Don Friesen
Some years ago my parents gave our family a cheque in the amount of twenty-five dollars to buy Christmas gifts for the five of us. The cheque bounced! We had to cancel our trip to Florida that winter, and as I recall I think had to pay a ten dollar penalty, but I found the whole thing amusing. I should have kept my amusement to myself, however, for when I told my father, he was shaken! He instructed me to contact the bank manager as soon as possible and assure her that the cheque was good! He did not want his good name besmirched! His credit rating had been impeccable for ninety years. A mistake had been made that reflected unfavourably on his reputation, and it needed to be corrected at once.
My father would have found comfort in Shakespeare, who wrote:
(William Shakespeare, Othello, Act 3, Scene 3)
Names Are Important
Names are important to us, for a number of reasons. An expectant couple may spend hours poring over a book of prospective baby names, wanting to choose the perfect name for their perfect baby. Parents, however, are less than perfect, and I remember my brother-in-law rolling on the floor, laughing, when I told him that I would like to name our first baby Kermit. Apparently he watched Sesame Street! I did not.
We rarely pick our own names. Our parents choose our first names, and sometimes other people bestow nicknames upon us. There were two Don Friesens in my split Grades 4/5 class, and since I was the younger my nickname for several years was Junior. Later my roommates chose the nickname, Huxley, because I was fond of Aldous Huxley's novels, and talked about them once too often. Some nicknames are given in jest, but others are just plain cruel.
When infant baptism became normative in the fourth century, there was a developing tendency to use names formed from Christian virtues and festivals. Adult converts rarely changed their names at baptism unless they had been given an obscene family name, in which case they were replaced with names of saints, martyrs, or apostles. After the sixteenth century, apparently, a flurry of OT names appeared. Infants began to appear on baptismal registers with names such as Melchizedek, Abimelech, Shadrach, Hezekiah, and Zerubbabel. A cynic observed that one could learn the genealogy of Jesus simply be learning the names of Cromwell's regiment! "The muster master hath no other list than the first chapter of Matthew," wrote a contemporary. (David Jeffrey, A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature, page 535)
The religious controversies in England at the time also influenced names, and the Barebone family, after whom the Barebones Parliament is named, was especially productive in that regard. The family included Praise-God Barebone, Fear-God Barebone, and If-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned Barebone, which in due time was shortened to Dr. Damned Barebone. (Jeffrey) A good biblical tradition, however, for the OT prophet Hosea named his children "God scatters" (Jezreel; Hosea 1:4), "She-is-not-loved" (Lo-ruhamah; 1:6), and "Not-my-people" (Lo-ammi; 1:9), one of the kids named after a great slaughter, another named so as to convey God's rejection of Israel.
Names Are Important in the Scriptures
Names may become the bane of one's existence, but they were very important in ancient biblical times, evident already in the naming of the animals in Genesis 2. "The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field," reads Genesis. (Genesis 2:20) The act of naming, in the Scriptures, is more than a means of identification. It is also an expression of a person's character. In Hebrew, a name is inextricably bound up with existence; nothing exists unless it has a name. Creation is not complete until all creatures have been named. And personal existence was regarded as continuing after one's death in the name perpetuated by one's descendants.
Some biblical characters are re-named, to signify a change of role, or a change in character or personality. Jacob, a name meaning "he seizes by the heel," was renamed Israel, meaning "he strives with God," to signify the significance of his new role. Abram became Abraham, Simon became Peter, and Saul became Paul.
Knowledge of someone's name was considered a powerful thing in biblical times. The stranger who wrestled with Jacob (Genesis 32:24-30) refused to divulge his name. And guess who won that wrestling match?
The name of God was especially sacred in biblical times. The sanctions on mis-using it were so severe that eventually it was deemed advisable not to use it at all, except on the annual Day of Atonement, when the high priest uttered it in the Temple. Consequently OT writers can talk of God's face, God's glory, and God's name, without actually uttering the name. Or some respectful distance is maintained, as in describing the Temple as "dwelling for (God's) name" (Deuteronomy 12:11) and Solomon's newly-built Temple as a "house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel." (1 Kings 8:20)
Although human names could be freely spoken, some of that sacred attitude toward the name of God spills over. When Isaiah says that God calls us "by name" (Isaiah 43:1), it implies a sacred bond. Conversely, to have one's name "blotted out," (e.g., Deuteronomy 29:20; Psalm 9:5) is also very serious, for it to obliterate any memory of that person. Names are very important in the Scriptures.
You Shall Call his Name Jesus
It is no accident, then, that the first birth announcement in the NT is preceded by a list of names – the "begets," "begats," and "begots" of genealogy. According to the first Gospel the Good News is inextricably linked with the significant names associated with the history of Israel. It happened that an angel appeared to a man named Joseph, telling him that the woman to whom he was engaged would give birth to a son, and that they were to "name him Jesus". (Matthew 1:21) The name, "Jesus" is the Greek form of a Hebrew name that means "Yahweh is salvation." Matthew told Joseph, "...you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (1:21) The words "Jesus, for he shall save" are two Hebrew words – "Yeshua, yoshia" – that together sound alliterative and rhythmic – "Yeshua, yoshia".
Names in ancient times often served as a summary of what that person had done. The name, Alexander the Great, for example, sums up the impact Alexander III (356-323 BC), the Greek king of Macedon, made on the ancient world. The relationship of William I to eleventh-century England (1028-1087) is summed up in his name, William the Conqueror. And the significance of Queen Mary I (1516-1558) is largely summed up by the name, Bloody Mary, thanks to her severe persecution of Protestants.
Similarly, the name, Jesus, is a one-word summary of this infant's destiny. This is the One who will save us from sin and death, from despair, from poverty and sickness and hunger. And if for Hebrew Christians the name, Jesus, conjured up all manner of history, theology, and expectation, for Greek Christians the name was closely associated with another, similar-sounding Greek word (iasthai) that meant, "to heal". Jesus became known as The Healer, and rightly so, for wherever he went he healed the sick, the deaf, the blind, and the lame.
The angel appearing to Joseph also left him with a second name for his son – "Emmanuel, which means, ‘God is with us.'" (Matthew 1:23) – a promise Jesus confirmed later when he promised his disciples, "I will not leave you orphaned...." (John 14:18) It's also an echo of the ancient promise God made to young Joshua, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5, NIV) The gift of this child was the fulfilment of Israel's deepest hopes This is the One of whom the hymn-writer wrote, the One whose very "name ...charms our fears, bids our sorrows cease; (which is) music in the sinner's ears, (and) life and health and peace." (Charles Wesley, "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing") This is the One who will be"with us" when we are frightened, lonely, and in sorrow – the One who makes possible forgiveness for the unforgivable, love for the unlovable, mercy for the merciless, and hope for the hopeless.
Many believed in Jesus' name, found new life through his name, and were baptized in his name. They gathered for worship in his name, and when they offered a prayer or gave a cup of cold water to a stranger, they did it in the Lord's name. Whatever they did, in word or deed, they did it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Colossians 3:17)
The two names the angel left with Joseph were more than enough, but as Jesus' name grew in honour, other names were added to the list: the Son of God, a title used for ancient kings; the Christ, meaning "the anointed one" of God; the Alpha and the Omega; the Chief Cornerstone; the Lamb of God; the Bright and Morning Star; the Bread of Life; the Great I Am; the Great Physician; the Good Shepherd; the Light of the World. And to these were added other names, from the OT, like Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) On and on it goes, the presence of Jesus larger than any one name can contain! Small wonder, then, that the first Christians fell into the custom of treating the name of Jesus in the same fashion their ancestors had treated the ineffable, unutterable name of Jehovah.
The names of Jesus grew in honour and significance with time, as the NT already testifies when it asserts that the name of Jesus is "above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come." (Ephesians 1:21) His name was revered, not because of military exploits like those of Alexander the Great or William the Conquerer, but because "...he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death.... Therefore God ...highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, ...and every tongue ...confess that Jesus Christ is Lord...." (Philippians 2:8-11)
Perhaps it was the deep sense of wonder and honour exuded by the NT that inspired George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) to write the "Hallelujah Chorus," a composition that almost didn't see the light of day. Several years earlier Handel had suffered a stroke at the age of fifty-two, leaving his right arm temporarily paralysed and putting his performances on hold. He also lost a fortune in business, his creditors threatening him with imprisonment. His eyesight gave him great difficulty and continued to deteriorate. Handel persisted, however, and the name that charms our fears and is music to our ears inspired him to continue and complete his most famous creation, Messiah, which ends majestically with the powerful "Hallelujah Chorus," a wonder-filled song of praise to the King of kings and Lord of Lords! Thanks be to God for all the beautiful things that have been done in the name of Jesus. AMEN
"Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Unfortunately, Iago, the character who utters those words in Othello, often said one thing to one person and the opposite to another! Anyway, my father was more familiar with the Scriptures, which inform us that "a good name is better than precious ointment" (Ecclesiastes 7:1), and that a "good name is to be chosen rather than great riches...." (Proverbs 22:1)
Is the immediate jewel of their souls ...
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed."
Quotations of Scripture are from the New Revised Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.