The Name Of Jesus

Feature 3 – January 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Name Of Jesus

Ten days after the Lord Jesus returned to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to be with the believers on earth, even dwelling within them, as foretold in John 14–16. A short time later the Lord led Peter and John to miraculously heal a poor beggar who had been lame from birth. As the man asked for some money, Peter told him, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you:  In the name of Jesus  Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6 NKJV ). And he did!

This amazing event demonstrated Messiah’s grace and power toward this man, whose healing served as an object lesson for the Jewish nation. What had happened to this man could become a reality in all of the people’s lives if they would repent and believe in Jesus the Messiah, whom they had rejected and crucified. Jesus rose from the dead, and God glorified Him at His right hand.

Even though the whole nation was guilty in this matter, Peter proclaimed, “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone, which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10-12, italics added).

Led by God’s Spirit, Luke wrote his report called “Acts” and included his own observation, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it” (vv.13-14). 

Peter, as he spoke, also referred to Psalm 118:22-24. There we read: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” The rejected stone speaks of the Messiah, who fulfilled God’s counsel and became the foundation and center of God’s new house, which is the Church of the living God. What the LORD has done was marvelous in the eyes of the psalmist just as it was to Peter who quoted this text. It is to us today too, because we have become part of God’s house by His grace. Praise His name!

The Name Of Jesus And God’s Grace
God’s grace had been manifested, or displayed, in the walk and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and was confirmed by His accomplished work. In a new and even more abundant way this grace characterizes the present dispensation, which started with the coming of the Holy Spirit and will close with the rapture (Acts 2:1-4; 1 Th. 4:14-18). Furthermore, God’s grace always maintains God’s truth. Grace, while maintaining its own character, never compromises truth. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Ti. 2:11-13).

The day of Pentecost was when the expression “in the name of Jesus” was first used, after the Holy Spirit came down from heaven to make His abode in the believers on earth. Three thousand people repented that day after they had listened to Peter’s message. He “said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38). This announcement demonstrated God’s grace toward the guilty nation which had rejected their true Messiah. The same grace was displayed in the healing of the lame man, who then became a worshiper (3:8-9).

That very public event became an embarrassment to the Jewish leaders, especially as they listened to Peter’s explanation (4:8-12). After counseling among themselves, they ordered Peter and the other apostles “not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (v.18). With all due respect to them, Peter and John answered, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge” (v.19).

The apostles could not remain silent about what they had seen and heard (v.20). Besides, all the people around glorified God for this amazing healing that just had occurred (vv.21-22). Peter reminded his audience of the prominent, successful healing and teaching ministry of the Lord Jesus whom those leaders had rejected and given over to be crucified. Luke concluded his account by summarizing how the apostles had informed the believers – “their own companions” (v.23) – about all that had happened. They had responded “with one accord”1 (v.24) in prayer and supplication to God, who answered their prayers in a remarkable way.

The Name Of Jesus Opposed
The most prominent Jewish leaders were Sadducees, who did not at all believe in resurrection. They persisted in their hardening and rejection, and ordered that all of the apostles be imprisoned, not only Peter and John. However, during the night the twelve apostles were miraculously released through the angel of the Lord, who told them to “stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life” (5:20). They did so, but then the Jewish council ordered them to return. In front of the council, Peter, representing the apostles, clearly told those leaders, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (v.29). His message convicted the members of the council, and in their rage they intended to kill all the apostles (v.33).

At this point, under the Lord’s perfect control, Gamaliel2 intervened. He was one of the Pharisees in the Sanhedrin. Pharisees believed in a general resurrection, but they did not believe Jesus to be the Son of God and the Messiah, nor in His resurrection. Yet Gamaliel counseled the Jewish leaders to release the apostles instead of killing them (vv.34-39). The council listened to him and accepted his proposal. Nevertheless, before the apostles were released they were beaten and severely threatened not to speak “in the name of Jesus” (v.40).

After they departed from the council, Luke reported that the apostles rejoiced to have been counted worthy to suffer for His name. They continued daily to teach and evangelize in the temple and from house-to-house that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ (vv.41-42). Even the most religious leaders cannot stop God! Thus, His work continued in remarkable ways, to the point that even many of the Sadducees, who were priests and members of the council, became believers (6:7).

Nevertheless, a short time after these events, the majority of the leaders rejected Stephen’s remarkable testimony in front of the high priest and all the council. In their hardening and hatred, they had him stoned to death as a blasphemer (7:56-60).

The Name Of Jesus Brought To Non-Jewish And Jewish People
God could not be stopped! Despised by the Jewish leaders, He turned His attention to the Samaritans and sent Philip the evangelist to them. This servant of the Lord had been one of the seven deacons in Jerusalem (6:5). Philip announced the gospel – the good news – and proclaimed the Christ, confirming that Jesus is the Messiah. The response was amazing, for many believed and were healed, leading to great joy (8:5-8). Even Simon the sorcerer was convicted and stopped using his popular witchcraft, but he was not truly saved despite being baptized (vv.9-24). The apostle Peter unmasked him, revealing his true nature (v.21).

Luke also reported, “When they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized” (v.12). This shows again the power Jesus manifested through His Spirit, as in His name great miracles were accomplished and the good news was preached. Thus, their baptism was also linked to His name.

After this the power of the name of Jesus was demonstrated in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the most fanatic among the Jewish opponents. The New Testament contains at least seven reports and summaries of his salvation. One reason for this amazing fact is that the dramatic changes Saul went through imply object lessons for all the believers, including those today. We find two reports of this dramatic conversion in 1 Timothy 1:12-17 and Galatians 1:11-16.

Following his calling and salvation, Saul stayed in Damascus and demonstrated from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:20). The Jewish response was to try and kill Saul, but the Lord led him to go to Arabia (Gal. 1:17), where he stayed a few years. After this time in God’s school, he returned to Damascus and proved to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah (Acts 9:22). Again, the Jews tried to kill him, but with the help of the believers he escaped and traveled to Jerusalem, the city where he had persecuted his fellow-Jews who believed that Jesus is the Messiah.

At this point Barnabas, who had helped the believers there in the very beginning (4:36-37), “took him [Saul] and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus” (9:27). Isn’t this amazing? God’s ways are higher than ours: the very enemy who had persecuted the believers in Jerusalem and the area had returned to them, not as a persecutor but as a friend, as the Lord’s envoy! Saul enjoyed fellowship with them (v.28) and spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Again, the unbelieving Jews tried to kill him (v.29), so he fled to the city he had come from – Tarsus (v.30). He stayed there for a number of years until the same Barnabas who had introduced him among the believers in Jerusalem went to seek him (Gal. 1:21–2:1). Barnabas, whose name means “the Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36), realized that the new believers in Antioch would benefit from Paul’s ministry and having found him, they both traveled to the new assembly. The two of them served diligently for a whole year, with the result that the general public there gave the believers a nickname: “Christians” (Acts 11: 26). Indeed, the believers there represented the rejected Christ, the Anointed One, as He worked with them and directed His new work from heaven through the Holy Spirit. Do we represent Him in the same way today?

Skipping some details and events that took place in between, we go to Acts 13. There we read about Barnabas and Saul, also known as Paul, doing the Lord’s work together with others. As they were fasting and praying, the Lord Jesus called them through the Holy Spirit and sent them on an important mission, with the wholehearted support of the Antioch assembly.

They were led to travel to Cyprus where Barnabas had lived before, and after having worked there for some time (vv.4-12), they traveled to various parts of present-day southern Turkey, where they continued their missionary work. Many people were saved, mostly from among the God-fearing Gentiles who attended the synagogues but later also from various groups of idol worshipers. In both of these entirely different contexts there was a good response to the gospel message but also fierce opposition. The persecutions and attacks forced the apostles to leave the new believers, at least for the time being, and return to Antioch from where they had started their mission (14:2-28).

While staying for some time in the assembly in Antioch, Paul started to write his epistle to the Galatians, as he was concerned for them. He had received news that the new believers in Galatia were being harassed by Judaizing teachers who had traveled from Jerusalem (see Gal. 1–3). This type of situation happened time and again. Wherever Paul worked and people got saved, the Judaizers were sure to follow and harass the new believers. That is why such matters were also brought to the attention of the believers in Antioch, from where Paul and Barnabas had started their missionary work (Acts 14:26–15:1). In Antioch it was decided to send a delegation to Jerusalem. In other words, the problem came from Jerusalem and it had to be settled there, which happened by God’s grace (please read Acts 15).

The Name Of Jesus Was Spread Further
After the Jerusalem council, Paul wanted to visit the assemblies that had been formed during and after the time he had worked there with Barnabas. When the latter insisted that John Mark, who had forsaken them on their first journey, accompany them, Paul refused3 and chose Silas as his companion. This brother, a Hellenistic Jew,4 became a believer just as the apostle did, even though Paul had been taught at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) to become an orthodox Jewish rabbi long before he met the Lord.

Now, as we saw already, the apostle was on his second missionary journey with an entirely different perspective and purpose. He reached again the area where he had worked before with Barnabas, which included Derbe, Lystra and Iconium. This is from where Timothy came. Paul took him along, traveling to Troas (16:1-8) where Luke joined them, as we may conclude from the “we” of 16:10. Together they crossed over to Macedonia and traveled to Philippi (v.12).

A strange incident happened at Philippi which Luke described in detail. As they regularly went to pray at a certain place, a girl with a spirit of divination proclaimed that Paul and his company were “the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim … the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). They did not need any propaganda by the enemy, which would only lead to confusion and was a subtle form of opposition, more dangerous than outright confrontation. Luke explained, “This she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour” (v.18). Having lost their source of income because their slave-girl was no longer able to do what she used to, her owners dragged Paul and Silas to the judges who were seated at the marketplace and falsely accused them. Without any form of justice, both were thrown into prison.

During the night, in a story that implies several miracles, God caused an earthquake to take place through which all the prisoners were released from their bonds. This caused the jailer to panic because according to Roman law he was responsible for the prisoners with his own life. However, everybody had stayed inside, the jailer believed and was saved, besides several others, an amazing story (vv.25-34). The next day, released from prison, Paul and Silas went back to Lydia’s place, where they had earlier been invited to stay (v.40).

Shortly after, Paul and Silas left Philippi, together with Timothy. Luke stayed there a few years and was involved in the assemblies and in gospel work (2 Cor. 7–9) until he rejoined Paul’s company on the way back to Jerusalem after his third journey (Acts 20:6). The “us” of verse 5 includes Luke, but the “they” of Acts 16:40 does not include him.

The Name Of Jesus Continued To Be Announced
Paul’s third missionary journey started at Antioch once more (Acts 18:22-23). On this journey he got involved in a great work in Ephesus, where he stayed for about three years (Acts 19). Then the apostle traveled through parts of Greece and Macedonia, completing a special collection for the saints in Jerusalem (Acts 20).

Back in Jerusalem, accompanied by several faithful brothers, Paul was arrested during a riot caused by false accusers (Acts 21). The Roman commander rescued Paul from certain death, and the apostle, now in safety from the multitude that had harassed him, requested the officer to allow him to speak to the crowd that had tried to lynch him. What great courage! Paul wanted to use this last opportunity to speak to his fellow Jews! With permission given, he started to speak in the Hebrew tongue, which attracted the Jewish multitude’s special attention (21:40). In the middle of his speech another tumult erupted from which he was rescued again (22:22-24).

The next day, having learned Paul was a Roman citizen, the officer brought the apostle before the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, to know more about the cause of the tumults. However, even there another uproar arose as the Jews were totally divided among themselves, and Paul’s life was again in great danger (Acts 23). During the night the Lord encouraged Paul and assured him that he would give his testimony in Rome, just as he had done in Jerusalem (v.11).

The session before the Sanhedrin had not brought any help to the Roman commander, and a plot against Paul’s life was discovered. Therefore this high-ranking officer sent Paul to Caesarea, to the highest Roman authority in occupied Israel: the governor, Felix. In front of him, the apostle was falsely accused but allowed to defend himself. However, even though Felix knew about the whole situation and that the apostle was innocent, he kept him imprisoned because he wanted to favor the Jews (24:27).

Festus replaced Felix and considered taking Paul back to Jerusalem for judgment, while seeking to do the Jews a favor. Paul appealed to the emperor because traveling back to Jerusalem would expose him to dangerous attacks. Festus had no other choice than to let Paul travel to Rome, but he needed to find out what he should write to Caesar.

Exactly at that time the Jewish king Agrippa was visiting Caesarea, seeking to greet the new governor Festus. When the governor talked about his prisoner, Paul, the king offered to help him since he was quite familiar with Jewish customs and laws. In Paul’s speech to the king, in the presence of dignitaries and many others, the apostle referred to his past enmity, “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth (26:9). This was really the issue – the name of Jesus – and it still is.

The Name Of Jesus And The Church
First Corinthians 1:2 (JND) says, “To the assembly of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all that in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours.” This epistle gives basic teaching for all believers during the era that started with the coming of the Holy Spirit and will end with the rapture. Seven passages in Corinthians prove that the teachings given then are valid until we will meet the Lord Jesus in the air (1 Th. 4:16-17). This biblical concept is contrary to what many have taught and still teach today, saying instead that additional teachings are needed. However, the authoritative doctrine given in Scripture is still applicable and sufficient for every locality on earth. These instructions are linked to the name and the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Besides this important issue, the apostle Paul showed that there will be a time “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11 NKJV). What a privilege for us believers today that we may do so willingly with devoted hearts, not forced but responding to the love of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Name Of Jesus Now And In The Millennium
Differences in language or pronunciation should not be used to disqualify that one name, Jesus, or to force people to use only the other: Yeshua. This is because the names Iêsous, Jesus and Yeshua refer to the same person: Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus the Messiah, who is Jesus the Son of God.

We should not allow such differences to cause divisions among God’s people. Let us remember that the Holy Spirit unites, according to God’s thoughts, whereas the flesh divides. Therefore, we need to be on our guard and always place ourselves in God’s light, judging what is of self, of the flesh and of the enemy. May we have the faith of the woman from the area of Tyre and Sidon, who honored the Lord by simply believing (Mt. 15:22-28).

The name of Jesus belongs to Him “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:6-11).

In the world to come, often referred to as the millennium, every knee will be forced to bow. Today, God is looking for a willing response from every believer’s heart and mouth, because of love to Him. This challenge is the same today as it was on the day when Peter spoke, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

His name is sweet to each believing heart. In The Epistle To The Hebrews the name Jesus (Greek, Iêsous) occurs 14 times, of which once it refers to Moses’ servant Joshua (Heb. 4:8). The other times the name refers to our Lord Jesus Christ, as the context shows, sometimes linked to other names He has. This amazing epistle could be titled “We See Jesus” (read Heb. 2:9). I encourage our readers to go through those references in Hebrews and consider His name.

ENDNOTES
1. In the Greek text this is one word, which occurs ten times in Acts (1:14, 2:46, 4:24, 5:12, 7:57, 8:6, 12:20, 15:25, 18:12, 19:29) and once more in Romans 15:6. Luke described the unity of the believers, saying that they “were of one heart and of one soul” (Acts 4:32).
2. We are not sure whether this was the same Gamaliel who taught Paul in his rabbinical training (Acts 22:3).
3. Through God’s grace their friendship was restored, and John Mark became a true servant, quite useful for ministry.
4. Hellenistic Jews were scattered among Gentiles, spoke Greek and used the Greek translation of the Old Testament, whereas the Jews in and around Jerusalem avoided speaking Greek.

By Alfred Bouter

Hebrews 2:9-12NKJV We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying:
“I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”