Sip Saturday
Week #4 Hebrews 1:4
**Sip Saturday is written by our Saturday morning contributor, - A beautifully gifted Christian author who seeks to honor the Trinity in her writing. She hopes that her words will encourage women to draw closer to God, whether that is through her fantasy series or her weekly devotionals.
Cornerstone Scripture:
"After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs."-Hebrews 1:3b-4 ESV
“What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
In William Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet declares that names don't matter in the light of love.
She argues this because she is in love with the son and heir of the enemy's family, Romeo Montague.
When Romeo overhears this, he declares that he will erase his name if it means they can be together.
This dramatic scene reminds readers that hate should not barr one from another.
Although Jesus would agree with the sentiment that people should not hate one another, he would not agree with Romeo that names should be erased.
On the contrary, as Hebrews notes, Jesus' name is proof of his supremacy over all beings, including angels.
What's also interesting about this is that Jesus does not have one name.
He calls himself the bread of life (John 6:35), the light of the world (John 8:12), living water (John 7:37-8), good shepherd (John 10:11), the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
There are other names for him throughout Scripture as well, such as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), and King of Kings (1 Timothy 6:15).
Revelation has even greater titles for him: the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5), the bright and morning star (Revelation 22:16), and Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8).
Jesus has many more names than this, but each of his names speak to a different part of his character.
The name, Jesus, is derived from the Hebrew name, Yeshua. It means "the Lord is salvation."
As the Savior of all humanity, his name is extremely fitting for who he is and what he did for us.
Yet, his name is so great that it cannot be contained by that simple title.
That is why Scripture gives so many titles and names to Jesus.
The Bible wants us to revere the Son of God and all of his facets.
This makes me remember another meaning of Juliet's famous line: that names do not change the nature of the object itself.
As Juliet notes, a rose would still smell delightful, even if it was called by something else.
In the same way, Jesus' multiple names and interpretations of his names in various languages do not change who He is.
Instead, they emphasize the character qualities of someone who cannot be contained by mere words.
He is the name above all names (Philippians 2:9).
How can we remember his names?
Let's pray.
Dear Lord, Let us not forget any of your names, but instead meditate on them and how much they show us who you are. Let your name be on our hearts and spoken through our mouths. May we honor you. Amen.