The Name of Jesus

 

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.”

—Luke 2:25

The Lord Jesus Christ is the most controversial person in all of history. You either love Him, or you secretly hate Him. Satan has manipulated humankind in such a way that the powerful name of Jesus has become a common curse word. I sometimes wonder if the name of Jesus is spoken more often as a curse than it is spoken as an entreaty for help in sincere prayer.

The wise older man, Simeon, who greeted Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem, predicted this very outcome, as recorded in Luke 2:25-35:

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

You see, Simeon predicted quite accurately that Jesus would become:

“… a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.”

This prophecy prompts me to ask:

“What do we make of Jesus? Is He our Savior and Lord? Or, has His precious name become our common curse word, spoken whenever we’re frustrated?

If the answer is the latter, we must repent. Then, having repented of taking the precious name of Jesus in vain, we must embrace Him as He really is—the one who became the Son of man that we might become the children of God.

 

Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, January 4, 2016

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