“the government will rest on His shoulders.” Excerpt from Isaiah 9:6
Worth is a word that’s universally used when assessing the importance, value, rarity, or “weightiness” of something. The word worth in biblical terminology comes from the Greek aksios which is derived from akso which means “to weigh.” We get the word axis from it which refers to a balance scale operated by off-setting weights. The weightier, or worthier something is, the more the scale will tip in its favor. One-of-a-kind masterpieces of art, limited production sports cars, unique homes in amazing spots, important people who have accomplished amazing things or made major contributions to mankind all have much worth because they are rare and very much set apart from the usual.
The worth of something is usually decided by the monetary value assigned to it like Aaron Judge who just signed a 9 year contract with the Yankees worth 360 million dollars. Apple is the most valuable company in the world with a worth of 2.1 trillion dollars. In the case of intangible things, worth is subjective such as “I can’t tell you what all your help is worth,” or “It’s just not worth mentioning.” And of course we’ve all heard, “it’s worth its weight in gold.” So worth is both measurable and immeasurable depending on what’s being assessed and who’s assessing it. If you’re a Yankee fan, Aaron Judge is worth it, and maybe he’s over-worthed if you’re a Red Sox fan.
Reflecting on Christmas and Jesus’ birth made me think of Isaiah 9:6 which states “the government will rest on His shoulders.” That’s so weighty. It requires someone of unmatched worth to carry the enormous burden of being The Governor of all governors, The President of all presidents, The Ruler of all rulers, and The King of all kings. Of course that someone is Jesus. He alone sustains the entire weight of every government and kingdom on earth, and so-called “rulers and kings” just “rest” on His shoulders. Powerless against the incredible density of Jesus’ worth, there really isn’t anything a president, king, or ruler can do to thwart the power of the Most High. When Jesus decides something, it’s done. As for rarity, Jesus has always and will always exist, was birthed both God and human by a virgin, performed miracles, and brought Himself back to life after being crucified. He is the ultimate rarity. Nothing comes close. The entire universe of creation could be put on one side of a balance scale and Jesus on the other side, and the scale would fully tip in favor of Jesus because Jesus, The Creator, is more valuable than everything He created.
Jesus took the weight of the entire universe of mankind’s past, present, and future iniquities, and suffered, died, and came back to life to give heavenly worth to anyone who accepts Him as their Savior. We don’t deserve it, and He did that for us. When we accept Jesus, He abides in us, and since there’s nothing of value or worth that even approaches Jesus, we too have immeasurable worth as well. For those looking for significance, there is no significance greater than that. Jesus is awesome!