The Name of Jesus

What’s in a name? Perhaps Shakespeare had it right that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but that’s not the way the Bible sees it. Names in scripture are filled with prophetic revelation about a person’s character and calling. To understand the hidden meaning of a person’s name is to have insight into who they are and what they represent. Even place names are wellsprings of significance. How much more the name of Jesus! And would you believe it, dear Christian, your name, too, carries treasures of meaning waiting for you to discover. See and worship what God packed into His Son’s name, then go explore your own.

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

A Name Given Beforehand

Prophets heralded Jesus’ birth long before He arrived. Their words conceived in Israel a faith expectation that the Lord God would send His promised Messiah to usher in His kingdom and deliver them from their enemies. As it turned out the people and their leaders mistook their own need and became “pregnant” with false expectations: More than deliverance from Rome, they needed rescue from themselves: The real enemy of God’s chosen people were their own sins which kept carrying them away from Him. The angel who brought word to Mary of her coming pregnancy clarified this part of the prophetic message. The annunciation of her miraculous conception also contained a proclamation of the Messiah’s Name and specific mission.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:18-21

There are only seven people in scripture who were named by God before their birth: Ishmael, Isaac, Solomon, Josiah, Cyrus, John the Baptist and Jesus. Though filled with significance about their role on earth, none of the other names can compare with the one given to our Lord. The Anglicized name Jesus goes back through Latin to the Greek name Iesous or Yesous found in the New Testament, which is a rendition of the original Hebrew name Yeshua. Yeshua is a shortened form of the Hebrew name Yehoshua from which Joshua is also derived. Confused? Hold on, we’re almost there.

Yehosua is a compound name made first from Yeho which is an abbreviation of the four letter name YHVH (or YHWH) that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush—a name considered so sacred in Judaism that the rabbis taught that it should never be pronounced out loud.[1] This name that cannot be named speaks of the absolute sovereignty and complete independence of God from His creation. It literally means “I Am Who I Am” and “I Will Be Who I Will Be.”[2]

There is no more profound or higher title for God than this given in the whole of the Hebrew scriptures; it is also entirely unique to Judaism. To this matchless name of God is added the name Yasha which means to deliver, save or rescue. Hence, the angel could rightly say to Mary, “You will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The child to be born is none other than the sovereign God, coming to save and deliver His own people! Curiously, the salvation He will accomplish will also have a profound effect upon His given name.

A Name Given Afterwards

Whenever someone among us accomplishes a great feat, they are often given a new title: Mohammed Ali, “World Heavyweight Champion”; Sir Edmund Hillary, “Conqueror of Everest”; George Washington, “Father of Our Country.” Naturally enough, after achieving His massive victory over sin and death, Jesus is showered with new titles: Savior of the World, Lord of the Resurrection, the Firstborn from the Dead, The Passover Lamb, the Author and Perfecter of Salvation, the High Priest, the Deliverer and Redeemer, just to name a few. These titles all in some way describe an important aspect of His great work for our appreciation and reverence. Scripture, however, goes even further. It records that Jesus was given, not only new titles, but a “new” name.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:8-11

It would appear by this that God the Father took the name Jesus had been given at birth, the name that went down into death with Him so to speak and raised both Jesus and His name to new heights! Whereas throughout His life, Jesus’ name spoke prophetically of His divine assignment and true, through hidden, nature, after the resurrection that same “resurrected” name is infused with immense authority and power. Now, at the proclaiming of His name, every being in the universe must “bend the knee” in submission to the One who has received “all authority” from the Father. All of us, whether angels or demons, lost or saved, will one day bow before Jesus and acknowledge that He is the rightful Lord of heaven and earth. We will either bow willingly and gladly, or under compulsion, filled with regret and resentments. That choice remains ours, but the compelling pressure of submission to His name is unalterably ordained.

Our Name of Power

The name of Jesus is, therefore, a name filled with immense power. As indicated in the opening quote, His name holds the power of salvation itself. Not only that, but we who believe have been given the name of Jesus with full authority to use it. His name is our name of power! This “raises” us even to the heights where we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies and empowers us to engage the earth realm with “weapons” that are divinely powerful for bringing down strongholds.[3]

Consider an analogy to law enforcement. Police are supplied guns—weapons of great power which they may need for their work, but this would hinder them as dead weight on their belts, if they were not also empowered to use them. Being authorized to use their weapons in certain authorized situations is what gives the police their true power. What is our authority and in what situations are we authorized to use the Name "that is above every name"?

Our authority comes directly from Jesus. He says that He chose us and appointed us “to go and bear fruit.”[4] We did not thrust ourselves into a position that was intended for someone else; rather, we have been called by God into union with Christ to serve His purposes in the world. Through faith in Christ we have accepted our calling and with it came our commissioning. This doesn’t mean of course that we fully understand it! Even with the disciples we can see a progression in Jesus’ revelation to them of what they were receiving.

Commissioned with Authority

For instance, John shows us a comprehensive commissioning of the disciples in the Upper Room on the evening of the Resurrection. In the very moment in which He breathed into them new life—in this first instance of “born again” faith in the Resurrected Lord converting the hearts of His followers—Jesus conveyed His full authority to them. He equipped them with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and declared He was sending them just as He Himself had been sent. That’s as power-filled and as authorized as it gets!

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." John 20:21-22

Do you think the disciples “got it”? I doubt it. I believe they were too caught up in the wonder and excitement of seeing Jesus resurrected in their midst, to really notice or unpack anything else. He was gloriously alive from the dead and that faith-realization was raising them into new life! How do you take in the “extras” in a moment like that?

Perhaps that’s partly why Jesus commissioned His disciples a second time. After His Resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples on the mountain and through them commissioned (authorized) all of us to be His agents upon the earth. We would all be acting under the full authority that He Himself had recently received.

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

How to Use His Name

Through faith-conversion we, too, received the Holy Spirit, were commissioned by Jesus to bear much fruit and are being sent out into the world, fully authorized to use His name. Even so we want to use His name the right way. You mean there’s a wrong way? Well, yes there is. You may remember the small matter of ten commandments carved in stone? The third of those commands is an admonition not to take the name of the Lord “in vain.”[5] What did He mean by that?

The commandment certainly means that we are not to use the name of Jesus as a swear word. Not knowing any better, the world curses using Jesus’ Name as an expletive, often including His great title (Christ) in the abuse.[6] Unbelievers are wrong and ignorant in doing this, but why would any Christian want to do it? Yet, it goes further than this. Devout Jews in ancient Israel believed that saying the great name of God (for them it was YHWH described above) would evoke His presence. You’d better be sure that you want Him to show up, if you let His name slip through your lips! That's an admirable approach. I believe that it does little to honor the Lord by repeatedly using His great name in casual conversation as a kind of interjection. I’m thinking of the way “Oh, Jesus!” gets tacked on to the end of something we say, even when it’s not really intended to start a prayer with Him. Consider how foolish this must seem to outsiders.

The fully authorized, entirely legitimate ways to use Jesus’ name are in prayers to the Father, in prayers to Jesus, in command of nature, in rebuke of spiritual darkness and in adoration of Jesus. There may be other ways, but probably they can fit comfortably under these headings.

1. In Prayer to the Father

Jesus told the disciples to use His name in their petitions to the Father. He evidently wants us to have every confidence that the Father will listen to us, just as He does to Jesus.

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. John 16:23

2. In Prayer to Jesus

Although Jesus directed His disciples towards going to the Father with their petitions, He also assured them that they could continue to bring their requests to Him as well.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13

3. In Command to Nature

Just as Jesus commanded storms to be still, diseases to leave and healing to come, so too we can command nature. This is how Peter described it after commanding healing to come to the lame man by the Beautiful Gate of the Temple.

And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. Acts 3:16

4). In Rebuke of Spiritual Darkness

With this name and through faith in the One whom it identifies, we have authority over evil spirits, just as Paul did at Philippi.

And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. Acts 16:18

5. In Adoration of Him

Whether the praise is intimate on the inside or boisterous on the outside, His name is greatly to be praised, just as He Himself is greatly to be praised. Say His name with love to Him, lots of love. I doubt He ever gets tired of hearing it used in this way!

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! Psalms 149:1

More to Explore

Songs about His Name  Just as lovers love to say the name of their beloved, so we love to say and sing the name of Jesus. We sing His name back to Him in praise for all that He has done, but we also sing about His name. Here are some favorites for you to enjoy: "At the Name of Jesus Every Knee Shall Bow", "Jesus, You're the Sweetest Name of All", "Jesus, Name above All Names", "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name", "There's Something about that Name", and The Name of Jesus (Is a Refuge)."

Scriptures on His Name  With any important contract we would be wise to check the fine print for it is there that the guarantees and disclaimers are carefully spelled out. God’s Word has been extremely carefully written, among other things so that we will know what He is promising to us and extending to us by His grace. In terms of our equipping for life and ministry, He apparently wants us to be absolutely convinced that there is wonder-working power in the name of Jesus: you can bet your life on God’s Word! Nevertheless, take care for with the power will come persecution. That's also in the "fine print."

Our Great High Priest   Access and Intercession flow from the ascension of our Great High Priest to the Throne of Grace. We need both! Let the sight of these heavenly realities establish you.

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