One of my favorite passages in the New Testament comes from the second chapter of the Letter of Paul to the Philippians. It is a poetic and theologically powerful recognition of the Great Mystery of the Incarnation. It is a revelation concerning the One who came into the world, who was God from God, true God from true God; the One who, “Though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped“; the One who willingly entered into our humanity, bore our suffering, and died on the cross to save us from the grip of sin and death, and to open the gates of Paradise to us once again. And He has a Name!
Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul goes on to tell us at the end of this poetic passage from his Letter to the Philippians that, “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).
So, you see, the name of Jesus is not just any name. It is no ordinary name. It is a name that encompasses the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the immeasurable length, breadth, depth and height of the story of Creation and our Salvation. It is the name of the One who in his person is fully God and fully man. It is the name of the One who the Apostle John writes about saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He is the One through whom, “all things came to be, and without him nothing can be” (Jn 1: 1-3).
Because the Word became flesh and lived among us, showing us in his humanity the face and the nature of God, it can only be proper and righteous to bend the knee at the mention of this holy name. Now, of course, it may be impractical to actually, physically ‘take a knee’ every time his name is spoken, but these passages, this awareness of who Jesus is, and what he has done for us, gives us reason enough to consider bending our wills, indeed, our whole being, at every mention of the name of Jesus in humble awe.
My Irish grandmother (God rest her soul), taught me a simple gesture to practice at the mention of the name of Jesus. It can be done very unobtrusively, or very deeply, depending on the circumstances or places one is in at the time the name of Jesus is mentioned. At the mention of the name of Jesus, she simply bowed her head, just a little nod, really. By developing this habit, she recognized and expressed her awe and respect for the One who bore that name, expressing it physically, as we are told should be done in Philippians 2:10. It was a gesture that reinforced faith in Jesus and expressed her love for Jesus. In this little gesture, in this simple nod, she gave honor to the most precious Name of Jesus.
I recently came across a handful of quotes about how others have considered and honored the name of Jesus. For example, Teresa of Calcutta, the nun who worked with and for the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India said, “The name of Jesus is like honey in the mouth, music in the ear, and a cry of joy in the heart.” Padre Pio of Pietrelcina wrote this: “The name of Jesus is so powerful that it dispels darkness and brings peace.” And Bernard of Clairvaux wrote this: “The sweet name of Jesus produces in us holy thoughts, fills the soul with noble sentiments, strengthens virtue, begets good works, and nourishes pure affections.”
In our humble and honest consideration of the reasons, reflections, and scriptural insights mentioned above, let us, too, reflect on the meaning of the name of Jesus for us. Let us think and pray deeply about this Name, and train our minds, our hearts, and our souls to never again use the name of Jesus in vain, in anger, or as a flippant epithet. It is a name to be honored above all other names, the name before which we should all, in true humility, bend our whole being.
What does the Name of Jesus mean to you?
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