I am still basking in the reality of what prompted the Father to give Jesus the name above every name.
Let me again share A. T. Roberson’s thought from the last blog:
“Because of Christ’s voluntary humiliation God lifted him above or beyond (huper) the state of glory which he enjoyed before the Incarnation. What glory did Christ have after the Ascension that he did not have before in heaven? What did he take back to heaven that he did not bring? Clearly his humanity. He returned to heaven the Son of Man as well as the Son of God.”
The reality is that the eternal Son of God willingly becoming the Son of Man through the Incarnation which ultimately resulted in His name being above every other name.
Just think on that with me!
“The Bible declares that he was as much God as if he had never been man, and as much man as if he had never been God…There is no earthly analogy that can be used even to remotely illustrate this.”[1]
Truthfully, there is no earthly analogy for such illustration; however, there was an earthly sign—one earthly sign—given to help us grasp the greatness of Christ’s humiliation and exaltation.
“But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’”
– Matthew 12:39-40 ESV
Several years ago Bill O’Reilly caused a stir when he shared his belief the many stories in the Bible are allegorical, including Jonah and the whale. He certainly is not alone as there are many who interpret Scripture that way. After all, how is it possible for someone to live in the belly of a big fish for three days?
But there is a greater question than that of Jonah: How could the eternal Son of God become the Son of Man through the incarnation?
Because that would make Jonah’s experience seem as nothing in comparison. Three days alive in whale’s belly versus the eternal One wrapped in humanity.
Yet, that is the reality of just what the Son of God did in becoming flesh,
“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
– Philippians 2:6-7 ESV
And because He did, the Father gave Him a name above every name.
That is reality.
