Monday, February 13, 2023

 

Monday, February 13, 2023


Psalms 101; 102:1-11

Genesis 26:34-27:29

Luke 6:1-11


Those who deride me use my name for a curse.


“What’s in a name?”, or so the idiom goes. Sometimes it is just something surface-level. A 10th century archbishop of Canterbury went by the name Aelfric, which simply translates literally to “ruler” or “king”. A name can be something more, though: living in Australia, where we tend to lose the ethnic or cultural identity of our forefathers by the third or fourth generation, a last name can give us some uniqueness. Sometimes a name can even open doors: we still have exclusive clubs in Brisbane, no matter how much pressure Tattersall’s has faced. A name has history; meaning; identity; power.


The name of Jesus has the ultimate value; the ultimate power; the ultimate meaning. Peter and John were being frisked for donations at the Temple. They had no money, but Peter gave the beggar what he did have: healing in the name of Jesus. Then they were arrested, and told the entire establishment that “there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 3:6; 4:12)


The name we have of Jesus is from the Greek Iesous, which is the ancient Greek attempt to try and pronounce the Hebrew name Yeshua, which means “The LORD’s salvation” or “Cry Out to the LORD for Help”. In this name is held our salvation. Jesus also holds the history of the great men of God, as the name of Jesus is related to similar Hebrew words that make up the names Joshua and Isaiah.


The name of Jesus is the identity of the Second Person of God: the One who, while holding the entire universe in His hands, took on human flesh, died on the cross, and rose again, so that we may join Him in His Father’s mansion.


Would we dare use it as a curse, like those who hate Him? Or do we join our voices to the priest who sung:


How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
in a believer's ear!
It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds,
and drives away our fear.


How weak the effort of my heart,
how cold my warmest thought;
but when I see you as you are,
I'll praise you as I ought.

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