Name-Dropper

Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

(Colossians 3:17).

What’s in a name? The question is found in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Standing on her balcony contemplating the situation, Juliet gives her most famous soliloquy. Because she is a Capulet and Romeo is a Montague, their warring families will never consent to the marriage. If only Romeo had a different name! That would solve their problems. “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Juliet verbalizes her agony in words that have been memorized by students of English literature for centuries: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”

What’s the big deal about names?  If we called a rose an onion, what difference would it make? Names are just arbitrary labels that have nothing to do with a person’s identity. Right? Whether Juliet’s cogitations on the balcony have validity, I’m not quite sure. If Romeo Montague changed his name to Buford Holtzclaw, well, why wouldn’t it work? I’ll leave it to others to answer that question! But there is one thing I know for sure: the name of Jesus must not be tampered with! A messiah by any other name would not smell as sweet!

The name of Jesus matters. The New Testament is dogmatic about this. An angel told Joseph that the baby in Mary’s womb had already been given a name – by God himself!

“You shall call his name Jesus,” he said forcefully. (Matt. 1:21). And on numerous occasions the New Testament underscores the importance of Jesus’ name and its unique ability to save (see Lk. 24:47; Jn. 20:31; Acts 4:12; 10:43; Phil. 2:9-11; etc.). Although many different names and titles can be attributed to the second Person of the Trinity (Messiah, Savior, Lamb of God, Immanuel, etc.), the name Jesus surpasses them all.  

But not everyone finds the name of Jesus to be beautiful and attractive. Many are disturbed, annoyed, and even offended when that name is mentioned. That which is a sweet aroma to some is a noxious odor to others. This is odd and hard to explain. The name Buddha doesn’t produce a strong reaction; nor do the names Mohammed, Krishna, or Confucius. But the name of Jesus is different. Peter Kreeft paints a picture of what often happens:

If you confess at a fashionable cocktail party that you personally love to play with porcupines, or plan to sell CIA secrets to the communists, or that you are considering becoming a Palestinian terrorist, you will find a buzzing, fascinated crowd around you, eager to listen. But if you confess that you believe that Jesus is God, that he died to save us from sin, or that there really are a Heaven and a Hell, you will very soon be talking to empty air, with a distinct chill in it. (Back to Virtue, p. 30).  

Jesus said it would be this way: “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” (Matt. 10:22; cf. 24:9. Emphasis added.). How does one explain this? Jesus was gentle, humble, and kind. He loved children. He healed the sick, told good stories, and provided really good beverage service at wedding receptions. Why, then, is his name so scandalous? We can answer this question by noting four areas where many have turned away from Jesus in disgust.  

The scandal of grace.

When Jesus preached in the synagogue at Nazareth, his hometown, at first, “all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth” (Lk. 4:22). But when he reminded the people of how God loved not just the Jews, but also Sidonian widows and Syrian lepers, his warm welcome turned quickly into violent rage. The congregation drove him out of town and wanted to kill him by throwing him off a cliff (see Lk. 4:23-30). Jesus has a unique way of loving all the wrong people. Many people find this intolerable.

The scandal of truth.

We can understand when someone is rejected because they tell lies. But Jesus was cancelled because he told the truth (see Jn. 8:45)! The world hated him for the same reason that cockroaches hate the light. The sermons he preached, the parables he told, and the conversations he engaged in did so much more than entertain, inspire, and teach moral lessons. Like a beam of light shining in a dark room, his words exposed what was hidden, corrected what was false, and confronted what was evil. This made people uneasy and often angry. Many felt he must be silenced. They preferred the false comfort of lies to the liberating discomfort of truth. (see Jn. 3:19-21). His truth-telling was not just aimed at religious phonies, however. Jesus had this annoying habit of telling the truth to everyone, even to his own disciples! Whether he was talking about money, divorce, marriage, sexuality, racism, or worship, his words revealed the ugly reality that lurked in human hearts. If you happened to be a cockroach, this was your worst nightmare!

The Scandal of what Jesus said about himself

It wasn’t just the truths that Jesus taught or the things that Jesus did that upset people. What caused them to go ballistic was who he claimed to be. He dared to assert that he was the fulfillment of Scripture and equal with God! He didn’t say this as if he were boasting. He said it almost casually, as if it were true! More than anything else, this explains the venomous hatred he encountered and why many felt he must be eliminated. (see Mk. 2:7; 14:61-64; Jn. 8:56-59; Jn. 10:30-33; 14:6; etc.).

The scandal of the cross.  

The New Testament underscores the fact that everything about the cross of Jesus is offensive (see I Cor. 1:18-25). The violence, the suffering, and the shame associated with crucifixion express the epitome of defeat and failure. It makes sense that a man might die for God. But that God would die for sinful men and women; this baffles the imagination! Yes, the cross is scandalous. If Jesus is in fact the Son of God and the Savior of the world, why did the story end like this? Ultimately, the cross of Jesus is not a problem to solve, but a mystery to embrace. When this is done, it ceases to be a stumbling stone and becomes the very cornerstone of our faith! (see I Pet. 2:6-8).

Conclusion

The early Christians changed the world because they believed in the name of Jesus, prayed in the name of Jesus, and proclaimed the name of Jesus. Christians in the twenty-first century must learn to do the same. So, dear reader, I want to give you an assignment. Today, I want you to pray for an occasion to name the Name. I’m not asking you to give your testimony or to share the plan of salvation. I’m not asking you to talk about religion, the Bible, or even God. I’m asking you to just slip the Name into a conversation. Like a time-release capsule, its impact may not be immediately obvious. But the name Jesus has more power than you or I could ever imagine. So, today, I’m asking you to be a Name-dropper. This is how the first Christians changed the world. Let’s join them!

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