Lesson for March 4, 2026

The Names and Titles of Jesus

Lesson 9

Lord, Master, Rabbi, Teacher

Lord

A lord was someone with authority over others. In Jesus’ day, the word lord was often used as a title of respect toward earthly authorities. For example, when the leper called Jesus “Lord,” in Matthew 8:2, He was showing Jesus respect as a healer and teacher. (Matthew 8:25, 15:25)

“Jesus is Lord,” was a way of declaring Jesus’ deity. It began with Thomas’ exclamation when Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection: “Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!'” (John 20:28). From then on, the apostles’ message was that Jesus was Lord, meaning “Jesus is God.” Peter declared that Jesus is “Lord of all,” in Acts 10:36.

The word “Lord” is the key to properly understanding these verses, which are misunderstood and used erroneously to teach Lordship Salvation (which is no salvation at all). The statement “Jesus is Lord” means that Jesus is God/deity. It is the Greek word “kurios,” meaning One with authority/God. Written to a Jewish audience, who rejected the deity of Jesus, Paul was telling them that they must first recognize the deity of Jesus as the Messiah before they could believe He died for their sins. Paul was not teaching these Jews that they had to believe in Christ and then live a “righteous life” (make Jesus Lord of their life) in order to be saved.

That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. The conjunction “that” is used after the verb “preaching” from verse 8, to indicate the content of what is communicated in the message of salvation. Mechanically, this passage is for the Jews. It is dealing with how people were saved in the time of the writing of Deuteronomy, which was by believing in Jehovah (Jesus Christ) as Savior.

The Greek verb for confess is “homologeo,” which means to agree, to admit, to acknowledge, to cite and to make a legal statement. It connotes understanding and truthful declaration. So, what Paul began with was, “that if you will acknowledge with your mouth.” The point that Paul was making first was that the Jews could not ignore Jesus Christ as their Messiah. “Confess with your mouth” was an idiom that meant to make a statement to God, not a confession to a congregation of people. Notice that the confession is that Jesus is God/Lord (deity).

Note that the admission is made about Jesus to God, not to mankind. In other words, this is an expression of faith in words and sentences, which can be either verbal or non-verbal. The expression occurs in the soul. Words are enunciated with the “mouth,” but they are formed in the soul. The failure of the unbelieving Jews was blotting out of their mind the first coming of Christ and that was the issue that Paul presented when he said, “Jesus as Lord.”

This passage was for Jews. The Jews must acknowledge to God the Father that Jesus Christ is the Messiah (God in the flesh). It was Jesus Christ, as the God of Israel, who gave Moses the Law on Mount Sinai. He did not give the Law to be kept as a way of salvation. To acknowledge or to admit that Christ is God is to recognize that Christ is the Messiah, the God of Israel. The Resurrection was mentioned because if you blot out the first coming of Jesus, you blot out the Resurrection. If you blot out the Resurrection, you blot out salvation. The Resurrection confirms that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.

For with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. The Biblical heart is the mentality of the soul and possesses a frame of reference which is designed for thought, a memory center, vocabulary, categorical storage, the conscience, a momentum department, the wisdom department, and the subconscious.

Salvation is accomplished in the soul. The soul is saved, the soul makes the decision, and the soul does the thinking. The confessing is also done in the soul to God. What is confessed is faith in Christ, which is what results in salvation. This verse never says and does not mean to walk down an aisle and stand before the church congregation and tell everyone that you have believed in Christ for salvation. Salvation is a transaction between an individual making his own decision and God. It does not involve other people. The individual must believe for himself in Christ, and no one can do it for him. When faith in Christ occurs in the mind of a person, a confession to God is automatically made in the soul.

In the Old Testament, “LORD” (Jehovah) is referring to Jesus. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” Isaiah 8:13 says that “the LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy.” In the New Testament, Jesus is called “Lord” many times by Jesus Himself, in Luke 19:31; John 13:13-14. By Peter again, in I Peter 3:15, “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.”

After salvation, believers are to obey Him as their Lord. Jesus asked, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). A believer who says, “Jesus is Lord,” with a full understanding of what that means (Jesus is God and has supreme authority over us), understands the importance of allowing Him to be the Master of their lives. As believers, we voluntarily submit to Christ’s lordship because of His love, goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. (John 14:15; I John 5:3)

Jesus is Lord, whether or not people acknowledge the fact. Someday, everyone will realize the truth: “God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

Master

Master refers to Jesus as the head of the Church. He is our ruler Who protects, provides for, and guides us as His servants. There are a number of Greek words for “master” that apply to Jesus, which show His authority as God.

The Greek word “didaskalos” refers to Jesus as a teacher. (Matthew 8:19; Mark 4:38) The Greek word “kurios,” refers to Jesus as One with authority. (Ephesians 6:9) The Greek word “despotes” refers to Jesus as One Who has absolute power and ownership. (II Timothy 2:21; Jude 4) The Greek word “epistates” refers to Jesus as a chief, a commander, an overseer, or a master. (Luke 5:5,8; 8:24,45; 9:33,49; 17:13) (Matthew 23:10)

Rabbei, Rabbi, Rabboni, Teacher

Rabbi or Rabbei are Greek words that refer to Jesus as a teacher. (Matthew 26:25; Mark 9:5, 11:21, 14:45; John 4:31) The Greek word “kathegetes” also refers to Jesus as a teacher. (Matthew 23:10) The Greek word “didaskalos” also refers to Jesus as a teacher. (Matthew 8:19; Mark 4:38) The Aramaic word “rabboni” refers to Jesus as a master. (Mark 10:51; John 20:16)

Jesus was called rabbi by Judas when He betrayed Him in Mark 14:45. He was called rabbi by John and two other disciples in John 1:38. Peter called Jesus rabbi at the Transfiguration in Mark 9:5. Mary Magdalene called Him rabboni in John 20:16. Nicodemus called Jesus rabbi in John 3:2. According to John 1:38, Rabbi and Teacher are synonymous titles. Jesus did not hold the office of rabbi in Judaism; the term was used for one who was a teacher.

Rabbis functioned as leaders of synagogues where they provided instruction in the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish traditions. Rabbis preached sermons, interpreted the Old Testament, and performed other functions. While Jesus was never part of the official temple leadership, He was still considered a rabbi because of His ministry of teaching.

In Jesus’ day, the word rabbi, and its derivatives, were used in a more informal sense than today. In Jesus’ day, the title “Rabbi” merely signified that a person had a reputation as a wise teacher or sage. John the Baptist was also addressed by the title of rabbi in John 3:26.

So, Jesus was considered a wise teacher and therefore could be called a rabbi, as the term was used in His day. Later, rabbi took on a more formal meaning for those who were ordained in the Jewish religion. So, Jesus was a rabbi, as defined in the first century, but today He would not hold the same title, as defined in modern-day Judaism.