“As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” “I told you that I Am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.””
John 18:6-8 NLT
In those days the name “Jesus” was relatively common, and there were others of that name mentioned in the Bible. There was one man called Barabbas, also called Jesus Barabbas in some manuscripts. We can read about him in Matthew 27:15-17, “Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named [Jesus] Barabbas. As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you— [Jesus] Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”” As an aside, can you imagine the relief that Barabbas felt, in prison having been part of a gang who had killed Roman soldiers, and expecting to be executed in the very near future, and to then be released, in the place of someone with the same name? Such is the saving power of Jesus Christ, bringing relief to sinners, who are otherwise under a eternal death sentence. There were other historical figures in those times with the name “Jesus” but who weren’t mentioned in the Bible. The name “Jesus” is a derivation of the name “Joshua” meaning “to deliver or to rescue”, or “salvation of God”.
To differentiate between men with the same name, often the place where they lived was added for clarity, along with the name of their father. So Jesus became Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Joseph. Or Jesus the Nazarene. Matthew 2:23 reads, “So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”” Later Jesus was referred to “Jesus Christ” or “Christ Jesus”, adding the Greek name of Messiah, as written by Paul in Romans 1:4, “and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.” The name Jesus is not commonly used in English-speaking nations, but it is more used in places where languages such as Spanish in spoken.
To us pilgrims, however, Jesus is not “Jesus of Nazareth”. He is our wonderful Saviour, the Name above all names. There is no other name by which man can be saved. Romans 10:9-10, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved”. In Acts 4 we can read the account of Peter and John, brought before the Sanhedrin for healing the lame man begging at the Beautiful Gate, healing that took place in the Name of Jesus. Acts 4: 7, 10, “They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?” … Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead“. Peter didn’t hold back. He clearly pointed out to the Jewish leaders what the power of the Name of Jesus was capable of, and added for good measure the facts of His death and resurrection. And he finished up by saying, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Dear Lord Jesus. Your Name is above all names. We sing it and believe it and worship You today. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 