2117AFC042321 – What was that name again?
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Acts 4:12 – 2 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.
1 John 3:1 – 1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
John 10:17-18 – 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Many of us can recall a “movement” back in the 60’s and 70’s about “Who are you?” The upshot was that we should think less in terms of what we do – I’m a banker, or I’m a teacher, or I’m a lawyer – and more in terms of who we are. Eventually our thought processes were supposed to lead us to “I am a child of God.” That would be followed by other roles such as “I am a son of loving parents,” or “I am a husband, a dad, and a Sergeant in the Army,” or “I am a Christian.” It was sort of a fad to learn those answers, and – like most fads – it eventually faded out. We haven’t stopped asking the question; we just have different answers to “Who am I?” or “What am I?” I am strong, I am invincible, I am me, I am woman, I am important, I am a winner, I am not a failure. It seems pretty much anything outside of our self-image is unimportant. I think that’s how we ended up with the so-called “PC Movement.” We have to be politically correct, everyone is a winner, everyone gets trophies and sprinkles, participation awards, no one should keep score in sports, and we can’t say anything “negative” even if it is the truth because lying is safer than hurting someone’s feelings.
B-a-a-a-a-loney!! 
There are always winners and losers, always beautiful and ugly, always rich and poor, always successes and failures. Recently I said, “Not even God can please everyone all the time,” yet we have been conditioned to believe we have to please everyone anytime and if we can’t do that we are terrible people. Folks, that’s not the way it works. We can’t just go change God’s rules because their ice cream cone fell over. Stuff happens all the time. “But what about ‘Do unto others?’ Are we supposed to forget that?” No! of course not! But neither are we supposed to be dishonest with one another. Would you tell a four-year-old boy who wants to be a Super Hero that he can really fly if he just starts high enough and then show him the ladder? When we lie to each other, we break down the trust that is the foundation, the bulwark of honesty! Should we go out of our way to remind people they are winners or losers, beautiful or ugly, rich or poor, successor or failures? No! of course not! Well, then what do we do?
We tell the truth, and make honest efforts to help where help is needed. Sometimes that means giving uplifting support, and sometimes that means smacking someone about their shortcomings so they can see the way to improvement. If I’m making a fool of myself, is it better for everyone to tell me, “Chick, that’s awesome!” or is it better for me to hear, “Dude, you better think about what you’re doing.”? What am I driving at here? Simple: LABELS ARE NOT NAMES. We label people all the time – he’s a crook, she’s a liberal, they’re all crazy people, that’s a junkie for you, what a loser, rich guys make me sick, _____ lives matter, never trust a ______, shameless hussy, just another religious nut. These are labels not names. Let me ask you, then, “What is your name?” Even more important than what your name is might be what your name means. I am not referring here to the popular websites that tell you what a baby’s name means. I’m talking about what happens when your name comes up in conversation, or when someone needs help, or what people hope for when your name is mentioned.
We used to think it was good, useful, important, even desirable to say, “I’m a Christian,” or “I’m an American,” or “I’m a child of God.” These days, none of those get us any points for social status. In fact, most stuff like that has been degraded to the level of insult, and that is a great example of how the Devil bends and twists the truth to make what is evil good and what is good evil. As my dear friend, John Kretser, recently said, “Of course, given the character and attitude of the average American, today, the expected response to such a message will be somewhere between dismissiveness and mockery with, perhaps, a stripe of unbelief.” Let’s take a look then at what is in the POWER of a name, and let’s start with a name like Jesus.
Most of you know that his name was Yeshua – Hebrew for Joshua which means Yahweh Delivers or Yahweh is Salvation from the roots יְהוֹ referring to the Hebrew God JAH and יָשַׁע SHUA meaning “to save”. And what did The Apostle Peter say about Jesus’ name? “Acts 4:12 – 2 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” In this case, Savior is not a label; it is a name! For the most part, Biblical names are names not labels. Petra and Cephas (that is KAYphas not SEEphas) are names, however Thomas is a name, and Didymus (Twin) is a label, but Thomas means “A twin” so in John 11:16, it reads “So Thomas (the twin) who was called “The Twin …”
So, what happened to Thomas’ other sibling, the other twin? Maybe there wasn’t one. Thomas is from an Aramaic meaning “twin”. Thomas is the Greek variation of the Aramaic name Ta’oma’. There were too many apostles named Judas (Jude), so Jesus renamed one Thomas – “the twin” – to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot and the Judas also known as Thaddeus whom we now call St. Jude Thaddeus. How about that? Names can have meanings, but labels can harm feelings. Everyone wants to be called by their name not their label. Names are important because they mysteriously affect our inclinations. In societies that have strong familial bonds like clans and tribes, names are connected to life in the group. Here in Hawaiʻi for example, infants are given long, descriptive Hawaiʻian names, and as they grow, they are taught the meaning of the name and the reasons for choosing it. In biblical times, the giving of names was also important, and that is why I often give the translation – the meaning of the name – when I write for you. Let me give you a few examples:
- Isaiah – Jesaiah or Jeshaiah = “Jehovah has saved.”
- Samson (note there is no ‘p’ – it’s not Sampson) Shimshown {shim-shone’} Samson = “like the sun.”
- Miriam or Miryam = “rebellion” The first occurrence of this name is in Exodus 15:20, and there she is described as a prophetess, the sister of Moses. The English name Mary is from a letter-for-letter transcription of the Latin and Greek name Μαρία (Maria), which in turn is an adaptation of the Hebrew name Miriam. This is why I have said in the past, “When ‘Rebellion’ – Mary or Miryam – submitted to God – The Holy Spirit – the Christ who could and would conquer the Rebellion of Lucifer would be conceived in her womb to be consubstantial with God his Father and thus be the Messiah.”
- Hannah = “grace” She was the mother of Samuel, a wife of Elkanah. Elkanah = “God has possessed” or “God has created”
- And of course we are thinking about Jesus Ἰησοῦς, (Iésous) {ee-ay-sooce’} Jesus, the transliteration of the Hebrew term, “Yehoshua” or Jehoshua, contracted to “Joshua” which means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation” In Hebrew it is Yeshua (Yeh-SHOO-ah) a contraction of Yehoshua, and therefore Yeshua also means “the Lord (Yahweh) is salvation.” He is the anointed Christ of God.
Now, all of those are names of important people in the Bible and all of the names are … important names because they tell us something about the person called by that name. But have we ever thought about the labels that were applied to Jesus? One of the first and most important is Immanuel, and we also see it spelled Emmanuel. Take a look at how this appears in the Bible only three times:
Isaiah 7:14 – 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.
Isaiah 8:8 – 8 it will sweep on into Judah as a flood, and, pouring over, it will reach up to the neck; and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel. (See Isaiah 8:5-10 for context, especially verse 10)
Matthew 1:23 – 23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” (See Matthew 1:20-23 for context.) And we also have this famous list from Isaiah 9:6 – 6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
He is also called משיח (mashiach/mah-shee-ahch) Messiah, Christos – Christ, Theos – God, Adonai – Lord, Kyrios – Lord, Logos – Word, Only-Begotten and First-Begotten, Elohim – God, the Good Shepherd; Lamb of God, Savior, Mediator between God and Man, our Intercessor, our Advocate; Son of Adam, of Abraham, of David, of God, of Man, of Mary, of Joseph; Anointed (See 2012AFC032020 – Anointed for Good for more information), the Christ of God, Brother, King, Friend; he has many labels, titles if you will, but HIS NAME IS Jesus. Acts 4:12 – 2 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved. God had given his chosen and anointed ruler, Cyrus, a promise that every part of Creation would bow before God, and thus we have this amazing testimony in Philippians 2:10 – 10 so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (See Philippians 2:5-11 to review in context) American Standard Version (ASV) Public Domain See Also Isaiah 45:23 which is quoted in Romans 14:10-11. Belovéd, I urge you to follow those links because if you do, you will have complete clarity about why the name of Jesus is THE Holy Name.
Now, I want to share with you something that I overheard the other day. It’s a music link to a very popular song from the 60s by the Australian group, The Seekers. As I listened to this song, I realized it was one of those folk-pop tunes that lends itself well to a Gospel message. We’ve done that before with “I will follow him,” for example. Here’s a link to the nifty little tune called Another You. The first verse kind of sets the mind toward today’s topic. Listen along to this recording of Another You (↔ Music Link). The first verse goes like this:
There’s a new world somewhere
They call the promised land,
And I’ll be there someday
If you will hold my hand
I’ll still need you there beside me
No matter what I do
For I know I’ll never find another you © 1964 Springfield-Music, Ltd Copyright Renewed
Jesus’ name is the only name through which we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. He, Jesus, is indeed the only Savior we have or need because, as he himself said, 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father. And that is why we follow him – where he leads (↔ Music Link) us we will follow because, as we read in John 10:11 – 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Blesséd be God forever in his Angels, his Saints, and his Children!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
