The "wonderful" name, Jesus

We were thinking on the Lord's day morning about names, and in particular about the name of Jesus.

In the first books of the Old Testament, God reveals himself through his names, inviting his people to call upon him using the name we associate with his covenant (Ex 6:3). We recognise this as a revelation of the Father.

But the narratives also call attention to the revelation of the name of another divine person. We thought about three instances of this:

When Jacob wrestles the mysterious man at Jabbok, he solicits Jacob's name, and gives him the new name of "Israel." But he won't provide Jacob with his own name: "Why is it that you ask my name?" (Gen 32:29). Jacob recognises that this "man" is divine.

Later on, an angel appears to Manoah and his wife, promising them a miraculous son. Manoah asks for the angel's name, but the "angel of the LORD" refuses to give it: "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?" - or, as the King James puts it, "secret" (Judges 13:18).

Later again, promises another miraculous baby to the people of God: "the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful" - "secret" (Isaiah 9:6).

Three times the Old Testament writers call attention to a divine person, whose name was secret and yet to be revealed.

But then his name is revealed. "You shall call his name Jesus" (Matt 1:21). Jesus? It was one of the most common of all names. There are probably more people in the Bible called Joshua (Hebrew) or Jesus (Greek equivalent) than any other. There are about 4 or 5 people in the New Testament who share that name: Bar-Jesus was a Jewish false prophet (Acts 13:6); Jesus called Justus was a friend of Paul (Col 4:11); and Barabbas was also called Jesus, according to some Greek mss of Matt 26:16-17.

Part of the humiliation of our Lord was that in his incarnation he adopted one of the most ordinary names possible for Jewish boys.

But with this difference - for the first time, someone bore the name of Joshua/Jesus for whom its meaning was true. Here for the first time was someone who could "save his people from their sins" (Matt 1:21).

That ordinary name has been transformed by our Lord. For "God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus ever knee should bow" (Phil 2:9-10). And God has given him "a name written that no one knows but himself" (Rev 19:12), "the name by which he is called is The Word of God" (Rev 19:13), and "on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev 19:16).