The Lord Jesus Christ grants us some of His titles

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

The Lord Jesus Christ grants us some of His titles

(1) The Lord says: “I am the good Shepherd” (John.10: 11,14). This title was given to God by David in his psalm when he said: “The Lord is my Shepherd” (Ps.23: 1), and was also given to Him in the Book of Ezekiel (Ez.34: 11-16).

Nevertheless, the Lord appoints some of His children shepherds. While He is concerned to make the whole Church “one flock and one Shepherd” (John.10: 16), He says to Peter the Apostle: “Feed My lambs. Tend My sheep” (John.21: 15,16). In the Old Testament the Lord says: “And I will give you shepherds according to My heart” (Jer.3: 15),
. The title 'shepherd' became the title attributed to the Apostles' successors; the bishops who are to "shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20: 28). St. Peter says: "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers” (1Pet.5: 2).
(2) The Lord Jesus Christ calls Himself ‘Light’ when He says: “I am the Light of the world” (John.8: 12); (John.9: 5). Nevertheless, He says to His disciples: “You are the light of the world” (Matt.5: 14) and “Let your light so shine before men” (Matt.5: 16).
There is no doubt that the Lord is the absolute Light in the full sense of the word. His disciples are light because they derive their
light from Him and with His light they shine before others. In the same way, He is the Shepherd in the full sense of the wordbut they are shepherds because they are God's stewards appointed by Him to shepherd His flock.
(3) It is said of the Lord Jesus Christ that He is the Bishop: “The Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1Pet.2: 25). Nevertheless, the Apostles' disciples were ordained bishops by the Holy Spirit (John 20:20-23) (Acts 20: 28); (1Thess.3: 2); (Phil.1:1); (Titus1: 7).

(4) It is said of the Lord Jesus Christ that He is the “Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps.110: 4); (Heb.5: 6). Yet there are numerous verses in the Holy Bible about the high priest, the chief priest and the priests to whom God gave an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations (Ex.40: 15).

In the Old Testament it is written: “Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness” (Ps.132: 9,16); “And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to sanctify him” (Lev. 8: 12) and “you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty” (Ex.28: 2). In the New Testament, we notice that St. Paul calls himself a priest (Rom.15: 16).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Priest in the sense that He offered Himself a Sacrifice on our behalf. But priests from the human race are ministers and stewards of God's mysteries. They offer the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Old Testament they offered what symbolised Christ's Sacrifice.
(5) It is written that Christ is the Son of God (1John.4:14,15) and that we also are children of God (1John.3: 1). Christ is the Son of God in the sense that He is of God’s Essence, Nature and Divinity. But we are children through love and adoption. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ is called the Only Son (John.3: 16).