What’s in a Name?

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet…”

(Juliet in Romeo and Juliet)

In Shakespeare’s famous play, Juliet and Romeo were descendants of two different feuding families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Their families’ hatred for each other became an insurmountable obstacle to their relationship even though family names meant nothing to the two who loved each other for who they were.

Therein lies an unshakable reality: what we look like or call ourselves is not an accurate measure of who we are. Regardless of our name, race, gender, social status, and intellect or of how much we try to change or how delusional we become by promoting ourselves to be something we are not, we all possess a morally weak human nature.

Even if we are righteous, generous, and compassionate, our natures are flawed. The greatest proof of universal, human brokenness and creation’s disorder is death, a finality from which we cannot save ourselves. Our thoughts, emotional responses, behaviors, and motives are imperfect. Our names carry no weight in the balance of holiness. Too defective to attain salvation on our own, we are in need of redemption.

However, the good news is that there is one name that is synonymous with perfect goodness and justice. It is Jesus, the Name above all names, the Name of the perfect Son of God. His name is powerful, is synonymous with Truth, reveals God’s grace, and opens the Way into God’s Kingdom. Regardless of who we are, He died to give us his righteousness when we believe. “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy…” (Titus 3:5) “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) If that is true, there is no more significant or crucial name in all of history than Jesus.

Reading and listening to him in Scripture is revelatory. Hillsong Worship wrote a wonderful contemporary song titled “What a beautiful name it is” which expresses the wonder of Jesus’ name. It would be worth a few minutes of time to google the lyrics or listen to it on YouTube.