Hello beloved,
Let us continue our study of the names and titles for Jesus. Last month, we considered the titles of Jesus as the “Creator and Sustainer” of the universe. This month we will shift focus a little to direct our attention on Jesus’ titles as an instructor. During Jesus’ ministry, at times He was called “Rabbi” or “Rabboni.”
The first time that the term “Rabbi” was used for Jesus is found in the gospel of John. John the Baptist had designated Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” or the one John had been telling all his disciples about. When Andrew and another disciple (probably John the Apostle) heard this designation, they started following Jesus. Jesus, seeing these two men following Him, turned and asked what they were seeking. The two men wanted to know where Jesus was staying, but in the request, they called Jesus by the title of “Rabbi,” a term of honor. This concept was often used by a student in relation to his “master.” It could also carry the designation of “lord.” Most literally, “Rabbi” is an Aramaic designation for “my great one,” and if not careful the title could easily lead to pride. This was evidently why Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees for seeking the insistence that men call them by this term (Matt 23:7-8). In John 1:38, John accommodates his Greek speaking readers by affirming the term meant “teacher.” D.A. Carson writes:
By the end of the first century ad the word became restricted to certain ‘ordained’ teachers who had successfully completed an appropriate course of rabbinical instruction. But at this point in the century there was apparently no official ordination; the title was used as a courtesy honorific, applied by respectful people to those they recognized as public teachers of divine subject matter. (Carson, “The Gospel of John”)
The term “Rabbi” is also used of Jesus by Nathanial (1:49), Nicodemus (3:2), the twelve (4:31), and Jesus’ disciples in general (6:25).
The similar title of “Rabboni” was used only twice, once by Bartimaeus (Mark 10:51) and once by Mary Magdalene (John 20:16). The additional letters “on” to the title inferred a greater sense of loyalty, love, and commitment to one’s teacher. Of course, the designation adds an extra sense of drama and adulation when Mary used the term in John 20 after discerning that the man she was talking to was not the gardener, whom she suspected as knowing where the body of Jesus was taken, but Jesus Himself, risen from the dead. Reflect on this truth as John writes, “Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher)” John 20:16 (ESV).
In a fun illustration of the respect still given to the designation “Rabbi,” consider the following story:
(Tel Aviv) Coca-Cola Corporation, a giant in the field, has finally told a rabbi a secret hitherto unknown. Coke's secret formula previously has been known only by the soft drink's founding family and a handful of the corporation's most trusted executives. However, Rabbi Moshe Landau says that he could not pronounce the drink "kosher" unless he knew the contents, since his followers must be certain they can consume a product without violating the Law. So he was given the formula, which is knowledge Coke's competitors presumably would die for. It is considered one of the great corporate secrets of all time. Some of the Rabbi's aides visited the Far East to examine how a secret herbal root essential to the formula is processed. The Rabbi, to satisfy himself, had to visit Coca-Cola plants in Europe and the United States. All is well, he says, so drink up. (Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations: Signs of the Times.)
Until next time, this is Pastor Daniel writing, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”