Wonderful

NAMES AND TITLES OF CHRIST
WONDERFUL
DR. JIM DIXON
LUKE 2:8-14, ISAIAH 9:6
DECEMBER 21, 1997

It’s a very old story and I’m relatively certain that it is spurious. It tells of a train that was traveling from Paris, France to Barcelona, Spain. There was a compartment in the train which had four people in it, a young beautiful woman and her elderly grandmother, a stately general, and his handsome young Second Lieutenant. As the train approached the Pyrenes, the range of mountains which run along the border between France and Spain, the train entered a tunnel, and the compartment became completely dark. In the midst of the darkness, there was the sound of a kiss and then the sound of a loud slap. Then the train came out of the tunnel into the light. There was silence in the compartment. Some of them seemed kind of embarrassed but nobody said anything about what had happened.

The young woman was thinking to herself, “Think that young lieutenant just kissed me, and my grandmother must have slapped him for it.” The grandmother was thinking, “That young lieutenant must have kissed my granddaughter. She’s been brought up well and she slapped him good!” The general was thinking, “I can’t believe my Second Lieutenant. He must have kissed that young woman and she must have thought that I did it and slapped me!” The Second Lieutenant was thinking, “It’s not often that you get a chance to kiss a beautiful woman and slap your boss at the same time!”

Now, it is true that sometimes people can have similar information and come to very different conclusions. That certainly is true with Isaiah, chapter 9, verse 6. There are some Bible scholars and theologians who see in this verse six different titles of Christ. There are some who see in this verse five different titles of Christ. There are some who see here four different titles of Christ. Of course, in question is the title “Wonderful.” Does this word “Wonderful” modify “Counselor” or does “Wonderful” stand alone as a separate title? This morning we are going to take the traditional view, the view that “Wonderful” stands alone. This is the translation of the King James Version and a number of contemporary versions and of course this separate title, “Wonderful” is reflected in Handel’s Messiah.

As we look at this title, “Wonderful,” I have three teachings this morning. First of all, Jesus Christ was wonderful in His birth. His birth was wonderful.

When Prince Charles was born on November 14, 1948, in Buckingham Palace, many gifts were given. In fact, historians tell us that Prince Charles perhaps received more gifts at his birth than any other person in history. There were literally train loads of gifts. Each gift was recorded on paper and the paper was compiled and made a hardbound book that was very thick. It seemed like every toy manufacturer in the world sent some gift to this prince who was born. The heads of state and most every nation sent a gift to Prince Charles because this was no normal birth. This was no normal child. This was a child, it was thought, who was destined to become the King of England.

When Jesus Christ was born, only three gifts were given, gold, frankincense and myrrh. In the ancient world, gold was the gift given to kings. It was the kingly gift, and of course Jesus Christ IS king, King of Kings and Lord of Lords and He is destined to rule the heavens above and the earth beneath. Myrrh is the gift that was given to the dead. Myrrh was used to anoint the body of the dead. This baby born in Bethlehem was destined to die, not in the sense that we are all destined to die but in substitutionary atonement. He would die for the sin of the world. Frankincense was a gift given to God. Frankincense was used in the worship of God and of course it is true, and the Bible makes it clear that this child born in Bethlehem is deity. The deity of Christ and the virgin birth of Christ have caused perplexity throughout church history and theologians have sought to grasp how this baby born in Bethlehem could be both God and man.

In the 4th century AD, Arias who was the Presbyter of Alexandria proclaimed that Jesus Christ was truly man but not truly deity. He was judged a heretic and he was called apostate. In that same century, Apollinarius who was the Bishop of Laodicea said the opposite. He said that Jesus Christ was fully God, but He was not truly man. Apollinarius was judged a heretic, called apostate. In the 5th century, Nestorius who was the patriarch of Constantinople proclaimed that Jesus Christ was both human and divine, but these natures were so divided in Him that in effect He was two different people. He was judged a heretic and called apostate. In that same century, Eutychus who was a monk of Constantinople said that Jesus Christ was both human and divine, but these natures were so mixed as to diminish both His humanity and His divinity. And, of course, orthodox Christianity has proclaimed that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man and these natures are united to quote the confessions, united truly, perfectly, undividedly and unmixedly.

All of this is an effort by Bible scholars and theologians to understand the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and the nature of this child come into the world. It’s an effort to compile all the information and holy scripture about Jesus Christ and the nature of Christ. And, of course, the birth of Christ in Bethlehem is a wonder, full of wonder. The virgin birth, the incarnation. The Bible is clear that Jesus Christ is both man and God. In Philippians, chapter 2, the Bible says that “Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be clutched onto but He emptied Himself, taking on the form of a servant being born in the likeness of man and being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even unto death on a cross.” This is the mystery of His coming into our world. “He was in the beginning with God and is God and yet He became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth and we beheld His glory.” If you want to know what God is like, you don’t need to look beyond the manger in Bethlehem. Jesus Christ said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” The incarnation, his birth, his coming into the world is wonderful.

The angel Gabriel said to Mary, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son. You will call His name Jesus. He will be great. The Lord will give to Him the throne of His Father David and He shall rule over the house of Jacob forever and of His kingdom, there shall be no end.” Mary said, “How can this be since I have no husband?” The angel said “The Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born shall be called Holy, the Son of God.” His birth was a wonder. It was wonderful.

Secondly, Jesus Christ was wonderful in His life, not only in his birth but in His life. When we look in the Bible, we see that one of the names that is given to miracles is the name wonders—powers, signs, and wonders, “dunamis, semeion, teras.” These are the Greek words used to describe a miracle. The word wonder was used time and again to describe the miracles of Christ, and of course in Christ’s life, in his 33 years on this earth and particularly in those last three of His earthly years, He performed many wonders, many miracles.

In Matthew, chapter 8, we’re told how Jesus descended from the Mount of Beatitudes, coming down towards the Sea of Galilee near the city of Capernaum. A man came up to Him who was desperate. This man was a leper. The Bible says his body was riddled with leprosy. He probably had a combination of tubercular and anesthetic leprosy. I think most of you know what leprosy was like. The musculature of the body atrophied. The nervous system degenerated. The entire body became a mass of ulcerations. Literally the leper’s body began to stink. The hands and the feet would rot. Sometimes they would just fall off the body. The leper’s destiny was coma and death. The leper was banished, banished from human fellowship, banished from the communities of men and women and made to live in dens and caves of the earth. If a leper ever came within one hundred feet of a normal human being, the leper had to shout “Unclean! Unclean!”

But, you see, this leper, this man, was desperate. He came up to Christ, the Son of God, and he said, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean. You can make me whole.” The Bible says that Jesus reached down and touched him and said “I will. Be clean.” By the power of the Son of God, that man was healed. Surely for that former leper, the name of Jesus was Wonderful.

Jesus was wonderful in His life not only because of the miracles He wrought. He was wonderful because of the love and the compassion that He demonstrated. In John’s gospel, the 8th chapter, we read how Jesus descended from the Mount of Olives and He approached the Holy City. He came toward the temple and the authorities, the Jewish authorities, brought to Him a woman who had been caught in the very act of adultery. A crowd had gathered. It was a mob really. They were thinking of stoning her to death. And you know how Jesus Christ said, “Let he who is without sin be the first to throw a stone. Let he who is without sin be the first amongst you to throw a stone at her.” The Bible says that the crowd began to disperse beginning with the eldest and walked away so that only the woman and Jesus remained. Jesus said to her. “Woman, where are your accusers? Is there no one to condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” For that woman caught in adultery, surely the name of Jesus was wonderful.

But His life was wonderful, not only because of His miracles and His compassion and love but because of His holiness, because of His righteousness. We wonder, we marvel, we stand in awe of the holiness of Christ. This is all the more so because of our own fallenness. The Bible says, “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

You may have read the account in the newspaper of the man in Orange County, California. He came out of a Christmas party, and he had had too much to drink. His friends offered to drive him home, but he refused them. He said, “My house is only a mile away. It’s no problem.” He’d only driven five blocks when a cop pulled him over because his car was weaving. He was not able to keep the car straight and in line with the lane. So, the police officer pulled him over and asked him to step out of the car. He took his license and at that very moment the radio of the police officer’s car began to blare a message that a robbery was taking place just one block away. The police told this man to remain there, and they ran down the street, ran down the block. This man waited for them to return. He waited and he waited. It seemed to him like he waited quite a while so he decided to get in the car and just go home. He got in the car, went home, put the car in the garage, put the garage door down, went into the house and said to his wife, “I’m feeling kind of sick. I’m just going to go to bed. If anyone calls, just tell them I have the flu and I’ve been in bed all day.”

Just a few minutes later, the doorbell rang. The police officers were there at the door. The wife answered. The officers asked for the husband. His wife said, “Well, he has the flu and he’s been in bed all day.” The police officers said, “We don’t think so.” They pulled out his license and showed her. They asked her if they could see the garage. She thought that was strange, but she was stunned when she opened the garage door and there was the police car with the lights still blinking. This man was so confused, so intoxicated that he had mistakenly taken the police car home. He was ticketed and his license has been revoked. He is now, by mandate, attending AA meetings which, of course, he certainly needs.

I suppose that that’s probably never happened to any of you, but I think most of you, or certainly some of you, have had your license taken away at some point in your life. Most of you have received a ticket. I know I’ve received a few. Even if you’ve never received a ticket in your life, that doesn’t mean your driving has been perfect. For each and every one of us there have been times willingly and unwillingly, knowingly and unknowingly, when we have violated the law even though perhaps we were not seen or apprehended. If this is true of a simple matter such as our driving, how much more is this true of our compliance with the laws of God?

The Bible says, “Before a holy God, all of our righteousness is as filthy rags. There is none righteous, no, not one. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We’ve all missed the mark. We’ve all sinned. The situation of humanity would be desperate if it was not for the life of Christ because He obeyed the law perfectly. He alone is holy, and He is wonderful in His holiness. He is also wonderful because He is willing to share that holiness with you and with me. When we embrace Him as Lord and Savior, His holiness, his righteousness, the Bible tells us, is actually imputed to us, vested upon us. We’re not saved by our righteousness. We’ re not saved by our obedience of the law but we are saved by the righteousness of Christ. We’re not saved by our life. We saved by His life and His life is wonderful. Not just His birth but His life, the life He was born to live. Then finally, Christ is wonderful in His death. Wonderful in His birth. Wonderful in His life. And wonderful in His death.

In the year 1916, John D. Rockefeller was the richest man in the world. He was so rich that he would have been able to pay off the entire debt of the United States government. The entire federal debt. He could have paid it all off himself. One man in the year 1916. Today, you see, William Gates and Warren Buffet combined could not pay off two months’ interest on the national debt without going broke because two months’ interest on the national debt is more than $50 billion. You see, it’s an insurmountable debt. If that is true in any earthly sense, how much truer is it that the debt of humanity before a holy God is insurmountable?

The sin of fallen humanity is so great we could never pay the debt, but the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ in His death on the cross shouted out the word “tetelestai.” That word is oftentimes translated “It is finished” but the word in the Greek literally meant “paid in full.” It was the word “tetelestai” that was stamped on objects that had been purchased when the price had been paid in full. When someone had paid off a debt, the record of debt was stamped with the word, “tetelestai,” paid in full. And so it was that our Lord Jesus, from the cross, shouted out the word “tetelestai,” paid in full and it was your debt and my debt that was paid in full.

He was wonderful, wonderful in His death, not only because He paid the penalty for your sins and mine in substitutionary atonement but wonderful also because death could not hold Him. Wonderful because death could not hold Him. He rose from the dead in power and glory, and He is the hope of the world. He is the hope of your life, and He is the hope of my life.

There are only a few days left in 1997. This year is about to come to an end. And then two more years until the dawn of a new century and a new millennium. When we look back on this calendar year, 1997, it’s amazing how many famous people have died. Jimmy Stewart, the movie actor died this year, in 1997. He was somehow able to portray what Newsweek Magazine has called “extraordinary ordinariness.” And wasn’t that true of him? He made 80 movies including “It’s a Wonderful Life” which was on television just last night as it often is this time of year.

Of course, Robert Mitchum passed away this year, the Hollywood tough guy. Ben Hogan, the famous golfer who perhaps was able to hit the most accurate golf shots of any golfer in history. John Denver, the famous musician, singer, writer from songs like “Rocky Mountain High, Colorado” to “Take Me Home Country Roads.” His songs were beloved by people all over the world. His funeral was nearby at Aurora Presbyterian Church right here in town. Of course Jacques Cousteau passed away this year, the world’s most famous oceanographer. Charles Kuralt, the CBS correspondent who at one time reported on the Vietnam War but more recently told touching stories of America’s heartland. James Michener, the master of the historical epic. Harold Robbins, the prolific master of the trashy novel passed away this past year. Red Skeleton. I think if you’re middle-aged or perhaps a little older, you remember Red Skeleton the comedian, the actor, who was on TV and in the movies. He passed away and no more Clem Kadiddlehopper, no more Freddy the Freeloader. Also Fred Zinneman passed away this year and he was the Oscar-winning producer of some of the great classic movies, movies like “High Noon,” “A Man for all Seasons,” “From Here to Eternity.” And, of course, Princess Di, Princess of Wales met her fate in a Paris tunnel. She was only 36 years old.

I think for us, as Christians, we remember Rich Mullens who passed away this year. He wrote “Our God is an Awesome God” and “Step by Step.” He died in a tragic accident, only 41 years old. And of course, we remember Mother Teresa. She’ll be missed by Christians, missed by the world. Before she died she said “By blood and by birth I am Albanian. By citizenship I am Indian. With regard to my call, I belong to the world but with regard to my heart, I belong solely and completely to Jesus.” Surely she is with Jesus today.

I know that some of you lost loved ones this year. Perhaps a mother or a father, a spouse, a son or a daughter, a grandparent, a friend. It’s never easy. Perhaps they were not famous but precious to you. The Bible says “As Christians we do not grieve as others grieve. We do not grieve in the same way that the world grieves for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God through Jesus will take with Him those who have fallen asleep.” You see, this the Bible calls the “blessed hope.” Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me though he die yet shall he live, and he who lives and believes in Me will never truly die.” His name is Wonderful. Wonderful in birth. Wonderful in life. Wonderful in death. As we approach Christmas today, we worship Him. Let’s look to the Lord with a word of prayer.