What’s In a Name?
“I am the Lord, that is my name!”
Isaiah 42:8 (NIV)
After years of longing and praying for grandchildren, my biggest question surrounding the birth of our first grandchild wasn’t whether the baby was a boy or girl. “What is my grandmother name?” was my #1 priority. Most of my friends already had grandchildren and had long settled on their own terms of endearment. Some told me not to worry, that the child would settle the matter for me and call me whatever he or she could pronounce. I had one dear friend, however, who scared me to death when she said, “I picked ‘Bella,’ but she called me ‘Bubba’ and it stuck.” I definitely didn’t want to be called Bubba!
After a few frustrating months of “trying on” a number of grandmother names, I finally settled on “Mia” as mine. Our daughter Meredith and her husband Clay became engaged in Italy and Mia means “mine” in Italian. Somehow the name “Mia” just felt right and has served me well for the past ten years. Until now.
Currently our youngest granddaughter, Mary Clayton, refuses to call me Mia. To Mary Clayton, I am “Mimi-my Mimi.” Her big sisters keep trying to correct her saying, “No, Mary Clayton. This is Mia. Say “Meee-ahhh!” And two-year old Mary Clayton looks straight at me and declares, “Mimi-my Mimi,” laughs, and goes on her merry way. It wouldn’t be a problem at all except that my mother-in-law is our resident Mimi and has claimed that name for over 40 years.
I am, however, not the only one currently experiencing a challenging name change. After over 100 years, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team, the Cleveland Indians, also has a new name. Beginning with the 2022 baseball season, the team’s new name will be the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland’s name change was introduced in a video narrated by actor Tom Hanks who gently reminded fans, ‘There’s always been ‘Cleveland’ that is the best part of our name.”
The organization ultimately selected the “Guardians” from an extensive list of over 1,200 options. The name “Guardians” specifically refers to the city’s famous Art Deco statues located on Cleveland’s Hope Memorial Bridge. These 43-foot-tall sandstone slabs are known as the “Guardians of Traffic.” One Cleveland fan quickly quipped, “I hope this leads to Cleveland being able to guard a lead!”
Recently while reading through the Gospel of John with a friend who is a relatively new Christian, we looked at all of the names of Jesus recorded in John’s opening chapter. My friend casually remarked, “What’s in a name?”
I laughed as I responded, “Everything!”
In the first chapter of his Gospel, the Apostle John answers the important question we all must answer: Who is Jesus? He is:
The Word of God (John 1:1,14)
The One and Only (John 1:18)
Jesus Christ (John 1:17)
The Lamb of God (John 1:29,36)
The Son of God (John 1:34, 49)
Messiah (John 1:41)
Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:45)
Son of Joseph (John 1:45)
King of Israel (John 1:49)
Son of Man (John 1:51)
Jesus’ names are a reflection of both Who He is and What He does. And unlike the Cleveland Indians and me, Jesus never has to worry about a name change. Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus declares himself to be equal to God, the great I AM, whose name never changes (Exodus 3:14-15). With 7 “I AM” statements, Jesus tells us who He is:
I AM the bread of life (John 6:35, 48, 51)
I AM the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5)
I AM the gate (John 10:7, 9)
I AM the good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)
I AM the resurrection & the life (John 11:25)
I AM the way, the truth & the life (John 14:6)
I AM the true vine (John 15:1)
As kingdoms rise and fall; rulers come and go; and cultural values change so quickly, what a comfort it is to know that God’s Name- that which is a reflection of God Himself- never changes.
“Your name, Lord, endures forever.” (Psalm 135:13)