How one question launched a study of the Names of Jesus—one I didn’t expect and still can’t put down.
A Quiet Morning with a Simple Prayer
How often do you wonder about the names of Jesus? It started as part of my morning routine. Nothing fancy. Just me, my Bible, a perfectly blended coffee, and that back-of-my-mind thought:
“See, Lord? I’m starting my day with You. I’m showing up.”
It wasn’t exactly like that. I’ve been focusing a lot on my morning routine and personal time with Jesus—prayer and reading Scripture had to be part of it all.
Not out of guilt or some misguided legalistic directive. More like… a rhythm.
Being faithful and growing deeper in my relationship with Jesus.
Something to ground me in the Word while everything else is shifting around me.
What Caught Me in Hebrews
It was 6AM. The dogs were fed and happy. My wife was still sleeping upstairs. I was reading in Hebrews.
There was no rule for me like “One chapter a day.” My rule was simple:
Read until something caught me. Then I’d stop to pray and meditate a bit.
Sometimes that means reading three or more chapters. Other times, it means just reading that one chapter—or following every reference and jumping all around the Bible to track them down.
And that morning, there it was.
The verse that stopped me cold and locked in my focus like it needed to be studied.
The Verse That Froze Me
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword…”
(Hebrews 4:12, NKJV)
I read that—and stopped. Is that verse talking about the Bible? Or Jesus? Which is it? Why wasn’t it crystal clear?
Because… I mean… either one works here.
I must’ve read that section five, maybe six times. Not because I didn’t understand it—well, actually yeah.
I wasn’t fully grasping what it meant. I get the “alive” part because I experience it every time I read the Bible, but it seems like this must be Jesus—because obviously Jesus is alive, and the next few verses really drive home the judgment part.
It was a loose thread. And my brain naturally keeps pulling the thread.
This happens to me a lot.
Rabbit Holes and Holy Curiosity
I start reading with a plan and end up in a full-blown rabbit hole.
Not distraction—just curiosity that won’t leave me alone.
And if you’re going to go snooping around rabbit holes, Scripture’s the best place to get lost.
Also—I’m naturally a procrastinator.
And I figure if I’m going to procrastinate, might as well make it worthwhile.
Sometimes I imagine myself standing in the room where the letter was written.
Other times, I picture being in the crowd, listening to it read out loud for the first time.
The voice. The emotion. The weight behind the words.
I try to hear that too.
I don’t do it to overanalyze. I do it because this is one of the most beautiful ways I can use the brain God gave me.
The Question That Changed Everything
But seriously—I just want to go deeper into the Bible.
Shed off all of that “I learned it in Sunday School so I’m sure it’s right” stuff.
If it ain’t in the Bible— it ain’t there.
So this question started forming:
What are all the names, titles, descriptions, and references to Jesus in the Bible?
Not just the “I AM” statements—which are super and directly from Jesus. Not just the Christmas and Easter passages. In other words, not the most well known. I was genuinely curious at this point how many names, references, and anything else there were in the Old Testament as well as New.
I wanted all of it. Every shadow and every spotlight.
Let’s get real—the entire Bible has been pointing to Jesus. So… how specifically?
Totally. worth. the. rabbit-hole.
Enter Chatty Scholar
And this is where I grabbed my phone and invited Chatty to join the hunt.
(You just pictured Bugs and Elmer, didn’t you? No? Just me? Okay.)
(Quick side note: I name my chat sessions. It helps. The one I trained to help me study Scripture? That’s usually just Chatty. Sometimes Chatty Scholar, if we’re feeling formal.)
Chatty doesn’t replace study. It doesn’t replace the Holy Spirit.
But it’s a great partner when I want to trace a theme across the whole Bible without spending six hours cross-referencing and forgetting what day it is.That’s exactly why I spent hours training my ChatGPT to study the Bible. I named the parameters and have cross-checked it many times.
It’s not perfect. But it can grab and read research exponentially faster than I can.
I have a blog post about how I trained Chatty Scholar that you can read [here]. I’ll also link it at the bottom so you can finish reading this post first.
It Became Worship, Not Just Research
So I typed in the question. And down the trail we went.
Every name. Every time Jesus is described, referenced, hinted at, or outright declared—we started cataloguing them all.
And honestly? It became a kind of worship. Not academic. Personal. It led to worship right there in my living room.
Some of it was familiar. Some of it knocked the wind out of me. Some of it felt like Jesus was pulling up a chair and saying:
“You see Me here too, right?”
Not really pulling up a chair—more like looking down with a smirk saying,
“How could you not see that was Me?”
A New Series on the Names of Jesus in the Bible
So this is now a series. A real one. I don’t even know what to call it yet—blog series? Writing project? Study?
Doesn’t matter.
It turns out that Jesus shows up on every page of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation – in one form or another – the name of Jesus – sometimes an obvious reference to Jesus or the Son of God and other times in a prophesy.
And then there are the less obvious ones that take a minute to realize this verse, even in the Old Testament is pointing to Jesus. And the rabbit hole starts.
It’s happening. One post at a time.
Really, I just figured if I was curious—maybe you are too. And this will bring it all into an organized place and hopefully speed up your research time.
I might organize it by books of the Bible. Might go by themes. We’ll see.
This isn’t a course or a commentary. It’s just me walking through what I’ve seen, what I’ve questioned, and what I think you might want to see too. That’s why this new series on the Names of Jesus in the Bible has become more than a study—it’s become a devotional journey.
For Anyone Who’s Ever Wondered…
If you’ve ever read Scripture and thought:
“Wait… was that talking about Jesus in Exodus? How? That was the Old Testament.”
Well—you’re in the right place.
If you’ve ever had the Word pull on your soul like a thread you didn’t know was loose—yeah, same.
So let’s see where it goes.
Welcome to the Names of Jesus Series.
More on the Names of Jesus in the Bible
This blog series explores the Names of Jesus in the Bible through real questions, real study, and real worship. If you’re searching for the Names of Jesus in the Bible, you’re in the right place. Every post in this series is built around identifying and unpacking the those Names of Jesus in the Bible from both the Old and New Testaments.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore the Bible and you didn’t realize there are many Names of Jesus in the Bible or you’re deep into theological study, this journey is for you. The Names of Jesus in the Bible series hopes to reveal His character, His mission, His divinity, and the Father’s heart.
This is the introduction to that series and a little background about why this is even a series on the Anden Ministries blog. You can subscribe or just plan to check back for future posts in this series as we walk through the Names of Jesus in the Bible one by one—with Scripture, curiosity, and coffee in hand.
Helpful Resources:
ChatGPT |
Check out the blog on How I Trained chatGPT as my study partner.
