Page 1 - Names and Meanings

Enníska – The days grow longer
Second Sunday in Lent– February 28, 2021

Names and Meanings

Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16
Mark 8:27–38

Our story from the Hebrew Scriptures tells of an encounter between El Shaddai (God) and Abram
during which time God establishes another covenant that includes name changes for Abram, the
“exalted father,” who will be forever after known as Abraham, “the father of multitudes” and Sarai,
who will be called Sarah, the meaning shifting from the personal to the communal: “my woman of
strength” to “woman of strength.”

The significance of the meaning of names becomes the lens through which we read our Gospel lesson.
The story of the conversation at Ceasaria Philippi – and Peter’s strong reaction to Jesus’
announcement that he is headed to Jerusalem and death – are usually assigned to two different
Sundays, perhaps because they take place on different days. But Mark the Evangelist has no doubt
placed them next to each other to show us a number of things.

He shows us that there has been talk about who Jesus might be. His authority when teaching, his
ability to heal, as well as his authority over unclean spirits – along with the adversarial relationship
between Jesus and the Pharisees – has everyone wondering. Rumours are flying and when asked, the
disciples offer the highlights to Jesus: people are saying he is John the Baptist, that he is Isaiah come
back to earth, that he is a prophet. It is Peter who identifies Jesus as the Christ, the Anointed One,
whom they called Messiah.

Now Messiah or Christ is a title not a name. His name, Jesus, actually means “salvation” which was a
common enough name at the time of the Roman occupation. It is a name that spoke of their hope for
liberation …

And we notice Jesus doesn’t want them to use the title “Christ” for him – most likely because the title
the Anointed One would stir up the people’s expectations of a political reversal of fortunes. Imagine
the rumours that would fly if they heard the name Jesus the Christ. The Anointed One is our Salvation.
The desire for political freedom would make it very hard for Jesus to go about the strange business of
liberating souls – of going to the root of the problem of evil by transforming our hearts.

It is in the following verses that we see just how different their expectations are from the path that
Jesus has been born to travel. In verse 31 it says, “Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man
must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be
killed, and after three days rise again.”

There are three important things here.

- Jesus claims the title “Son of Man” or as we might say now, “The Human One.” He enters fully into
our human reality.