God on Easter

The 4^th Commandment-tells us to honor God's name and that we shall not take it in vain. What exactly is the name of God that we are Commanded not to profane? The name being referred to here is 'YHWH'. In this post, one thing I am suggesting for us is that it is not all of the other names for God that are prohibited by this Commandment. For example God, Lord, Adonai, Abba Father, etc. are names of God that are used in the Bible. Instead, there is something special about the name 'YHWH' that deserves our reverence and respect, along with our special attention.

But Who is this YHWH Who revealed Himself to Moses by speaking to him from a burning bush in Exodus chapter 3? When Moses met God for the first time on the mountain, it was a special place. There was a burning bush, and God told Moses to remove his sandals because it was Holy ground. In this setting, Moses asked God what His name was, but more, He was looking how to describe God. God revealed His descriptive name to Moses. God said "I am who I am", which in the Greek Septuagint for Exodus 3:14 is 'Ego Eimi'. The descriptive name He revealed to Moses shows that He always was, is now, and always will be. God is self-derived. He is eternal. He was, He is, and He will be. (Rev. 4:8).

What about Jesus? I had a friend ask me recently if it mattered whether or not Jesus actually lived or not. Yes, of course it matters whether or not Jesus actually lived. Jesus lived the sin-free life that we cannot. He is our Savior, saving us from the penalty owed from our sin. His guilt free life sacrificed on the Cross was the sin-offering to God, which was made for the world's sins. Through repentance and faith, Jesus' sacrifice allows His sinless righteousness to be transferred to us. This transfer is made to our account before God. Having a fictional Jesus provides us no benefit.

But if God the Father is YHWH, the great 'I AM', then Who is Jesus? John 8:58 reveals Jesus' oneness with God the Father. The scene in John chapter 8 is a group of Jews having one of the most contentious confrontations with Jesus contained in the Scriptures. The Jews argued that their lineage through Abraham provided them with a special relationship with God. Jesus spoke bluntly to them, saying that their father was actually Satan and that their sin-filled lives had prevented them from seeing and accepting the reality of Who Jesus was. They called Jesus a bastard (John 8:41). They called Jesus a horrible insulting name, he was a Samaritan (John 8:48, I guess this is worse than being a Packer fan). They called him a demon-spawn (John 8:48). This is action packed stuff, better than the fights taking place on Jersey Shore. And how did Jesus respond to this barrage of blasphemies and insults? He revealed His true name to them:

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58.)

Yes, Jesus revealed to this bunch of slugs what His real name and nature is – He is also the great 'I AM', the same name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exod. 3:14). It is the same words in the Greek, 'Ego Eimi' as is used in the Septuagint in Exodus 3:14. So Jesus faced with attacks, blasphemies, and vicious lies, responds to them with Truth – He is part of the eternal God, God the Son.

The Jewish children of Satan responded in typical fashion to this claim of Divinity by Jesus - they picked up stones to stone Him (John 8:59). The Jews knew how to treat someone who claims to be God. You stone them!

So getting back to the original question asking whether it is important that Jesus actually lived or not, my response is to ask, does it matter to you in knowing that God Himself came to Earth to live as a human, to help us with the biggest problem humanity faces? God the Father revealed His name and identity to Moses, and this name is 'I AM' (Exod. 3:14). Jesus revealed His name to the Jewish attackers, and this name is 'I AM' (John 8:58). I hope this helps to see Jesus' death on the Cross, and His glorious resurrection on Easter with some additional clarity. He is risen, He is risen indeed! Happy Easter.