Names are important. Your parents probably spent hours, maybe even days or weeks, trying to figure out what name to give you. Your name is a fundamental part of who you are. It’s how people identify you and call you out of a crowd. Your name might connect you to other family members like your grandparents. Your name might be a bridge to your culture and history. There’s a lot that goes into a name!
The same thing is true when it comes to names in the Bible – and especially when it comes to Jesus’ different names.
God’s prophet Isaiah lived about 700 years before Jesus came to earth on the first Christmas Eve. God had Isaiah write down several different names that Jesus would be called. Let’s take a quick look at them:
- “Wonderful Counselor” means that Jesus knows our problems and has wise advice for us in his Word.
- “Mighty God” reminds us that although Jesus is truly human, he is also the powerful Lord of the universe.
- “Everlasting Father” highlights that Jesus has no beginning and no end, and that Christians have a relationship with God like a child has with a loving father.
- “Prince of Peace.” Calls us to see that because Jesus came to earth to live perfectly in our place and die innocently for our sins, we have true and lasting peace with God.
We all have names and they all have meaning. Jesus has names too – and they mean everything for us! So as you start looking ahead to Christmas, let the peace we have through the Prince of Peace himself flow from his Word into your heart.
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. Isaiah 9:6
Keep the conversations going all week long!
Questions for Younger Kids:
- How do we learn who Jesus is, like the Prince of Peace or Mighty God?
- Which name of Jesus helps you remember what he does for you?
- How does hearing Bible stories help you know Jesus better?
Questions for Older Kids
- Why is it important that we learn Jesus’ names from the Bible instead of just from our own ideas about him?
- Which name of Jesus from Isaiah 9:6 best helps you remember what he promises you in his Word? Why?
- How can remembering these names help you trust Jesus more as you get closer to Christmas?
