*This is the third post of a four-part Christmas series.
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, counselor, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NKJV
Much of my life I have heard that I act just like my dad. It doesn’t help that we have the same middle name. As I’ve gotten older, I laugh because now I’ve started to see the similarities in our mannerisms. To make matters worse, I then named my son after me, and he’s had to endure people saying we look just alike all of his life. Now that he’s a grown man, I’m sure he sees his resemblance to me. Lots of fathers and sons go through this, but this verse presents a unique case.
Isaiah didn’t write that Jesus would be similar to his Father in His looks and His behavior. He said that Jesus IS God. He called Jesus mighty God and everlasting Father. He used these attributes that describe God to describe Jesus because Jesus is God. Throughout scripture we are reminded that Jesus is God. Isaiah said He was to be called Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23). John called Jesus the Word and said that the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). Jesus Himself even said that He and the Father are One (John 10:30). How cool is it that God Himself came and dwelt among us in the Person of His Son all those years ago? Even now God still exists as a triune being – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As Isaiah said, He’s mighty and everlasting. He existed before time began, and will forevermore, all three parts of Him.
There will always be great father-son combinations, like me and my dad, or me and my son. But God and Jesus are the G.O.A.T. Father-Son combo. They are literally One and the same.