Today boredom, fear, loneliness, emptiness, and a feeling of uselessness grip the hearts of millions. Ultimately, only the One who is called “Wonderful” can restore wonder to anyone’s life.
His Name Is Wonderful
Isaiah, the prophet, introduces us to one of the most majestic portraits of the Lord Jesus, “And His name shall be called Wonderful…” Unfortunately, some translations remove the comma between “Wonderful” and “Counsellor,” which relegates wonderful to being a mere adjective rather than a divine title. W. E. Vine wrote, “These two are not to be combined into one phrase as if the first was an adjective describing the Counsellor as wonderful: each is a noun.”1 Keil & Delitzsch in their commentary wrote, “And the wonderful Counsellor…we must necessarily reject it, as resting upon a misunderstanding and misinterpretation.”2
As we consider His name, “Wonderful,” we are obviously considering the Lord Jesus. Two delightful expressions are used by the Holy Spirit, “unto us a Child is born” and “unto us a Son is given” (Isa. 9:6). “A Child is born” speaks uniquely of His humanity. He became one of us, and therefore He understands us, knows us, and cares for us. “A Son is given,” speaks uniquely of His Deity, the Father’s Son, the only begotten and therefore eternal in His being.
He Is Wonderful In His Birth
We stand in awe and wonder at the Savior’s humble birth. God sent His beloved Son into this world, not in a blaze of glory nor to a majestic palace, but to unknown Bethlehem, “But you Bethlehem Ephratha, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to me the One who is to be Ruler in Israel” (Mic. 5:2).
Did you notice “little” Bethlehem? It was an unknown, insignificant place, not much more than a widening in the road, and it was here the Son of God was born. The Savior of the world was laid in a stable. The Sovereign of the universe was welcomed by a few despised temple shepherds. This One who will one day be the Lion of the tribe of Judah, was Mary’s little lamb, and God’s pascal lamb.
All those who heard it marveled (wondered) at those things which were told them by the shepherds but Mary “kept [treasured] all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:18-19). No wonder Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds marveled when they heard this news. It was so wonderful and too amazing for them, as well as for us, to fully comprehend. Are we not amazed at the eloquence of Mary’s silence? Do you ever wonder what thoughts coursed through her mind?
He Is Wonderful In His Creation
How often have you stood out in the country, far from the city lights, and gazed at the myriad stars glittering in the night sky? The psalmist wrote, “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name” (Ps. 147:4). Elihu reminded Job, “Listen to this, O Job; Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.” (Job 37:14). Elihu continued to remind Job about the wonders of God in creation—the heavens, the clouds, the lightning—and then summed it up with these words, “Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge” (Job 37:16)?
He Is Wonderful In What He Does
In Judges 13, we read of Manoah’s wife, who was barren and had lost the joy and wonder in her heart and soul because she could not conceive. However, in verse 3 we read, “And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.’ ” The question has been often asked: who was the “Angel of the Lord?” I am convinced that this was none other than a pre-incarnate visit of the Lord Jesus. The “Angel of the Lord” in verses 3 and 4, gave instruction for her personal conduct and care, and then revealed that she would “bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
One can only imagine her excitement, joy, and wonder as she ran to tell her husband, Manoah. He was undoubtedly mystified by what his wife had just told him, “A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name” (vv.6-7). Manoah, then prayed to the LORD, saying, “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born” (v.8). The conversation then continued between Manoah and the Angel of the LORD (vv.9-16). Thereafter, Manoah asked the Angel of the LORD, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You” (v.17)? The Angel of the LORD replied, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful” (v.18, NKJV)? “Wonderful” in Isaiah 9:6 is the same word used here and therefore it must be a divine title.
Wonderful comes from the word “surpassing”, meaning inscrutable or beyond understanding. There are heights and depths of this One that can never be revealed. His name is “Secret” (Jdg. 13:18, KJV) only because of our limitations. Zophar, speaking to Job, asked him, “Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty” (Job 11:7)?
He is wonderful not only by what He says or does, but simply because of who He is. Consider the unfathomable mysteries of His Person, “No one knows the Son except the Father” (Matt. 11:27). The Lord Jesus could say, “…before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Prophesying His future return to earth, John says, “He had a name written that no one knew except Himself” (Rev. 19:12).
Because He is Wonderful, He Dispels The Dullness of Life
The Lord Jesus was a daily wonder to all who crossed His path. The shepherds marvelled. The Wise Men marvelled. Old Simeon and Anna marvelled. The teachers, lawyers, and doctors of His day marvelled; “And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers” (Luke 2:47). Even His mother, and undoubtedly His adoptive father marvelled, “So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously’” (Luke 2:48). Even Pilate marvelled as the silent and bloodied Sufferer stood before him, “But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly” (Matt. 27:14).
What Does Wonderful Mean To You?
Edersheim wrote with wonder: “That on such a slender thread as the feeble throb of an Infant life, the salvation of the world should hang and no special care for its safety, no better shelter be provided than a ‘stable’, no other cradle but a manger.”
On that starlit night, as the temple shepherds huddled around their fire, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared with a most wonderful announcement, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
Guided to the Babe, the shepherds undoubtedly stood in silent awe. It was so sudden, so strange, and yet so wonderful. The “Wonder of all wonders” had been born, “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The name “Wonderful”, when used of our Lord, is unique in its meaning; it is not based on ignorance, but on personally knowing this Wonderful Savior. The more we know Him, the more our hearts will be filled with joy, wonder, and love.
ENDNOTES
1. The Collected Writings Of W.E. Vine, Isaiah (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc. 1996), p.83.
2. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/kdo/isaiah-9.html