In Church today we sang a song that I had not previously heard, King Jesus by Brooke Ligertwood.

One of the verse really intrigued me:

King Jesus

You come with eyes ablazing

On your thigh the Name above Names

Interceding Son

Our Christ the Risen One

The slain and worthy Lamb

You ride to end the battle

That in eternity You’ve already won

We praise and pull it down

The victory, the sound

Heaven on earth the same

This scriptural reference comes from Revelation 19:11-16, which describes Jesus descending from heaven upon a white horse:

¹¹ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.

This is a complex image full of powerful metaphors and symbolism. And I will not claim to thoroughly exegete it today. But what stood out to me was how powerfully this imagery conveys Christ’s divine identity as well as his roles our prophet, priest, and king

As Prophet–Christ is described as the “word of God” and from his mouth comes a sharp sword that pierces through wickedness and deceit.

As Priest– Christ’s robe is stained in blood in contrast to the pristine armies of heaven. But it is not (yet) the blood of his enemies, but his own blood that was shed on our behalf. It is the blood that he shed when he “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty” and intercedes for us. His robe hearkens back to the highpriests garment. The inscribed names remind us of the high priest’s breastplate, while the names on His thigh recall the ancient covenant-oath symbolism (Gen. 24:2; 47:29), where swearing by the thigh marked a solemn binding promise. Christ is the oath-bound priest forever (Heb. 7:20–22), the one who mediates God’s covenant by His own blood.

As King, He rides in triumph, crowned with many diadems, bearing the title “Lord of lords.”

Christ bears an iron sceptor, which hearkens back to Psalm 2 and its promise of the universal reign of the true Davidic king.

And he bears the sovereign title of king of kings and lord of lords.

As our God — He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. This likely refers back to the tradition in Judaism of treating the divine name with reverences and sacredness. Jews would not pronounce the name of God, but would use alternative titles like Adonai (meaning Lord).

This is the same “name above all names” that Paul describes Jesus being crowned with in trumph after his condescension, resurrection, and ascension:

Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
    he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

(Phillipians 2: 6-11)

John describes Jesus as bearing both public names that reveal his diety as well as this hidden name:

Faithful and True

The Word of God

King of kings and Lord of lords

These revealed names call us to worship him as our exalted Lord and our God. At the same time the hidden name reminds us that we will never fully exhaust the mystery of Christ. Instead, we will remain in wonder and awe at the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am grateful for how these verse point me towards Jesus my great prophet, priest, king, and God. I stand in awe and worship his mighty name. And I look forward to the day when he will come to claim the victory that he already won on the cross and in the empty tomb.