The Importance of Knowing not only "A" but "THE" Jesus Christ

CHRIST THE KING.

Image from ctkredlands.org via google.com

The Cambridge Dictionaries Online defines title as "a word that is used before someone's name, stating their social rank, qualifications, position in an organization, sex, etc." The online freedictionary.com defines title as "a formal appellation attached to the name of a person or family by virtue of office, rank, hereditary privilege, noble birth or attainment or used as a mark of respect." Examples of titles under the category of rank are President, General, Senator; under qualifications we have Doctor, Attorney, Engineer; under hereditary privilege and noble birth we have King, Queen, Duke; under sex of course, Mister, Mrs and Miss; and more.

A title is different from a name. A name is what we call a person in accordance with has been officially given him or her as an identification upon being registered at the local civil registry office after his or her birth or at the parish office for his or her baptismal record. Many times a person may have other names aside from these official names which are also different from being considered as his or her title. Such name or names may fall under the category of nickname, like Rob for Robert or Marge for Margarita. or simple terms of endearment, like Baby, Honey or Sweet, though at times these are used as proper names too.

Of all the well-known and most influential people on this earth, we could say that our Lord Jesus Christ holds the record of having the most titles. His various titles all refer to Him but are uniquely distinct from each other. One of His most important titles is the combination of His two distinct titles: Christ the King. Christ [Greek] or Messiah [Hebrew] is His title being the Anointed One [see Daniel 9:25]; while King refers to His being the ruler of the universe [see 1 Corinthians 15: 24-25]. We can say that His various titles attest to the many ways by which He made himself available to obey the Father's will and be of service to others.

What's the importance of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ with all His titles? Knowing the Lord's various titles will help us understand the many ways He was known to His contemporaries in accordance with Old Testament prophesies and New Testament theology. It is important because through deeper knowledge of Him, we can avoid the misconceptions that non-Christians, particularly non-Catholics have about our Faith. For if we have to believe in and proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ, we must be sure about who is this Person whom we believe and proclaim. 

For example, here in the Philippines we have an election coming. In case there are two or more candidates with the same name [same surname at least], and they are running for the same office, would the voter not make all efforts to identify properly the one he or she really wants to vote? Or would the voter just choose any of the three hoping that the person he or she chooses is the one he or she really wanted to vote for? Or perhaps the candidates have the same title for instance, two or more of the candidates are doctors. Would the voter simply vote any of the candidates since they are all doctors after all?  Sensible and responsible voters would naturally want to know about the candidates they will vote into office. 

The same with the Jesus we ought to believe in and proclaim. We must not be contented with simply knowing a Jesus Christ, we ought to know the Jesus Christ. For He himself said that many will say to Him, "Lord, Lord" but He will never listen to because they knew, followed and even performed miracles through a different Lord [see Matthew 7: 21-23]. Moreover, if we really know the Lord Jesus Christ, we will surely not be ashamed to speak of Him in front of others so that when we have to face the Father, the Lord will also know us perfectly and not be ashamed of presenting us to the Father [see Matthew 10:33; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26].

So we will discuss one by one the name and the titles of the Lord Jesus Christ in order for us to know more about Him. If we could provide time for other things that are not even important for our daily existence, how much more for such important matters which will affect our pilgrimage toward the Father's house and our consequent stay there for all eternity?