a l i v e & a w a k e

My name is Joe. What is the depth and meaning to my name? Does that sound that vocalizes my name inform my being? Is it just a symbol to help me be identified or is the symbol my identity?  I respond to it, but do I live for my name or does it serve a purpose to help my being and essence be recognized? Now I appreciate names (read about my daughter Liv). My question is, "Aren't names just symbols?"

Maybe my name is not as important as others. Some others had names they lived up to, like ‘Joshua’ (which doesn’t it mean in Hebrew what ‘Jesus’ means in Greek –Savior?). He actually lived this name of ‘saving’ and was a symbol to the Israel nation.  He became the one who all looked up to making the work of the Creator come true on this physical planet. But his name is still not the total sum of his essence, his being. There is still missing the life he lives outside of the job description of his name. Joshua’s life continued even though Israel was in the promise land.

Let me dare to talk about a name that may not be the total sum of His being ---Jesus Christ.  There are many people who give a special power to the name of Jesus. Does that name have power or does the person behind it have that power? For instance if I named my child Jesus, would there be certain anointed power given to my child? History has shown no (Jesus Jones, etc). So really the name means nothing unless it is point to a being or person. Jesus is the most familiar way to refer to the being who came to earth as the second part of God, lived a dynamic Kingdom life, spoke the message of abundant life, raised up disciples, died, rose again and empowered a body of people to be like Himself.

He has a name for us as a reference point to this being, but is that so important to the heavenlies and God?  The name means deliverer (Jesus) and anointed one (Christ). Those concepts are important but are not all encompassing. Even Jesus when asked by the rulers of the day he replied “I am”.   If we want to get more accurate it may be we need to go back to terms like ‘Messiah’ and ‘Emmanuel’. The word Messiah is more the term Jesus confirmed Himself to be rather than Jesus Christ. Looking at the word Messiah we can see this starts to open new insight on this being. I have lately heard about the Samaritan definition of Messiah.

Messiah to the Samaritans meant ‘Taleb” (there is an accent over the ‘a’ of some sort). That  word means ‘revealer and restorer’. This is different from the word Messiah in Hebrew terms meaning ‘victor’. Looking to the interaction of the woman at the well in John 4, the dialogue Jesus and the woman had was in Aramaic. It was translated to Greek and than to our English eyes. Let’s look to the passage.

The term ‘Taleb’

25 The woman said, "I know the Messiah will come--the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
26 Then Jesus told her, "I am the Messiah"!
27 Just then his disciples arrived. They were astonished to find him talking to a woman, but none of them asked him why he was doing it or what they had been discussing.
28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone,
29 "Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?"
  John 4:25-29 (NLT)

The word Messiah is used the same every time. So let’s look at maybe what this conversation looked like dropping the titles.

The woman said “I know the revealer and restorer will come, --the one who is called the ‘Anointed One’.  The revealer will explain everything to us.

Jesus told her “I am the revealer and restorer” (He uses her term not the typical Jewish term).

The woman goes back and says “Come meet the man who knows all I have done and has revealed it to me. Could He be the revealer and restorer?”

That concept of being the revealer is fascinating enough to me, but I want to drive home the significance of a name. Jesus doesn’t seemed to correct her or clarify any specific name, in fact He embraces her name and terminology.

My last name is Tenthorey. Now how would you say that? Most people pronounce the ‘th’ in the middle so it sounds like ‘ten- thor- ree’ when really the ‘h’ is silent sounding like ‘ten- tor-ee’.  My one mentor of eleven years still introduces me pronouncing the ‘h’. That doesn’t threaten me or my identity though, because I know he is referring to me and cares about me.  I think the same could be true of Jesus.

Jesus uses many terms to help us understand His being, not His name. The names I have seen are;

-the two Messiahs (Hebrew victor/chosen and Greek revealer/restorer)

-Son of God (John 10:36)

-Son of Man (

-Holy One (John 10:36)

-Christ

-King of the Jews (Mark 15:2)

-Son of the Blessed One (Mark 14:62)

-I Am (Mark 14:62)

-many more like ‘life’, ‘way’, ‘truth’, ‘door’, ‘vine’, etc.

Is Jesus trying to be confusing or is He painting a big picture with a mosaic of many name to give greater understanding of His total being? That term “I Am” should be ringing some familiar bells, especially because it ticked off the religious rulers He told it to. They were really upset because this term “I Am” was how God introduced Himself to Moses in Exodus 3. ‘I Am’ is a very open ended, vague term. This may have been purposeful on Jesus’ part just as it was purposeful on God’s part in the time of Moses. Before I drive home a practical implication of this for our world I want to go back to God’s use for a name.

The word ‘God’ is a man made term for identifying this being the Israelite nation was encountering. YHWH or Yahweh or Jehovah, is the most correct term of God’s name that the Jews didn’t even say. Apart from that title (because it still isn’t His name), this being is explained as;

-Jehovah Jireh

-My Banner

-El shaddi

-Lord

etc. (too many for the purposes of this read, but you get the point, there is maybe 50 different terms used)

God did not seem threatened by the names given to Him by His people. In fact we benefit from those names because it paints a greater picture of Who this God is. The main point of all His names was to relationally involve His people in His work and have them understand His character. So what does this mean today?

The Name Jesus seems to be (unfortunately) tainted and misrepresented. The true being of Jesus is what the world wants and craves for they just cringe when this name is said. Why is that? I have heard that the name Jesus is offensive because of the conviction that name brings to people, but I am not sure that is really it. Awful and evil things have been done and said in the name of Jesus throughout the history of Christianity. There are many terms that are in the same boat as being social ‘swear words’ like; church, bible, Christian, God, etc.

So what do we do, make a mission to redeem these names or change the title to fit the needs of people who need the work of Jesus and a greater understanding of His character? It may be we are more looking for people who display the character and work of God just as much as those who can say the ‘proper’ terms of God, Jesus and church. Sometimes those who know the right terms display less of Jesus’ work and character than those who cringe when they hear that title. More and more I believe if we are to ‘reach this world’ we are to saturate ourselves in the work and character of God/Jesus in the world measured by the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), and the ‘one another’s’ (like love, forgive, encourage, exhort, bear burdens, confess to, etc. -31 in all).

Jesus even gives a test for Himself,

why do you call it blasphemy when the Holy One who was sent into the world by the Father says, 'I am the Son of God'?37 Don't believe me unless I carry out my Father's work.
38 But if I do his work, believe in what I have done, even if you don't believe me. Then you will realize that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father."
  John 10:37-38 (NLT)

There are many people who do not know the right words or the right terminology for God and Jesus, but they display His character more accurately than those who do know the right terminology. Why are we so hung up on names than? Do a study some time into the dark history of the church and a group called the "Cathars" in France. This story now from our view point is horrific as far as what people do in the 'name' of Jesus. The well know phrase "Kill em all and let God sort em out." comes from that time period.

Chances are that if we open our view and scope to seek out the character and work of Jesus even though we do not hear His name, we might see way more of who Jesus is and have all the more to celebrate of His character in the world and people around us.

-joe