God the Son is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. Jesus is fully God and fully Man all at the same time. He came to this earth, born to the virgin Mary, and taught and did miracles on this earth. He came to this earth to pay our debt that we have because of sin and that debt was paid for by His blood up on a cross. He died on the cross, was dead for three days, and rose from the grave before ascending. All of this is mentioned in John 3:16.

We, also, know that Jesus is coming back to earth. Jesus is coming back “but about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36).” So, Jesus is coming back one day. Revelation explains that too. But no one knows when the Second Coming is, only God the Father knows. I don’t know about you. But that comforts me. I don’t have to worry. God has the tickets and I have to trust that when that time comes, He will give me that ticket. I believe I will get that ticket because I believe that “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to the Father except through [Him] (John 14:6).”

I was going to fill up this time about who Jesus is and a biography of his life. But then I remembered a poem that I wrote about the names of God. In it, I wrote a poem that included the names of God from A to Z. It ended up being titled My Testimony and how God of all of his names had been with me throughout my entire life. 

I thought about the names of Jesus. Then I remember there’s a verse about that. Isaiah 9:6. It is a verse that is often attributed to Christmastime, the birth of Jesus.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of a child. A child that is the Son and will hold the government on his shoulder. He will live and teach us and he will die for us. He will be raised from the dead and furthermore, conquer death. He will reign eternally in Heaven and keep a place ready for us in the Kingdom of Heaven. The latter part gives other names to Jesus. It is not a complete list and one thing that struck me is that this translation (KJV) has a comma between Wonderful and Counselor. Other modern translations omit that comma, which changes the meaning, doesn’t it? Because of that change, I would like to focus on those two names as two separate names.

 

His name shall be called Wonderful.

The Oxford dictionary defines “wonderful” as “inspiring delight, pleasure, or admiration; extremely good; marvelous.” That does define Jesus. Jesus was fully Man on this earth. He could get hurt and die. He could laugh and cry, he could smile and be angry. But he was extremely good. The Pharisees tried to trip Jesus up with the law and Jesus used the Law, the Bible, to refute it. Satan even came to Jesus and tried to tempt Him, but Jesus saw through the temptations and said no. Jesus is Wonderful.

 

His name shall be called Counselor.

A counselor is someone who is trained to give guidance in personal, social, and psychological problems. In a counseling session, the counselor is trained to remove themselves from the problem and help the client process their own thoughts so that they can make the decision by themselves. I am training to be a therapist. I sit in the therapist’s seat each week. For the most part, I think I do a good job at not letting my human emotions affect the therapy session.

But I am still human. There is a term that I learned in graduate school – countertransference. It refers to the therapist’s own emotional reaction influencing the client’s thoughts and actions. It is normal in everyday life, but ineffective in therapy or counseling. In therapy, I keep my emotion still and my reaction to a minimum. Because imagine if I do make big reactions or I make a face to a client, wouldn’t that make the client uncomfortable or even shut down? Therapy is supposed to be a safe place where the client can freely express themselves. 

Jesus, however, he is the perfect Counselor. I don’t think Jesus worries about countertransference. He wants us to come to Him and to “cast all of our anxieties onto Him because He cares for [us]” (1 Peter 5:7). He’s a good Counselor, who wants us to freely express to Him all of our worries and anxieties.

Who is God the Son to you?

How does Jesus display the name of Wonderful to you?

How is Jesus the Counselor to you?

Elizabeth