Jesus

17. UNDERSTANDING JESUS’ NAME 
Christians believe that the name “Jesus” has mystical power. Thus they quote his name often thinking that somehow God is pleased with them when they say his name. They do this without understanding that the only name God is concerned about is his name/character.

STUDY TIP: See this link for understanding of God’s name.

What Christians do not understand is that Biblical references to Jesus’ name are not to an actual name. The name “Jesus” is just another name like any other name such as Robert or Mary. In fact, Jesus was a common name in Jewish culture during New Testament times. It is absurd, therefore, to think that anyone and everyone with the name Jesus had special power and authority.

Names are human inventions. Names only have the meaning and power that humans invest in them. And the meaning and power they have usually exists only in the cultures that use them.

This is all very different from God’s name. The Bible says that God has several names, but these mean nothing unless they are associated with God’s character.

STUDY TIP: See this link for understanding of God’s character.

When Jesus was baptized, he died to religion and his heart was born again into the likeness of God’s heart. From that point forward, his name (i.e. character) was God’s character. Scripture that says that the name of Jesus is above all other names, therefore, mean that the character of Jesus which is God’s character is above all other characters.

Philippians 2:8-10

8 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

COMMENTARY: This says clearly that Jesus was human. The humility Jesus endured is the same humility that all New Covenant disciples endure: He had to admit that religion is sin. See this link for understanding of humility.

The Bible does not report the event of Jesus humbling himself, but we know that it happened because God only exalts people who are humbled. In verse 9 we read that God exalted Jesus. Therefore, Jesus must have fulfilled the requirement of humility before he was exalted.

See Second Death for understanding of Jesus’ death.

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

 
Jesus was exalted, lifted up, raptured when he heard God’s spoken voice. When he was exalted, he became a New Covenant disciple. At that moment, Jesus’ heart embodied God’s character because God’s laws were written on his heart. Only people who have God’s laws written on their hearts have God’s character in their hearts. This transformation is the miracle of creation in which the hearts of people are born again into the likeness of God’s heart. It is at that moment that their hearts are recreated into the image/character of God’s heart.
 
John 17:11-12 “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.
 
COMMENTARY: The world here is a symbolic reference to the world of religion which includes all religions.
 
When Jesus said he is “no longer in the world” of religion, he admits that he once was in the world of religion. That means he was a an Old/First Covenant religionist before God changed his heart and became a New Covenant disciple. That also means that he was not born sinless and was not always sinless because he practiced the sin of religion along with his friends and family who continue to practice religion because they are still in the world of religion.
 
The Greek word “tero” that is translated as “keep” in the NAS bible, means to guard – properly, maintain (preserve); (figuratively) spiritually guard (watch), keep intact. People who are in the world of religion are not protected by God’s name/character.
 
Because New Covenant disciples are not in the world of religion, they are protected by God’s name/character because God’s spiritual laws are written on their hearts. This protection applies only to their hearts. It does not apply to their physical bodies, their finances, their relationships or any aspect of their physical life — except to the degree that having God’s laws written on their hearts informs their decisions about how to live their lives.
 
Jesus is essentially praying that his friends and family will stop practicing religion, stop listening to religious leaders, and start listening to God’s  spoken voice. He prays this because he is concerned about the quality of their hearts. He understands that, as religious people,  they have evil, impure hearts, and he knows that what is best for them is that God will give them clean, pure hearts when they stop listening to religious leaders and start listening to God’s spoken voice. This prayer is consistent with Jesus’ instructions about prayer.
 
Jesus understands that people with clean, pure hearts will no longer identify with their religions. Their identities will be established in the fact that their hearts are created in God’s image. From that point on, they will be one (i.e. have the same heart), just like God and Jesus have the same heart, instead of divided by their various religious identities.
 
12 “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
 
COMMENTARY: Since name refers to character, when Jesus said he was keeping them in God’s name, he was saying that he was keeping people in God’s character.
 
The practice of praying in Jesus’ name is inspired by John 14:13-14:
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
 
To understand this verse, we must begin by looking at the words in the original Greek text without the words added by Bible editors:
 

Christians like to believe that there is some special power in saying Jesus’ name. That is why they think that if they add the words “in Jesus’ name” to a prayer or a benediction, they give the prayer a spiritual boost to that God recognizes and honors. They do not realize that they are really practicing a kind of magic with words.

Adding “in Jesus’ name” has no more spiritual power than saying “abracadabra” or “alakazaam.” Saying the word “Jesus” has no more spiritual power than saying “Robert” or “John” or “Mary.” It is all religious mumbo jumbo.

Saying “in Jesus’ name” means nothing to God. He does not reward people who pray saying “in Jesus” name” with answers to their prayers. But, saying “in Jesus’ name” does mean something to Christians. People who use this catch phrase do it to demonstrate their super-spirituality to people who hear them pray. Using this phase is a good way for religious people to make a name for themselves. But God is not impressed or moved to action when people use this phrase.

Affection for Jesus’ name is also inspired by this verse:

Philippians 2:8-10  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 
COMMENTARY: Christians do not understand that names in the bible refer to character. With that principle in mind, therefore, name refers to Jesus’ character. Since Jesus was created in God’s image and spoke for God, his name/character is equated with God’s name/character which is revealed in his spoken word. It is recognition of God’s character as revealed in his spoken word that causes people to bow down to listen to his voice. 

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