What's in a name?
To some people not a whole lot. To others, everything. Back in the day, men used to place great value on their names. A man's character was truly reflected in his name. For example, mention Wyatt Earp and immediately images of Dodge City, Tucson, Boot Hill, "lawmen," and the gunfight at the "O.K. Corral," come to mind. Few people think of Wyatt and his brothers as silver miners, casino owners, and, well, fairly rough characters.
Speak of John J. ("Blackjack") Pershing and the image of a hard charging U.S. Army general comes to mind. Mention George S. Patton, and the general who beat Hitler's Afrika Korps, moved American Armored Units into Sicily, Italy and on into Europe to help defeat the Nazis in WWII flood people's minds. No one sees the rather small, slightly built Pershing who spoke with a mild voice for a man. Or the raving ego-maniac that Patton could be at times. Slapping one of his privates and ordering the soldier back to the "front." A subordinate commander known to disobey orders, yet demand instantaneous obedience of his own.
Names like the one just mentioned, Hitler. We know we speak of evil incarnate. Others like Genghis Kahn, Mussolini, Ghandi, Idi Amhin, Winston Churchill, Stalin and Lenin, John Lennon and so many others are easily identified and known for what they did.
What about names like Gene Lee Clark, Charles A. Lockhart, Tommy "The Tornado" Williams, Bob "Super-foot" Wallace, Saul of Tarsus, Robert the Bruce? No? You don't recognize those men?
Robert the Bruce was a king of Scotland during William Wallace's lifetime. Surely you remember him? Mel Gibson, the actor, made Wallace and old Bob famous in the movie epic, "Braveheart." "Super-foot" Wallace was a Middle-Heavy Weight, Full Contact Karate Champion. A peer of Chuck Norris. In fact starred with Norris in a couple movies. "Tornado Tommy" Williams was the Texas Middle Weight Full Contact, Kumite (sport), and Kata (forms), Karate Champion in '68, '69 and just before he entered the Army in '70. I took basic training with Tommy at Fort Lewis, WA, in 1970. I met him again in '71 as he had just completed Special Forces "Q" (qualification) Course and we were on our way to Vietnam.
Chuck Lockhart was a WWII Navy veteran who survived a ship-to-ship collision and a torpedoing in the Pacific. He was my grandfather. A very good man. Gene Clark was a Korean War veteran, former Marine, alcoholic, and wife and child abuser. He abused both of his stepsons. Those stepsons were me and my younger brother. Gene wasn't such a good man. He died in '06.
That leaves Saul of Tarsus. An ancient Greek, born into citizenship of Rome. Oddly, his father was the Roman citizen and a Greek. Saul's mother was a Jew. Saul was raised as both. He was brought up as a "liberal (for his day) free thinking" Greek. While at the same time being schooled in Jewish traditions and culture by his mother, then in the local yashiva (or Jewish school). As a young man, Saul was taught by the venerated scholar Gamaleal, how to be a Pharisee. Which Saul identified himself later as, "A Pharisee of Pharisees."
What's my point in all this? Another name we all know well is .... Jesus. That name, in Greek, means Savior. As Savior, Jesus would be, is, the one man in history who we need to know more than any other person. The one name we need to know more intimately, well, than even our own.
You see, there's absolutely no link between any of the names I've mentioned in this article and Jesus except .... yours, mine, Jesus' own name and that last one I wrote about. That Saul of Tarsus guy.
Jesus gave His life freely to pay a terrible price for our freedom; for our very existence. As Jesus and His disciples spread the "Good News," for three years prior to His death on the Cross, someone had to carry that message on afterwards. The disciples of course moved throughout the known Jewish world as that was their divine assignment. There needed to be a messenger to the non-Jewish peoples, or the Gentiles.
While on the road to Damascus, the very elite, and then, very anti-Christian, was confronted by the Risen Christ. Jesus challenged Saul about his attitude and task of persecuting the infant Christian church and followers of, "The Way." As Saul realized he was speaking to and seeing the Risen Christ Jesus, he knew his error. Saul knew, he was a man of ill repute and he must repent and serve this "Messiah (Anointed One) of Israel."
Saul's name was changed by CHrist to "Paul," because he was "small" in comparison to the task Jesus had for him. Christ sent Paul to a different Gamaleal where he studied for three years and was finally released to bring the Gospel or the Good News of Jesus to Gentiles. That is .... us, you .... and me.
What's in a name? What's put in it by the Lord. What can happen to a name? Whatever WE . . . as human beings with a free will determine WE will. We can utterly destroy the meaning and character of the name handed us, we can totally rebuild the name given us into something meaningful and proud or we can go along, status quo, and do nothing from birth, to death.
Still, just as with Saul of Tarsus, when he realized in his meeting with Yeshua ha' Messhiach' (in Hebrew) or in English, Jesus the Messiah, he had met The Anointed One, The Savior, sent by God for all mankind's benefit. Paul realized the purpose for which Jesus had spoken to him and called him was so very much greater than himself, he had to answer the call.
Again. What's in a name? A purpose. What's in a name? A motivation. What's in a name? A direction. What's in a name? Forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life through Jesus Christ, AMEN.