What's in a Name?

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)

Are you known by your given name? I think most of us have many names by which we are known. We may have had a nickname when we were younger or were given one by our spouse.

If you lived in my house you would know that nothing and no one is ever called by its/their proper name. My husband has a penchant for referring to people and every-day objects by their characteristics rather than their given name. For instance, he refers to a fork as a belly wrench and a shovel as a dirt wrench. My favorite is when he refers to milk as beef extract. He calls our grandchildren munchkins and me Queen.

William Shakespeare, in his play Romeo and Juliet, implied that a name holds no real significance.  Juliet laments, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”  Here, Shakespeare is conveying the idea that a name is nothing but a name, therefore, it is a convention with absolutely no meaning behind it.

Now, ask your parents why they named you what they did and you will most likely discover that your name does in fact have real significance and meaning. Even if it doesn’t seem that significant to you. We gave our son my father-in-law's first name as his middle name. In return, Andy gave his first son my husband's first name as his middle name. These middle names were given to honor the men for whom they’re named after, giving their names a great deal of significance.

So, I disagree with Shakespeare’s implication that names bear no significance. My husband couldn’t refer to our grandkids as munchkins if names didn’t embody certain characteristics. Most parents put a lot of thought and emotional sweat into naming their children because it is an important part of who they will be. Jesus has many names and they are all significant and meaningful, with each one embodying a characteristic of our Savior.

In the Bible, Jesus is first referred to as Immanuel (or Emmanuel depending on translation).  Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”  Translated, Immanuel means “God with us.”  Not only did God send a savior to be born, but HE was the savior. 

God has always been present with His people as evidenced in Genesis 3:8 where we see Him walking in the Garden of Eden. He was present with the Israelites in the tabernacle and temple where His glory filled both (Exodus 40:34-35 and I Kings 8:10-11). When leading them out of Egypt, He led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:20-22).

God has never not been with His people. But His presence has never been felt more than when He manifested in flesh as Jesus Christ.  God the Father left His glory and the splendor of Heaven to become a baby born in the lowliest of places to the unlikeliest of people. He wasn’t born into a royal household.  Joseph, His earthly father was a carpenter. Because of His humanity, Immanuel experienced hunger and tears. He could feel anger, sadness, frustration, joy, and even cold. However, the most miraculous thing about all this is not that He felt all these things, but that He could be felt.

There’s a line in the song “Mary Did You Know?” that asks, “Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? And when you kiss your little baby, you’ve kissed the face of God.” It reduces me to a puddle of tears every time.  I can’t even fathom it. That precious child, so tiny in form, is actually our Creator God come to rescue us from ourselves. He loves us so much that He left His world to step into ours–right into the thick of our sin and suffering.

Friend, Christmas is so much more than a flurry of activities hijacking our December calendar.  It is so much more than gift lists and gift-giving, or finding the perfect tree to adorn with our treasured handmade ornaments of yesteryear. It is about celebrating the miracle that our God is with us. How we celebrate Christmas should never supersede why we celebrate Christmas. If it does, we end up missing out on the greatest gift of all.

Names indeed have meaning and Immanuel proves that God has always meant to be with His people…even unto the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20).