Why is Jesus' name so important?
Most Christians end their prayers with something like this: “In Jesus’ name, amen.” We do it because that’s what Jesus commanded: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14).
When the disciples wanted to see a handicapped man healed, they invoked the name of Jesus: “Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong” (Acts 3:6-7). So what’s the significance of Jesus’ name?
Each part of his name is so important. Christ comes from the Greek word chrestos, which means sent one or anointed one. Jesus was anointed by God and sent from heaven. Our savior is not of this world, which makes him so much more trustworthy than all the saviors that are of this world.
During election season every candidate promises that government will be our savior if we vote for them so they can make our lives better. Substances are saviors. There’s always a new diet that’s going to give you a brand new life. Bulletproof Coffee. The Chili-Pepper Water Cleanse. People are saviors. There’s probably someone in your career field who could change the whole trajectory of your life if you just got connected to them. But all those saviors disappoint us in the end. Jesus is different. He was anointed by God and sent from heaven.
Still, it’s not like he just came to earth on a short-term trip to make things better for a little while, and then he went back home. His full name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. His name isn’t Jesus Christ of Heaven. It’s not even Jesus Christ of Jerusalem. It’s Jesus Christ of Nazareth — that small little ghetto town in the most ghetto region of one of the most ghetto countries in the Roman Empire.
His name really means Jesus Christ of the regular people. He was the son of a carpenter. He did blue-collar work for most of his life. Our savior is one of us, and he’ll always be one of us. He relates to common, ordinary people with all our common, ordinary needs. Remember what his first miracle was? Somebody ran out of wine at their wedding. You can’t get much more ordinary than that. Jesus understands our most ordinary needs because he’s felt all our most ordinary needs.
As Hebrews says, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
The name of Jesus reminds us that he understands our needs at the same time as he is sovereign over our needs.