and you shall call his name Jesus

‘And the angel said to her…you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great…and of his kingdom there will be no end’ – from Luke 1
 

The morning after the 2009 BCS National Championship game I was listening to a morning sports show here in Birmingham and one of the guys brought up the issue of Tim Tebow giving props to God during his victory interview on national TV. The broadcaster was adamant that football and ‘religion’ do not belong together and that Tim Tebow needed to leave his beliefs off the field. Now I could write an entire blog about that issue within itself. I would make the point that Tebow was just being who he is – a follower of Christ. When Christ lives in you, there is no leaving Him behind while you go to the work, school, the 7-11 or the BCS national championship game. But I have another point for today and it involves not what the radio guys said, but more of what they refused to say. Even though Tim Tebow’s exact words were something like ‘I want to give thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’, I noticed that this broadcaster would not say the name Jesus. And as time wore on and this issue continued to be discussed, it became glaringly obvious that they were going to say anything but Jesus. The rest of the radio team also gave their opinions on the subject, and they too apparently refused to say Jesus. I heard them say ‘God’ and ‘faith’ and ‘religion’ and ‘church’ and ‘your beliefs’ – but never did I hear the name Jesus. And then it was the callers turn. As they opened up the phone lines, I listened as one by one the participants on the phones did the same; they also avoided using the name of Jesus. Many of these men were people who identified themselves as people of faith or regular church attenders, but one by one they referred to all types of religious symbols or innuendo without mentioning Jesus. This discussion continued for several segments, until finally one of the broadcasters actually referred to Tebow’s direct quote that included the name ‘Jesus’, but even then  I noticed an obvious pause right before he said it. 

Now before I come under conviction for being hypocritical – let me point the finger toward myself for a moment. I was recently interviewing for a full time secular job and during the interview the discussion of my role as a pastor came up. I was attempting to discuss how I felt it was taught in the Bible for a worker to hold himself to a high degree of integrity and character and work as if he is working for the Lord. In the midst of this diatribe I found the perfect opportunity to say ‘Jesus teaches me’, but instead I paused….and then they came – the dreaded phrase ‘my faith teaches’. Now, I call it dreaded because whenever I say ‘my faith…’ it seems to conjure up thoughts of a private belief that may be different but equal in validity to another religion’s teaching. Yet, I found myself saying it. It reminded me of the movie A Christmas Story where Ralphie is sitting on Santa’s lap but instead of saying he wants a Red Ryder BB gun he cops out and agrees to a football, and as he is going down the big red slide, he is beside himself at what he had just done. I felt that way, almost immediately screaming at myself: ‘what are you doing – why didn’t you say Jesus, you wimp?’

So assuming I am not the only one who has experienced this, what is it about the name of Jesus that so polarizes people? People, even Christians, are comfortable mentioning God, Faith, or Church; and as one of my closer friends pointed out recently, we might even say ‘Christ’. But when it comes to the name Jesus it is as if we are hesitant – as if we stumble. Then again, isn’t that what the bible says would happen?: 

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense” – Romans 9:33

A rock of offense. Is it not true that so many are offended today by the name Jesus? So many religions claim a ‘faith’, a ‘God’, or even a ‘church’ – but there is only one Jesus. When we call out His name, in private or public, we leave no doubt as to where our allegiance lies. We speak a name of power, glory, holiness and love. We speak the name of our Savior, our Redeemer, and our Lord. We might comfortably say ‘God’ but we cannot come to know Him without Jesus. We might comfortably say ‘faith’ but Jesus is the author and finisher of that faith. We might comfortably mention church, but Jesus is the one who purifies the church and will present her to God as holy and blameless. Without the name of Jesus, we have nothing: no hope, no faith, no redemption, and no future. 

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 2:11 

I speak to myself more than anyone else when I say that we must not be shy to embrace the name of Jesus. Whether in private or public conversation, we must not shrink back. It is because of His name we have authority and power to withstand the work of God’s enemy. It is because of His name that people can experience a transformed life. It is because of His name that shattered relationships can be brought to restoration, sinners brought to repentance, and the weary brought to a new found strength. It is because of His name that we can say “anything is possible” for those who will believe. It is because of His name that our past has no control over our future, that anxiety does not have to rule our life, and that peace can consume our minds no matter how deep the valley. It is because of His name that those who are hurting and sick can be healed. It is because of His name that those held captive by drugs, alcohol, pornography, lust or greed can be set free to a new life.  It is by His name that death and disease will never have the last word in the life of a believer. 

May we be strengthened to proclaim loudly to all we meet the name of Jesus.

 

 

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