don't wish to read the whole post.

In addition to my own personal study and notes, a resource I am relying on is the LDS Bible Dictionary, found at https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/christ-names-of?lang=eng. Here are some other sources I will pull from:

-https://www.lds.org/ensign/1978/07/discovery/names-of-christ-in-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng
-https://byustudies.byu.edu/charts/44-names-used-christ-major-book-mormon-authors
-LDS View version of WordCruncher, which contains an English Parallel Bible so that you can see the original Hebrew/Greek of the Bible, alongside the English translation. You can also look up the original words in a dictionary.

Here we go!

Our Temple Wedding

Dear Loved Ones,

If you're reading this, you already know that Joseph and I are engaged! We are going to be married in the LDS Provo City Center Temple the morning of May 3, 2018. We are so excited to be together forever and to involve our loved ones as much as possible!

Being married in the temple is very special and important to Joseph and me. We believe that families can be together forever (literally) when a couple is married in one of God's holy houses. We call a temple marriage a sealing, meaning it is done with not only civil authority, but also spiritual authority. In this way, God provides a sort of seal of divine approval on the marriage.

A temple wedding ceremony is different from others that you may have attended. The main focus of the sealing is on the bride, groom, and our Heavenly Father. A temple sealing is a very sacred experience for us. In order to maintain the sacred nature of temple sealings, not every person can enter the temple to witness or participate in the sealing. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have prepared themselves spiritually to enter the temple, and who have continued to live by the promises they have made to God in the temple, may enter the temple to participate in sealings and other ordinances. Joseph and I continue to work very hard to prepare ourselves and keep our promises to God in order to be sealed in the temple.

As not all of our family members and friends will be able to attend the sealing, we hope to involve everyone as much as possible in other ways. Loved ones are invited to enjoy the beauty of the temple grounds on May 3rd during the sealing, and then participate in photos after the sealing. We would also love to see you at one (or more!) of the celebrations--a reception in Provo, an open house in Boise, and an open house in Rockford.

Provo City Center Temple, lds.org

Though it is not easy that not all of our loved ones will be in the sealing, Joseph and I have chosen to be joined together for time and eternity, for we truly believe the words of Jesus Christ when he said to Peter, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). We feel blessed to be bound together as husband and wife--both on earth and in heaven, never to be separated from one another. We have felt beautiful confirmation in our hearts that Heavenly Father approves of our decision to be sealed together in His holy house.

As a final thought, we hope you know the love, admiration, and gratitude that we have for you! We recognize that not being invited to attend the ceremony may be hurtful or leave some feeling excluded. We don't wish for anyone to feel that way, and we strive to include you in many other ways with the hope that you will love and support us as we move forward in our relationship.

If you have any questions, we are happy to answer them. If you'd like, you can also view this short video (https://youtu.be/xkjUpbMebRU) for more information on Mormon temples, or this webpage (https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/marriage) for more information on our beliefs on marriage.

Love,

Krista and Joseph