Have you ever had a nickname before? What was it and what’s the story behind it? How about when you chose a name for your son/daughter, or your stuffed animals, or your car, what were those names and how did you arrive at them? What do you think makes people name one child Winner and the other Loser? Is there inherent power in knowing a name, such as many fictional or mythical stories purport? What about the name of Jesus? What does God’s name mean/what power does it have? Is there inherent power therein or does it all stem from who He is, rather than simply His name?
For today’s study we’re going to be looking at what it means when we pray in the name of Jesus. It seems often that we simply use this as a way to close our prayers, sort of like sincerely, cheers, or your friend, but there’s more to it than that. In olden times families would seal their letters with wax and stamp them with a signet ring, signifying that while the wax was unbroken, this letter bore the exact words of that family and held the same potency as if the head of the family himself was there to say the words.
With regards to Jesus, though is this true? Let’s begin by looking at Exodus 3:13-15. Here God is speaking one-on-one with Moses through the burning bush. He reveals to Moses His name. This seems like a truly intimate meeting between them. God has not, in recorded scripture, revealed His name to anyone prior to this. His name is also a name forever and a memorial-name to all generations. This name is supposed to last. This one name, the only name of God given to us, is what is commonly written today as Yahweh. This name was so holy, that in times past, when scribes would make copies of a text, they would need to ceremonially bathe before they wrote this name. This is particularly astonishing in passages in the Pentateuch or Isaiah where the Name is used frequently. Yet this doesn’t yet explain what it means when we pray in Jesus’ name. It adds some weight and, hopefully, some reverence, but nothing that shouldn’t have already been there.
Our next passage, Matthew 7:22-23, illustrates people who did things in Jesus’ name, but Jesus simply says He never knew them. He doesn’t say that He knew them once, but not anymore, or He was acquainted with them, but not good friends. Nay, rather He says He never knew them! This is particularly scary for believers as it directly applies to people who think they’re doing things for Jesus, but don’t have a relationship with them. Not only did they do normal things, but they also cast out demons, performed miracles, and prophesy. They did these things, yet did not know Jesus. How sad to think that people could do so much work for the Lord, but do not know the Lord of the Work. This passage applies to prayer extensively in that we need to make sure our prayers are about God and having a relationship with Him. Not about ourselves or simply doing, but rather knowing and growing in relationship to Him. Yet this does not explain what praying in His name means.
Matthew 8:5-10 tells the story of a centurion who came and asked Jesus to heal his slave. He told Jesus that Jesus did not need to come Himself, but only say the word and his servant would be healed. Jesus then marvels at this centurion’s faith, especially that he is a Gentile. Like all of scripture, though, we must read this in context, synoptically with its other passage in Luke 7. Luke’s version does not have the centurion come himself, but rather some Jewish leaders from the local synagogue and then some friends of the centurion. Yet it is the same story, resulting in Jesus marveling at the centurion’s faith. While this passage shows the authority of both Jesus and the centurion, for our purposes it shows just what it means to come, or do things, or pray in someone’s name. It is as if that person or persons came themselves.
Consider this, when you pray in Jesus name, you are, in effect, saying that you prayer is what Jesus would pray, if it were He who lived, and not you. You are acting as His ambassador. When you pray for earthly or base things, yet say you are doing it in His name, you are profaning that holy name, the name so holy scribes needed to take a bath just to write it. From now on, when you pray and you decide to close In His Name, remember what you're doing, Who you're doing it to and for, and remember all the weight it carries with it. It is your privilege as priests, but it is also your responsibility. May the God of all comfort keep you holy in your prayers.
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