Thinking and writing about the exaltation of Christ is a worthy pursuit for the rest of our lives because of the vast magnitude of His sacrifice for us! I have just a few thoughts to share for this article about the highly exalted Son revealed in His titles and names. Closely related to His exaltation was His humbling, which I wrote about in my article titled, Christ Humbled Himself.
Reason for Exaltation
The following passage from the book of Isaiah is part of a larger section that describes Jesus’ mission on earth and what it was like for Him. From this verse in Isaiah 53:12, we see the reason for His exaltation:
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
Jesus was exalted because of His sacrifice. Gesenius’ Lexicon notes that the phrase ‘poured out’ could be read as, “He delivered Himself to death.”1 In other words, Jesus gave Himself over to death voluntarily. He was thought to be a transgressor against God, but in reality He interceded before God on the behalf of the transgressor.
In addition, the first two phrases in verse 12 above are what might be some of the grandest understatements of His exaltation in all of Scripture. Allotting Jesus a portion with the great? Divide the booty with the strong? The One to whom all things were created,2 who is all-powerful (omnipotent)3 and is the strongest of all, doesn’t need to divide the booty with anyone. In his Bible commentary, David Guzik says, “Who does the Messiah divide the spoil [booty] with? With the strong; those strong in Him. We can share in the spoil of Jesus’ victory!”4 “If children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:17)
The Name
Because Jesus humbled Himself, God highly exalted Him! Jesus took the form of a bond-servant and humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. “Therefore also God highly exalted Him,” verse 9 of Philippians 2 says! The passage this verse comes from is Philippians 2:5-11:
Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Concerning verse 9 above, The Pulpit Commentary notes, “He voluntarily assumed a subordinate position; God the Father exalted Him. We must read, with the best manuscripts, the Name. This seems to mean, not the name Jesus, which was given Him at his circumcision, in accordance with the angel’s message; but the name Lord or Jehovah (comp. Vs. 11), which was indeed His before His incarnation, but was given to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son, God and Man in one Person.”5
King and Lord
Some other names given to Jesus show His exalted status, which I emboldened:
Revelation 19:12 “And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.” And in verse 16:
“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” ”
More Exaltation
A search in Nave’s Topical Bible shows over 200 names listed for Jesus.6 Here is a list of some of the more exalted names as stated in the King James Bible with the verse reference:
Author and Finisher of our faith, Hebrews 12:2.
Bright and Morning Star, Revelation 22:16.
Cornerstone, Ephesians 2:20.
Deliverer, Romans 11:26.
Everlasting Father, Isaiah 9:6.
Faithful and True, Revelation 19:11.
Gift of God, John 4:10.
High priest, Hebrews 4:14.
Image of God, Hebrews 1:3.
Jesus Christ our Savior, Titus 3:6.
King of Glory, Psalms 24:7-10.
Lamb of God, John 1:29.
Most holy, Daniel 9:24.
Only wise God, our Savior, Jude 1:25.
Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:6.
Righteousness, 1 Corinthians 1:30.
Sure Foundation, Isaiah 28:16.
Truth, John 14:6.
Unspeakable Gift, 2 Corinthians 9:15.
Vine, John 15:1.
Which is, which was, which is to come (equivalent to the tetragrammaton ―YHWH, the Eternal One, I AM THAT I AM), Revelation 1:4.
First Sermon
The significance of Christ’s exaltation was not lost on Peter, who mentions it in the very first sermon at the dawning of the church. Having just received the promised Holy Spirit, Peter responds to the crowd gathered to explain what just happened to the believers. He also shares the good news with the listeners, and then near the end of his speech, he brings up Christ’s exaltation. Peter says,
“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.” (Acts 2:32, 33)
The people listening knew well the fact that Jesus had just been crucified, and Peter gives witness to them that Jesus was raised from the dead. Peter also points out that Jesus had favor with God so that Jesus was exalted to God’s right hand -a sure sign of honor, privilege, and special place before the Father.
Conclusion
Jesus is highly exalted because He delivered Himself to death in order to redeem mankind to God. He voluntarily took a subordinate position so we could share His holiness and know our Creator. The Name bestowed upon Him, Lord, along with the many other names given to Him, describe both His position and role. We would do well to follow His example of voluntary submission to God.
Appendix
I talk about some of the other earliest gospel preaching in my article Early Hymns and Creeds.
1 Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon
2 Romans 11:36 For from Him [Jesus] and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. & Colossians 1:16 For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -all things have been created through Him and for Him.
3 Hebrews 1:3 And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
4 https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/isaiah-53/ 11/7/22
5 https://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/philippians/2.htm 11/1/22 Emphasis in original.
6 Nave’s Topical Bible search for: “Jesus, the Christ: Names, Appellations, and Titles Of”. https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?topic=NT0002780#namesappellationsandtitlesof 11/1/22