Holy Name 3.1.21 Uniqueness of the Name
A name above every name – such is the Holy Name, the name of Jesus.
Our Lord was glorified in His Resurrection, again at His Ascension, and again at being enthroned at the right hand of the Father.
A student in an essay said of Shakespeare that he was famous only because of his plays!
This would be like saying Mozart is famous only because of his music, or Bradman only for his batting.
Many people have become famous because they have achieved greatness in a certain area. Those same people may not have been much good at other things. Maybe Mozart could not cook? Maybe Bradman could not sing? In any case everyone is limited as to what they can do.
Everyone except Jesus Christ, that is. He masters all areas because He is Lord of all creation and every aspect of that creation. He could have done any human task to perfection, but what He really wanted was to save the human soul, to restore mankind to its original destiny.
He has come to the heart of the human condition and revitalised everything for good.
His Name explains His purpose: He saves. He saves people from their sins.
Our Lord’s achievements have been greatly underrated. People talk of Him as just another man. Good, yes. Even great. But just another person like any other celebrity.
No, He is unique in every way, far transcending any other famous person in the scope of what He was addressing and the effectiveness of His action.
He was content to be hidden from public view for many years; and even in His public ministry He revealed Himself only gradually.
He did not want to be acclaimed too early because that would be to limit the scope of His mission. He did not come just to free Israel from Romans, but the whole of mankind from the devil.
He did not come just to give free food to the people, but the bread of Life, that would enable them to share God's life.
He was always raising people to a higher plane. Look beyond just your present physical and material needs.
Once we do recognize Him for His real purpose and power we can call upon His help in that all-important area of salvation.
We no longer have to live in sin and slavery. If we consciously call upon the Name of Jesus we will be forgiven, restored, sustained until we reach final glory.
He is generally ignored by the human race, but often by His own disciples!
They have been exposed to too many draughts of cold air, the air of unbelief and doubt.
Lured by secular attitudes, they try to keep God at a distance.
Much of the Christmas story is about Recognition. Some recognize the importance of what is happening. Most do not register its importance; and others again fight against the salvation process (eg those who persecute the Church).
We are among those who do recognize what is happening, at least in its essence, and we do all in our power to reverence the Holy Name, to atone for blasphemies, to hold that Name higher than any other, to call upon it for all that we legitimately need.
He saves us from our sin, and in its place restores life.
If we focus our requests on that area we will find that the rest of our lives, and the rest of the world will fall into a better shape.
Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name, Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment