Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”John 20:27-28
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
We continue in Isaiah’s well-known verses, and today we look at the second name that is given to Jesus here, Mighty God. To give that name to any merely human being would be blasphemy, so when Isaiah, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:21), calls Jesus “Mighty God”, we should pay attention. Isaiah previously told us that this promised child will be Immanuel, God with us. And now he tells us that he is not only a God of presence but also a God of power.
Interestingly, the Hebrew word that is here translated “mighty” most literally means “hero”. So we might say that Jesus is a Hero God. He is the hero of all heroes, the hero that we long for and need. As one writer said, the Bible has “a single integrating center, a single Hero, Jesus the Messiah, on whom pivots God’s whole agenda to recapture his rebellious realm and re-create his sin-cursed handiwork”. (Dennis Johnson) As Jesus tells his disciples and us, we should take heart because he has overcome the world.
The miracles that Jesus did testified to the words that he said and the identity that he claimed. Jesus showed his power over creation by turning water into wine (John 2:1-11). He showed his power over disease by healing the woman with a bleeding disorder (Mark 5:24-34). He showed his power over the devil by healing the Canaanite woman’s demon-possessed daughter (Matthew 15:21-28). He showed his power over death by raising Lazarus back to life (John 11:1-44). And, the most wonderful miracle of all, Jesus showed his power to forgive sin in his healing of the paralyzed man (Luke 5:17-26).
Do you see him, brothers and sisters? Do you see that the baby in the manger is Mighty God? Can you sing with Charles Wesley “veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity”? Pray that we and all our relatives, friends, neighbors, and coworkers may this Christmas confess with Thomas that Jesus is indeed “My Lord and my God!”
To us a child of hope is born,
To us a son is given,
Him shall the tribes of earth obey,
Him all the hosts of heaven.
To us a child of hope is born,
To us a son is given,
The Wonderful, the Counselor,
The mighty Lord of Heaven.
(John Morison)