Wonder in the Name- The Name of Jesus

There was once a man who invited his friend for dinner at his house. Every time the host wanted something from his wife, he called her pet names such as honey, sweet, flower, chocolate etc.. As the night progressed, the visitor could not keep his admiration of their love so he leaned over and asked the host "How do you keep the flame of your love burning after all these years? How come you say these nice pet names to your wife with every time?" Without blinking, the host replied, "Honestly, I have forgotten her name".


What is in a name? Have you ever wondered what a name symbolizes?. A name can be taken for granted but nothing exists without a name. Humans are known to name even the things that they do not know. It is a mandate given to man that can be traced back to the history of man. Gen 2:19 "Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name."

Simply put, a name is that by which a person, place or thing is marked and known. In the Bible, names were generally descriptive of the one named, of his status, of some situation affecting him, etc., hence the name fully represented the person.

A name might be a simple matter to some of us living in the twenty first century, but to God, who is the same yesterday today and forever, a name is of great importance. It was God who initiated the naming "game". To those that God called for a special task and their names did not represent them, God took it upon Himself to change their names, the following are some of the people that God changed their names to suit His purpose for them;

People who God changed their Names in the Bible

1. Abram to Abraham Gen 17:5

2. Sarai to Sarah Gen 17:15

3. Jacob to Israel Gen 32:28

4. Solomon to Jedidah 2 Sam 12:25

5: Saul to Paul Acts 13:9

It was not only God who changed the names of people, but also people who were in authority over other people, foreign kings changed the names of important captives from Israel in order to assimilate them into their culture and religion, some of these cases in the Bible are;

Other name change cases in the Bible

1. Joseph to Zaphnathpa Gen 41:45

2. Gideon to Jerubbaal Judg 6:32

3. Eliakim to Jehoiakim 2Kings 23:34

4. Daniel to Belteshazzar Dan 1:7

5. Hananiah to Shadrack Dan 1:7

6. Mishael to Meshack Dan 1:7

7. Azzariah to Abednego Dan 1:7

These examples signify the weight and importance of a name according to the scriptures. Remember how Esau wept bitterly and in his cry of desperation he said Gen 27:36 "Then he said, Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing." And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"

In some African traditional beliefs, a name was known to carry some spiritual message which was supposed to be fulfilled in the life of the individual who bore the name.

The Name of Jesus-The Name Above all other Names

In the book of Acts chapter 4, a great evangelistic crusade takes place and five thousand people receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. The priesthood is not impressed with that and they approach Peter and his teammates, their next question is"They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?" Acts 4:7.

It was known that in order for a miracle to take place, a superior miracle working and authoritative name had to be invoked. Peter rightfully answers that it was in the name of Jesus that they had performed the said miracles. The name of Jesus was promised before His arrival. It is a name given to humanity to circumvent the powers of evil, to overcome sin, to triumph in life and to secure our destinies. Isa 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Through the name of Jesus, we receive salvation Acts 4:12, It is the name that is exalted above all other names, it triumphs all other names, it overcomes all challenges, that name echoes through eternity and that at the sound of the name of Jesus, all knees bows and all tongues confess that Jesus is Lord! Phil 2:9-11. 

The name of Jesus which is above all other names is given to all humanity, not a section of good looking, hardworking, black or white...No, it is given to all, Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

God had you and me in mind when He initiated the concept of a name. He knew beforehand that humanity will need a savior and He provided beforehand, for it is said that Christ was slain before the foundation of the world was laid. Through the name of Jesus, we no longer need to walk in fear, the name of Jesus consumes all fear. His name is JESUS