And His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful - Study Two
STUDY TWO - continued
Jesus was most Wonderful in His death: never did anyone die like Him. He died willingly. No one but Jesus could ever say, “I lay down my life… No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself” (John 10:17,18). Then, too, He died purposefully (Luke 9:51; John 12:27). Only Christ’s death brings life. Christ died punitively: He died as a punishment because of having assumed the responsibility of my guilt! (1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Isa. 53:10). Christ also died Scripturally (Luke 24:25, 27:44). What lends value to the whole gamut of Scripture is the death of Christ. Take away that, and the whole Bible has no meaning, no motive, no mission, no message, no ministry, no moral, no magnetism. Christ also died substitutionally: “Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3). He died in my room and in my stead. For “He was wounded (lit. bored through) for our transgression, He was bruised (lit. crushed, ground into powder between millstones) for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and through His stripes we have healing” (Isa. 53:5). And most blessed of all, Christ died triumphantly. In His death He was not a victim but a victor. In His death Christ triumphed over principalities and powers (Col. 2:15); He satisfied the demands of the law (Col. 2:14); He destroyed the power of Satan (Heb. 2:14); and He robbed death of its fear (Heb. 2:15). His work did not end with His death; it began!
What though th’ accuser roar
Of ills that I have done;
I know them well, and thousands more:
Jehovah findeth none.
His be the Victor’s name
Who fought the fight alone;
Triumphant saints no honor claim;
Their conquest was His own.
By weakness and defeat
He won the meed and crown;
Trod all our foes beneath His feet,
By being trodden down.
He hell in hell laid low;
Made sin, He sin o’erthrew;
Bowed to the grave, destroyed it so,
And death, by dying slew.
Bless, bless the Conqueror slain—
Slain by Divine decree—
Who lived, Who died, Who lives again,
For thee, His saint, for thee!
Christ was supremely Wonderful in His resurrection: never did anyone rise from the dead like Him. He rose in a real sense of the word unaidedly. Elisha raised the Shunamite’s son from the dead (2 Kings 5:33-37); our Lord raised several from the dead; and Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:40-42); but in all these cases someone was at the very spot to exercise the power. But our Lord was able to say without fear of contradiction: “I lay down my life, that I might take it again. … I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17,18). And in effect that’s exactly what He did: He arose from the dead without any visible aid. Of course from God’s viewpoint, “Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Rom. 6:4); but from the human side there was no one to raise Him: He took His life again from the jaws of death, fulfilling the Scripture in Isa. 49:25: “The captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered.” He also arose spectacularly. Matt 28:2-4 tells us that there was an earthquake that accompanied the Lord’s resurrection as well as the presence of angels. This spectacular scene filled the enemies with dread and terror while it filled the saved ones with delight and triumph. Then our Lord arose victoriously. That was the mightiest victory over sin, Satan and death—the enemy of God and man. The resurrection of Christ forever finished sin’s dominion (Rom. 6:14), completely broke Satan’s power (I John 5:18), and permanently loosened death’s grip (1 Cor. 15:54,55).
Then Christ was Wonderful in His ascension: never did anyone ascend into heaven like Him. He ascended visibly before a vast company of onlookers (Luke 24:51-53). That group of people was very hard to convince; but so real was our Lord’s ascension that every vestige of doubt was completely and permanently removed. Our Lord ascended into heaven bodily. He took with him the same tangible and real body that He had had after His resurrection—the same body that our Lord’s disciples saw, felt and handled at His request (Luke 24:38-43). Our Lord ascended into heaven also representatively (Heb. 6:20; 7:25; 1 John 2:1). He ascended as our Forerunner, as our Advocate as well as the Preparer of our heavenly abode (John 14:2,3). He ascended expectantly (Heb. 9:28; 10:11-13). He is expecting His enemies to be made His footstool (Heb. 10:13); the believers are expecting Him to come to complete redemption (Phi. 3:20,21); and creation is expecting Him to rescue it from its present sad condition (Romans 8:19-22).
HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL
“His name shall be called wonderful.” This Babe for whom
Even in village inn, there was no room?
The lowing of cattle was His lullaby,
Though caroling angels were thronging the Sky.
“His name shall be called wonderful.” This little lad,
Living so simply, and so plainly clad?
“His name shall be called wonderful.” This Carpenter
Known from His childhood by each villager?
“His name shall be called wonderful.” Spat upon, shamed,
Tortured and crucified, how is He named
Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God,
He who one dark day Golgotha’s road trod?
His name SHALL be wonderful,—Jesus God’s Son!
His Word has promised and it shall be done.
Not meek and lowly, despised among men;
This same Lord Jesus is coming again
With clouds and great glory, to reign here below,
And all men shall praise Him and all knees shall bow.
From ocean to ocean His name shall be heard
Wonderful name of our wonderful Lord!
—Martha Snell Nicholson.
NEXT: STUDY THREE
About His Name shall be called Wonderful
Study One | Yeshua in the Tenach (The Name JESUS in the Old Testament)
Study Two | And His Name shall be called Wonderful
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And His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful
Original online page 1997 | Last update May 25, 2021