by David Scott Robertson
(Colossians 4:11 NIV) “Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.”
This verse in the New Testament absolutely fascinates me.
The Apostle Paul,
Writing a letter to the church at Colosse
To emphasize the supremacy and centrality of Christ,
Mentions a Jewish believer whose name,
Translated in Greek,
Was “Jesus”.
The name “Jesus” is the Greek form
Of the Hebrew word, ‘Yeshua’ (Joshua)
Meaning, “The Lord saves.”
In the economy of God,
The Other Jesus’ path somehow intersected Paul’s.
And the Other Jesus became a help and a comfort to the imprisoned apostle.
It seems very apparent that the Other Jesus
Was a messianic Jew
But obviously not the Messianic Jew.
Somewhere along the line,
The Other Jesus became a believer in Jesus of Nazareth.
And at some point,
The Other Jesus altered the Greek pronunciation of his name by t wo letters
To become simply “Justus”,
A common Jewish personal name.
Now this whole scenario intrigues me.
For you see,
Embedded in this one verse (Colossians 4:11)
Is a fantastic story;
One that I cannot know
And am not qualified to tell.
But that doesn’t stop me from wondering,
Who was it that recommended that the Other Jesus change his name to “Justus”?
Was it Paul, who may have explained “the Way” more perfectly to him?
Once Justus invited Jesus to come into his heart and became a believer,
Was he overwhelmed by the need to change is name
To something, anything, except “Jesus”?
I don’t know.
But I do know that
There’s nobody like the real Jesus.
In the last days,
Many false Christs will come proclaiming that they are Jesus.
But of course, they are imposters.
Jesus Christ provides such a thorough transofmration
Of the lives He comes to be Lord over
That the Bible declares,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
When Jesus arrives in a person’s heart
Their former identity sheds
And the man is, “Born again.”
There’s a name change destined
For all those whose names are found in the Lamb’s Book of Life: -
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna.
I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it,
Known only to him who receives it.” (Rev 2:17 NIV)
Just as
Justus
Made room for Jesus,
Jesus made room for Justus.
Justus was served
And though undeserved
Justice was served.
DSR, 1/13/00