Word@Work Luke15 - Luke 1:57-60
Published: Tue, 01/12/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Luke 1:57-60 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John." (NIV)
Everybody has a name: it is their most precious and personal possession. Their name is their external identity and reflects their parents' choice and family bonding. Naming customs vary throughout the world, some follow family names and others invent new names. The custom in Britain has been a combination of the two, the first (Christian) name being the parents' choice, the last (Surname) name being the family name of the father and middle names which honour other family members. The custom in Israel, when John was born, was to name a son with the father's name. However, God had sometimes given a new name when he gave a new commission (Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul).
This child was to be God's special wake-up-call to Israel. He was born for ministry (he was functionally the last of the Old Testament prophets), to prepare God's people for the arrival of their Messiah. So Gabriel delivered God's name for the boy (see Luke 1:13) even before he was conceived. "John" means "God is gracious", and the same word is used in Greek to mean 'preceding'. His name was God's way of telling the parents and the child what his purpose was to be - preceding and announcing the Messiah. This Divine naming was also a special mark of God's Lordship over His appointed person.
So God's name for John was a surprise break from the family and cultural tradition. Elizabeth had to speak against all the relatives at the naming part of the circumcision ceremony, because Zechariah had been struck dumb because of his faithlessness on hearing God's Word (see Luke 1:19-20). Her joy at the safe arrival of a son after years of barrenness did not push God's instruction into the background, nor was she swayed by the power-pack of relatives. She was faithful to God's commission. For us, the pressure of family or powerful colleagues in business may tempt us into giving way over some matter for which we are responsible, even though we know that God's Word speaks differently. The man or woman of faith will resist such pressure and intimidation and be unashamed to say that they are going to follow the Lord. For Elizabeth that moment would have been anticipated for months: she was prepared, and she did not fail the test.
Prayer: Father God. Thank You that You know me by name, and speak to me personally through Your Word. Forgive me, when I am in responsibility, and know the truth but fail to ensure it is done. Help me to be a person of true faith, accepting Your commission and fulfilling what You have appointed for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Everybody has a name: it is their most precious and personal possession. Their name is their external identity and reflects their parents' choice and family bonding. Naming customs vary throughout the world, some follow family names and others invent new names. The custom in Britain has been a combination of the two, the first (Christian) name being the parents' choice, the last (Surname) name being the family name of the father and middle names which honour other family members. The custom in Israel, when John was born, was to name a son with the father's name. However, God had sometimes given a new name when he gave a new commission (Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul).
This child was to be God's special wake-up-call to Israel. He was born for ministry (he was functionally the last of the Old Testament prophets), to prepare God's people for the arrival of their Messiah. So Gabriel delivered God's name for the boy (see Luke 1:13) even before he was conceived. "John" means "God is gracious", and the same word is used in Greek to mean 'preceding'. His name was God's way of telling the parents and the child what his purpose was to be - preceding and announcing the Messiah. This Divine naming was also a special mark of God's Lordship over His appointed person.
So God's name for John was a surprise break from the family and cultural tradition. Elizabeth had to speak against all the relatives at the naming part of the circumcision ceremony, because Zechariah had been struck dumb because of his faithlessness on hearing God's Word (see Luke 1:19-20). Her joy at the safe arrival of a son after years of barrenness did not push God's instruction into the background, nor was she swayed by the power-pack of relatives. She was faithful to God's commission. For us, the pressure of family or powerful colleagues in business may tempt us into giving way over some matter for which we are responsible, even though we know that God's Word speaks differently. The man or woman of faith will resist such pressure and intimidation and be unashamed to say that they are going to follow the Lord. For Elizabeth that moment would have been anticipated for months: she was prepared, and she did not fail the test.
Prayer: Father God. Thank You that You know me by name, and speak to me personally through Your Word. Forgive me, when I am in responsibility, and know the truth but fail to ensure it is done. Help me to be a person of true faith, accepting Your commission and fulfilling what You have appointed for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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