“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” So wrote Shakespeare. He was writing about the problem that a woman was in love with a man from a family she was not allowed to marry into, and it seemed to boil down simply to his name.
A name of a shop might be chosen well, fitting well its location and purpose. We might say that it has a good name. Yet that is not what we usually mean by ‘good name’. Usually we mean good reputation. A brand name can be thought of highly because of what it represents, by the reputation it has gained. A kingly name can be similar to a brand name, but have the added power of the authority it represents, exerting influence by its authority. A world leader might choose to put their name in public view in many places, to seek to enhance its influence and garner reputation for the brand it has become. Yet they do so on their own terms, for their own glory, which can entail some dishonesty.
The name of the Lord Jesus Christ is sewn into the very fabric of Nature, but not by Jesus, but rather by his Father, the Most High God, the Creator of Nature. It is then sewn into human hearts everywhere by the gospel message revealed by God. This is enduring, and infinitely more so than any worldly ruler’s name. The authority of his name is made part of the inner existence of trees, stones, planets. It means this goes back beyond our understanding of the past, into the very seeds of all Creation. “Before Abraham was born, I am”, Jesus said. So we should revere him, and his gospel, and out of this reverence, we should always seek to perfect how we preserve that gospel message and the truth it is imparting within us. This is the only name by which we must be saved. What a mystery to challenge our understanding and our gospel preaching. It is spirit, and must be understood by our inner spirit. The reputation of his name is not dishonest but true, forever spreading truth to human hearts.
