What’s in a Name?

We live in an age of unusual names. When I was a child, nearly everyone had a name that plenty of other people had. Over the past 20 years or so, there seems to be some competition to come up with a name that no one else has, or at least a different spelling (such as Katelyn, Caitlyn, Katelynn, etc.).

A family in a church I pastored had four children. The mother of this clan had a very unusual name herself, as did her two sisters. When their first three children were born, she created names that were so unique, I believe it is possible that no one else in the country has these names. When people would hear the names of these children, they would invariably have to ask that they be repeated. Slowly.

The father of this clan took his wife’s unique name habits in stride. He himself had a most usual name. After three girls, a fourth child appeared on the scene, but this time a boy. Since she named the three girls, the wife allowed her husband to pick the name for their new son. His choice? John.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that Zechariah and Elizabeth had a most unusual child. Conceived in old age to a previously barren couple, the birth of this child was the talk of the town. The fact that Zechariah had been rendered mute by an angelic visit only added to the mystery.

When the child was born and the family gathered around, talk turned to the child’s name. Since Zechariah wasn’t saying anything, one family member after another began to call the child after his father. Maybe they called him Zechariah Jr., or even Little Zeke.

Elizabeth tried to correct them. “No! He is to be called John,” she insisted. They argued with her. No one else in the family had this name. It just wasn’t done. I can imagine a lot of people talking at once.

Finally, they decided to ask Zechariah. He motioned for something to write on. He wrote, “His name is John.”

I think this would be surprising enough to the family gathered there (“I guess Elizabeth knew what she was talking about.” “What kind of name is John?” “Why couldn’t he be named after his uncle?”). What happened next was downright startling. This man, who had not been able to speak for nine months, began to speak. What’s more, he began to declare the glories of God. In fact, they even recognized his speech as prophetic, so powerful were the words he spoke.

Why the specific name John? His Aramaic name was probably Jonah, like the prophet, but nowhere in the New Testament is any linkage made between Jonah the prophet and John the Baptist. It seems that, in this case, God chose a name that, while not uncommon, went against the grain of family and cultural expectations. This was to be a special child, and the unusual choice of name bore that out. Second, I think there was an obedience test for Zechariah and Elizabeth. When his faith wavered before the angel, he was rendered mute. When they both obeyed God’s command, his speech was restored.

Sometimes what the name means is not that important, but why the name is given can reveal a lot.