How important is a name?

How important is a name?

How important is a name? How valuable is your name? Somehow I don’t think plain old ‘Hill’ is going to fetch too high a price on the open market. I just have to take comfort in the fact that ‘touristy’ spots or building sites, with elevation, are usually considered of greater value than those on the flats.

Domain names, those URLs that distinguish you from other websites, can cost as little as $2. Usually you can purchase a new domain name for somewhere between $10 and $20 for one year. But if domain names are highly desirable, they can be sold for millions. In the year 2010, Sex.com became the most expensive domain name in the world when it sold for $13 million. The highest selling domain name in 2012 reportedly cost $2.45 million. Last year, Insure.com was bought for $16 million as a fully-operating, profitable company.

How valuable to you is the name Christian? By their actions, non-believers, the population’s large majority, declare that the name of Jesus is utterly worthless to them – a declaration that pronounces them eternally bankrupt.

The scriptures share the following:
“You shall not use the Lord’s name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). “Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess” (Philippians 2:10). “There is no other name given to humanity whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4: 12).

There is power in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, sick people have been healed, demons have been cast out and the dead have been raised. Imagine if acquiring a certain domain name gave a worldly commercial business all those extraordinary powers. Their domain name would be worth billions!

Let’s look at the third commandment for a moment – you shall not use the Lord’s name in vain.
For years I simply thought that not using the Lord’s name in vain meant not swearing and cursing. But I was brought to the incredible realization that a more literal translation of the third commandment actually reads: “You shall not use the name of Yahweh for WORTHLESSNESS. You shall not use the name of Yahweh CASUALLY, complacently, without respect, without value.

How much value, how much worth do you place in the name of Jesus?
Jesus had some unfinished business. He knew that Peter had had a bad night. Under the pressure of the moment and fearing for his life, he had forgotten his earlier face-to-face pledge to Jesus: “Lord, I’m ready to go with you to prison and to death.” (Luke 22: 33)

Well we have the record – we know that he wasn’t ready – he was not even close to being ready. Peter was keen to have a place in Jesus’ kingdom, either on Jesus right or left, but it had to be right next to Him. He was quick to engage in discussion as to who would be the greatest in God’s kingdom. And like all the other disciples he wondered why Jesus seemed so hesitant to take power and oust the Romans. And when asked to pray, because Jesus so wanted to have prayer support in His time of greatest duress, Peter, like all the other disciples in the Gethsemane Garden, could only find energy for sleep.

Unfortified and unprepared because he was so self-assured, Peter was primed for failure. When the rooster crowed, it suddenly hit home to Peter that he had failed miserably. He realized that under the pressure of scorn and fearing for his life, he had acted in a way that had dramatically devalued the name of Jesus.

A servant girl had spotted him sitting next to a fire in the outer courtyard and she said, “You were with Jesus; you are one of His disciples aren’t you?”
Shortly afterwards, someone else said to Peter: “I know you. I’ve seen you before. You are one of Jesus’ followers”.
Then a third said, “Certainly this fellow was with Jesus, for he is a Galilean.”
Three times Peter did what he had earlier said that he would never do – he denied, he spurned, he rejected, he devalued the name of Jesus. Then he was absolutely cut to the quick with remorse. The scriptures say that he wept bitterly.
After His resurrection, for a month, Jesus came and went. He appeared here; He appeared there. He spent a little time with one and then another and would then disappear again – like the time he spent with the travellers on the road to Emmaus.
It is early morning. A number of fishermen are close to shore bringing in empty boats. Sometimes you caught lots of fish. Some nights you caught nothing. This night was a ‘nothing’ night.
The Gentleman tending the roaring fire on the beach called out, “Got any fish”?
The fishermen shook their heads in response.
“Throw your nets over on the other side”. Somewhat sceptically and reluctantly, they obeyed, and they instantly experienced the phenomenon of God’s abundance.

Together, these fishermen and Jesus enjoyed a hearty fish breakfast.
Then Jesus initiated the conversation that Peter was dreading, but needing.
John 21: 15 – 17: (let us read it together) “when they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep”.

Jesus was not like the bosses of this world. If an apprentice, today, spoke harsh, non-supportive words against his boss or against his boss’s firm he would almost certainly be shown the door for his disloyalty.

But Jesus is about rehabilitation not retaliation. Jesus is about reformation and reassurance.

Peter’s crass denial of his Lord had lost him status and standing among the other disciples, never mind that all those other disciples had chosen to flee the scene when Jesus had been arrested. They had conveniently taken themselves away so that, unlike Peter, they avoided the heat of scornful accusation. But they had heard about Peter’s denials and they were much less forgiving. They viewed Peter with distrust.

Three times Peter had openly denied his Lord and three times Jesus drew from him the assurance of his love and loyalty. Before the other disciples, Jesus purposely revealed the depth of Peter’s remorse and repentance and showed them how thoroughly humbled Peter was.

Before, Peter would speak unadvisedly, mostly from impulse. He was always ready to correct others and to express his own opinions.
But the converted Peter was very different. He retained his former fervour, but the grace of God regulated his zeal. He was no longer impetuous, self-confident and self-exalted, but calm, self-possessed and teachable.

There is an important lesson here. Jesus cannot condone error. He does not compromise with sin. But He meets the transgressor, the sinner, with patience, sympathy and forgiving love. Despite Peter’s denials, Jesus’ love for Peter was unfaltering. Romans chapter 8 reminds us that “nothing, nothing can separate us from the love of God”.

Peter failed the ‘court room precincts’ test. But thanks to Jesus’ amazing love and grace, he would not fail any other tests. On the beach and with them all having the contentment of a full stomach that morning, Jesus gave a little private prediction regarding Peter (John 21: 18): “when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Peter’s life was to end in upside down crucifixion. He would indeed follow his Master. He would never again deny his Lord. And his story would offer hope to sinners in every generation.

Matthew 16: 18 – “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock (on you), I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it”. Peter learned the true value of the name of Jesus and that knowledge, in the Lord’s strength, made him invincible.

I ask again: How much value, how much worth do you place in the name of Jesus?

I am reminded of a story I read about a girl called Susan who lived in Uganda.

My sister and her husband were missionaries in Uganda in the 1970s at the time Idi Amin was doing his worst. In fact they were told by the authorities that they were the last European family to escape Uganda. They moved on to Kenya and worked as missionaries there for a time.

But I still remember waking early one morning to a phone call from a member of the print media who suggested that my sister and brother-in-law had been arrested and were being held captive in Uganda and what did I think of that? We immediately contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs who expressed surprise at this news – they had received no such information – and fortunately they were able to confirm a few hours later that the report was one hundred percent in error. Apparently someone had picked up a brief Reuters communique and decided to run a story on it without checking all the facts. We were not sorry they were wrong.

But back to Susan in Uganda:
She was fourteen years old and from a strictly Islamic family. One day a visiting speaker came to her school. He spoke about this guy called Jesus who claimed He was the Son of God and had come to save the world. And right then and there, Susan decided to give her life to Jesus. When she got home her father found out and he was furious. In broad daylight, he grabbed Susan and her younger brother and he dragged them outside. He held a knife to Susan’s throat and said, “Susan, if you do not stop going to church and worshiping God, I will kill you and your brother”. But Susan didn’t stop. Her father grabbed her and took her to a room in the house and placed a mat on the floor. He told Susan to (quote) “sit on that mat and do not move until you are willing to deny Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour”.

The father turned around, walked out of the room and locked the door. Susan’s father didn’t return to that room for three months. The only way that Susan survived was that while her father was out her brother would dig a hole under the door. He would pour water into it for Susan to lap up. On occasions, he would fry up some banana and slide that under the door to his sister.

After many weeks the neighbours began to wonder where Susan was and they asked her brother. He told them and they immediately called the police. When the police came and broke open the door they found Susan. She was sitting on the mat. She was alive – but only just. The bones in her legs had begun to grow and conform to the way she had been sitting and she weighed just twenty kilograms.

They grabbed Susan and rushed her to hospital where they began to rehabilitate her. When Susan was asked why she had not tried to escape, why she had not even left the mat, without missing a beat she replied, “Because my father said if I was to leave that mat I’d be denying Jesus, and I couldn’t do that”.

This is exactly what the third commandment is about – a faith driven by a passion for God that realizes that not only to be in relationship with Him but also to be able to call on His name is among the most sacred privileges we have as Christians – a privilege the world cannot conceive and a privilege that I fear I so often take for granted.

You shall not use the name of Yahweh for worthlessness. Susan wouldn’t. Peter learned not to. How much value do we place on the wonderful name of Jesus?