The name of God

Names. They are the first gifts we receive, sounds that identify us, often chosen for their aesthetic appeal or perhaps to honor a beloved family member. In the modern Western world, the sound of a name, its flow, and its potential popularity often dictate our choices. We pick what resonates with us, what rolls off the tongue, what we simply like. But journey back in time, particularly to the ancient biblical landscape, and the practice of naming unveils a profound tapestry of meaning, a window into circumstance, hope, and even divine revelation. Here, a name wasn't just a label; it was a prophecy, a memory, or a declaration.

Consider the poignant story of Hannah (1 Samuel 1), a woman burdened by barrenness, her deepest desire for a child. Her fervent prayers ascended to God, and in His mercy, she conceived a son. Her choice of name for this miraculous child was not arbitrary but a testament to her experience: Samuel. The Hebrew "Shama El" translates to "God listens." Every time she called his name, Hannah was reminded, and indeed reminded others, that the divine ear had bent towards her plea. Samuel was a living, breathing echo of God's attentiveness, a hope fulfilled, and a promise embodied. His name was his story.

This concept of names carrying inherent meaning deepens exponentially when we turn our gaze to the divine. In the scorching desert, amidst a burning bush that was not consumed, God revealed Himself to Moses. It was a pivotal moment, not just for a shepherd turned reluctant leader, but for all of humanity. When Moses, bewildered and overwhelmed, dared to ask for a name—a declaration of identity to present to the skeptical Israelites—the answer he received was unlike any other. "I am who I am," God declared, a statement of eternal self-existence, limitless and unbound by human comprehension. Then came the command: "Say that I AM has sent me" (Exodus 3:13-15). This majestic, self-referential name is known as the Tetragrammaton, Greek for "four letters," represented by YHWH (יְהוָֹה, Strong's Word 3068). Whether pronounced Yahweh or Jehovah, this name, steeped in mystery and power, became the sacred identifier of the God of Israel.

The profound reverence for this divine name led to a fascinating linguistic and spiritual practice. The commandment "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7) was taken with such gravity that uttering YHWH aloud became taboo. To avoid any potential transgression, when scribes encountered YHWH in the sacred texts, they would substitute it with "Adonai," (אֲדֹנָי, Strong's Word 136) meaning "Lord." This practice extended into translation, which is why in many English Bibles, particularly in the Old Testament, you often find "LORD" rendered in all capital letters. It's a subtle yet powerful signal, indicating that where you see "LORD" in caps, the original Hebrew text held the awe-inspiring Tetragrammaton, YHWH.

This substitution, far from diminishing the name's power, actually reinforces its exclusivity and profound meaning. Take, for example, the comforting words of Psalm 23, penned by King David: "The LORD is my shepherd..." The presence of "LORD" in all caps immediately tells us that David proclaimed, "Yahweh is my shepherd." But understanding that Yahweh literally means "I AM" transforms the verse into something far more intimate and definitive: "I AM the shepherd." This isn't merely a shepherd; it asserts an absolute, singular identity. There is no other. It proclaims God's sole, unparalleled role as protector, guide, and provider. This "I AM" statement, embedded in His very name, speaks to a unique, exclusive relationship.

This theme of "I AM" as an exclusive declaration of divine attributes isn't limited to the Tetragrammaton itself. It echoes through various compound names for God found throughout scripture, each one a facet of His character, prefaced by the unspoken "I AM."

We encounter:

• Jehovah Jireh (Genesis 22:14): "I AM the provider." A name born from Abraham's obedient sacrifice and God's miraculous provision, declaring Him as the ultimate source of all needs.

• Jehovah Rapha (Exodus 15:26): "I AM the healer." Revealed to the Israelites after their deliverance from Egypt, promising restoration and wholeness.

• Jehovah Shalom (Judges 6:24): "I AM peace." Spoken over Gideon in a time of fear and uncertainty, affirming His presence as the bringer of true peace.

Each of these names, (and many others,) when understood through the lens of "I AM," isn't just descriptive; it’s a living testament to God's active presence and singular capacity in these roles. He doesn't just provide or heal or give peace; He is the very essence of these things, uniquely and completely.  There is no provision, no healing, and no peace apart from Him!

This profound concept of "I AM" finds its startling fulfillment in the person of Jesus. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly employs this powerful phrase, aligning Himself directly with the divine declaration made to Moses. When He proclaimed, "I AM the way, the truth, and the life," (John 14:6) He wasn't offering one path among many, but declaring Himself as the singular, ultimate reality. When He said, "I AM the bread of life," (John 6:35) He wasn't suggesting an option for spiritual nourishment, but establishing Himself as the sole sustainer of eternal existence. These were not casual statements; they were direct, audacious claims of divinity, understood by His listeners to be nothing less than an assertion of being YHWH Incarnate.

Perhaps one of the most resonant "I AM" statements of Jesus directly links Him to David's Psalm: "I AM the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11). In this, He wasn't merely adopting a pastoral metaphor; He was explicitly identifying Himself as the "LORD" of Psalm 23. He was declaring, in no uncertain terms, "I AM Yahweh, the one and only Shepherd." This statement directly challenges any notion of other gods or other saviors, presenting Himself as the unique fulfiller of divine promises, the sole keeper of the flock.

Even His very human name, Jesus, carries this weighty divine declaration. In Matthew 1:21, Mary is told by an angel that her child will be named Jesus, "for he shall save his people from their sins." The Hebrew origin of Jesus, "Yeshua," means "Jehovah saves." But again, peeling back the layers, if Jehovah means "I AM," then Jesus's name literally and functionally translates to "I AM the Savior." This isn't just a title of capability; it's a declaration of identity and exclusivity. Salvation, according to this profound etymology, is not found through Jesus as an agent, but in Jesus as the divine "I AM" who embodies salvation itself. There is salvation in Him, and in no other.

From Hannah’s heartfelt prayer to the burning bush, from David’s poetic declaration to Jesus’s bold claims, the biblical narrative weaves a consistent thread: names carry power, meaning, and revelation. And at the heart of it all is the Name above all names, YHWH, the "I AM," a timeless declaration of God's unique, exclusive, and ever-present reality. It transforms names from simple identifiers into profound theological statements, echoing through history and shaping our understanding of the divine.

The Passion Week: Resurrection Sunday!!

This Easter season, I’ve made a series of posts addressing skeptics’ criticism surrounding the Resurrection.  As we close in on Easter, I wanted to do a day-by-day detail discussing the events happening during the Passion Week. 

Today is the day!  He is risen - He is risen indeed!!

Resurrection Sunday

Luke 24:1-6, Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen:

When the women found the tomb empty, Luke tells us they were “perplexed.”  Their first thought wasn’t that He rose from the dead but that maybe someone had moved the body.  It wasn’t until the angel reminded them of Jesus’ words that they remembered His promise that He would rise from the dead.

When they went to tell the disciples, verses 10-11 tell us that neither did the disciples believe.  It says, “their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.” Even after going to the tomb, finding it empty, and seeing the grave clothes cast aside, verse 12 says that Peter left, still wondering what had happened.

Later that same day, the disciples were gathered together - still in hiding and still unsure of what had happened - when Jesus appeared to them (John 20:19)!  John 20:20 says, “And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.”  

Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them.  When they told Thomas that they had seen the Lord, Thomas refused to believe.  He insisted, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).  He sounded pretty firm in his unbelief.

Are you starting to see a pattern here?  Everyone knew that Jesus was dead because they watched Him die.  None of them would believe unless they saw Him alive again.  It’s as though they could believe only the things they witnessed themselves.  So the words that He had spoken to them and the promises that He made meant nothing compared to what they could judge with their own eyes!  How sad.  

This same attitude exists even today. Skeptics sometimes ask, “If God is real, why doesn’t He just show Himself?”  When answering this question, we must first remember that God is under no obligation to appear to us. He has already given us His revelation in the form of the Bible. There is nothing else we need in order to know how to be saved. The Bible itself attests that the Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). If someone wishes to ignore the written word of God and insist that God appear to him personally, then that is his loss.

However, even though God has no obligation to appear to us, He already has! John 1:14 says, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  While on earth, Jesus gave us many signs and miracles as evidence of who He was, He told us He was the only way to the Father, He promised eternal life to everyone who believed in Him, and we have the written record of His words, miracles, and His Resurrection. There is nothing more we need!

It is not possible to overstate the importance of the Resurrection. It is the lynchpin of Christianity. Without the Resurrection, there is no Christian faith. The Apostle Paul said, And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14).  The Resurrection secures our hope for eternal life. Christ promised that those who believe in Him will never perish (John 3:16). Yet what good is His promise if Jesus Himself is dead in the ground? If Jesus died and did not rise, then His promise for our eternal life died with Him.  But the real significance of the Resurrection goes far beyond our hope in the afterlife. Everything that Jesus said and did is validated by His Resurrection: Every promise He made, every commandment He gave, and every doctrine that He taught us were all proven true on that first Easter Sunday.

Read again of Thomas’s encounter with the Risen Savior:

John 20:26-29, And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

I’m sometimes jealous of the disciples who saw Jesus face to face.  It’s hard to imagine the wonder and amazement that Thomas felt, seeing Jesus alive again.  In his joy, he declared Jesus to be his Lord and God!  Yet I rejoice even more in Jesus’ response: Thomas believed because he saw Jesus alive again; yet we are even more blessed than Thomas because we believe without having seen!

Jesus said to Thomas, “Be not faithless, but believing.”  The words of Jesus to Thomas are my prayer now.  Consider the Risen Savior. Do not wait, hoping somehow you’ll see for yourself; you have heard the good news already.  Know that everything He said was proven true by His Resurrection and be not faithless, but believing!

The Passion Week: Saturday, the Sabbath

 This Easter season, I’ve made a series of posts addressing skeptics’ criticism surrounding the Resurrection.  As we close in on Easter, I want to do a day-by-day detail discussing the events happening during the Passion Week. 

Please keep checking back!

Saturday

Being the Jewish Sabbath, not much would have been done on this day.  The disciples, shocked and demoralized, were probably hiding for fear that they too would find themselves facing religious and political persecution.  The only record in the gospels of what happened on this day is found in Matthew 27:

Matthew 27:62-66, Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, [s]aying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

For His entire public ministry, Jesus found Himself at odds with religious leaders.  His sincere and correct way of teaching the Law upset the hyper-literal and fruitless interpretation taught by the Pharisees.  Because He spoke as someone with authority, they wanted to see a sign from God, a miracle, to prove He had the authority to speak for God.  Jesus promised them one:

Matthew 12:38-40, Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The Pharisees seemed to understand His words because, in their conversation with Pilate, they said, “[W]e remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.”  I think it’s interesting that they understood His words even better than the disciples did!  

Anyway, even when Jesus hung on the cross, they mocked Him, saying, “He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him” (Matthew 27:42).  That’s curious.  Still today, I have heard unbelievers say that if God came down and appeared to them, then they would believe.  I know comments like this are never sincere but I’m not sure of the point of them.  Do people say things like this in order to be condescending?  Or are they trying to convince other people that they are being open minded, saying they would believe if they had enough evidence?  I don’t know.

What they said to Pilate next strikes at the heart of the issue: “Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.”

The Pharisees understood the power of the Resurrection.  They remembered that Jesus had promised the sign of Jonah to prove His authority.  If Jesus rose from the dead, then everything He said, did, and taught would be validated!  The Pharisees didn’t want that.  If Jesus remained dead in the tomb, then all of His promises would be there too, dead with Him.

Today, we have the full revelation of Scripture.  We have the written testimony of people who were eyewitnesses to His preaching, His miracles, and His Resurrection.  They are people who saw Him alive, saw Him die, and saw Him alive again!  If you believe in your heart He rose from the dead and accept Him as your Lord, you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10)!

But if people do not believe the Bible, if they do not believe the words written by the prophets and apostles as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, then no amount of “evidence” will convince them.  I’m reminded of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.  In the parable, Jesus tells us of a conversation between Abraham and the rich man.  From Hell, the rich man pleaded with Abraham:

Luke 16:27-31, Then [the rich man] said, I pray thee therefore, father [Abraham], that thou wouldest send [Lazarus] to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

The Pharisees claimed to believe in Moses but they didn’t.  They claimed to be the sons of Abraham but they weren’t.  Had they believed in Moses and Abraham, then they would have believed in Jesus, but they didn’t - even though He rose from the dead!!

The Passion Week: Good Friday

This Easter season, I’ve made a series of posts addressing skeptics’ criticism surrounding the Resurrection.  As we close in on Easter, I want to do a day-by-day detail discussing the events happening during the Passion Week. 

Please keep checking back!

Good Friday

So many things happen on this day that it’s impossible to fit a thorough discussion of them into a single post.  The most important event - by far, of course - is the Crucifixion.  Yet, what do I do about the other events?  Though they may be overshadowed by the Cross, should I omit them when there is still so much to learn from them?  Of all the days of the Passion Week I’ve covered before now, I knew this day would be the most difficult to address adequately.  I just pray in advance that God will guide my thoughts and forgive my clumsy words.

Let me start by saying there is some debate on what day of the week Jesus was crucified.  Much of the disagreement centers on Matthew 12:40 where Jesus said, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”  There are those people who insist this means Jesus must have been in the tomb for 72 hours - 3 literal days.  In order to fit 3 nights between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, they claim Jesus died on Thursday.  Others go even further, saying He died on Wednesday, just before sundown and the Passover (the ‘high day’ discussed in John 19:31) was Thursday.  

My problem with a Wednesday or Thursday crucifixion is that Paul attests that Jesus “rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:14).  If Jesus were in the tomb for the entirety of 3 days, then He would have risen on the fourth day!  I believe the “days and nights” Jesus spoke of in Matthew, is just a colloquial way of saying “day” and includes any part of the day.  Thus, part of Friday, all day Saturday, and raising on Sunday fits with both passages of Scripture.  

This is my personal belief but I do not begrudge others who may hold a different opinion.  In our western way of thinking, it’s hard to draw a defining line between the events of Thursday and the events on Friday.  The Jewish day begins at sundown, while in the west, the next day starts at midnight.  So in this case, Friday technically began on what some (including me) would call Thursday.  Since I ended my last post with the arrest of Jesus, I will consider the events that followed His arrest to be happening on Friday.  I know it’s complicated, but realize that the events are historical regardless of the day to which we assign them.

The flight of the disciples and Peter’s denial

Jesus had warned His disciples earlier that they would soon fall away, citing Zechariah 13:7.  I will remind you of that conversation:

Matthew 26:31-33, Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

I’m amused at the pride of Peter who seemed more upset that his loyalty would be questioned rather than amazed at Jesus saying He would rise again!  It’s as though Peter was so offended, that he completely missed the remark.  Of course, Jesus was correct and, just as He had also prophesied, Peter would later deny even knowing Him.

I think we sometimes judge people of the Bible too harshly.  We have the entire revelation of Scripture so, in a sense, we know more than they.  They were living in the times the Bible was being written and probably struggled to understand what was happening.

In my life of comfort, it’s easy for me to look down on Peter and boast that I would have never denied knowing Him.  I like to think that I would stand fast if I had to face real threats of harm on account of my faith.  But I know that I’ll probably never be in that situation.  In the meanwhile, I know there are some Christians who wouldn’t take their Bibles to work because they’re afraid of what their coworkers might say.  Knowing what I know now, if I were to ever deny knowing Jesus, that would make me 100 times more a coward than Peter!

The trials of Jesus

The Bible tells us that Jesus was taken in front of multiple authorities to face the accusations being made against Him: Annas (John 18:13), Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57-68), Pilate (Luke 23:2-5), and Herod (Luke 23:6-12).  

When Jesus stood before the Jewish authorities, He spoke nothing in His own defense just as was prophesied in Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

The accusation against Him was made by 2 false witnesses who said He had said He would tear down the Temple and rebuild it in 3 days (Matthew 26:59-61).  Yet even when faced with the lies spoken against Him, Jesus remained silent until the Chief Priest asked, “I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63).  In response, Jesus made His only confession, (v. 64) “Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

I see in this scene a picture of Christ as the Lamb of God.  He was examined by the Jewish priests and shown to be without blemish - worthy of being a sacrifice that would atone for sin.  In this case, it was the sin of the whole world! Praise Him!!

John 19 tells us about Jesus before Pilate.  V. 13 says, “When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.”  The word translated as “judgment seat” here is the Greek word Bema (béma, βῆμα, Strong’s word 968).  It’s the same word used in 2 Corinthians 5:10 where the works of Christians are judged by fire.  

I thought it was interesting that Jesus Himself was once judged before the Bema seat. We know the outcome, of course; He was ultimately sentenced to be crucified. However, note carefully what Pilate said about Him. He said that Jesus was a “just person” who had done no evil. It's significant that Jesus was found to be without guilt. The Bible says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). If Jesus had been guilty of any sin, He would have been deserving of death. If He had been deserving of death, He could not have given His life as the payment for our sins since He would have had to die for His own sins. But He was innocent.  Before we stand before the Judgment Seat, it was necessary for Him to stand before the judgment seat. It is by His obedience that we are made righteous (Romans 5:19).

Jesus or Barabbas?

While Pilate was trying to find a way to release an innocent man without raising the ire of religious leaders, he resorted to the Roman custom of freeing a condemned man on the Passover (John 18:39-40).  He offered the people a choice: Jesus, the King of the Jews or Barabbas (a murderer).  To his surprise, the people chose Barabbas.

There’s something very interesting about the name, “Barabbas.”  Bar (bar, בַּר, Strong’s word 1247) is an Aramaic word that means “son of.”  It’s used in a few other places in the Bible such as Matthew 16:17 where Jesus refers to Simon as “Simon Barjona” (Simon, son of Jonah). Many people already know that abba (ab, אָב, Strong’s word 1) means “father.”  Barabba, then, means “Son of Abba” or “Son of a father.”  

Wow.  I happen to be the son of a father.  When you think about it, everyone is the child of a father, so Barabbas could have been anyone.  That could have been my name written there!  This paints a wonderful picture of the substitutionary death of Jesus. Each one of us is a Barabbas: all guilty of many sins and all sentenced to die. But we don’t have to die. Jesus – the innocent man who knew no sin – has died in our place. He went to the cross and we were set free.

Jesus on the Cross

There is more that could be said about Good Friday: the scourging, the mocking, the purple robe of Herod, the crown of thorns, the road to Golgotha, the two thieves, the accusation posted over His head, His clothes being divided, and so much else.  However, time and space does not allow them all to be examined.  

Concerning Jesus on the cross, let us examine this passage given in John’s gospel:

John 19:30-35, When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.

The last words of Jesus recorded by John were, “It is finished.”  The ultimate goal of Jesus’ incarnation had been accomplished.  The penalty for sin had been paid.  The wrath of the Father had been satisfied.  Our debt has been settled and there is no more need for a sacrifice.  God and sinners are reconciled.  

John tells us that he saw the event with his own eyes and wrote it down for our benefit.  In his own words,  And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.  

Let John’s desire be our desire: that we tell others about Jesus so they, too, might believe!