Easter 2 “Garden Walk: Life in His Name”
April 24th, 2022 – John 20:31
Receive from God the forgiveness you have not earned, not the judgement you have, and have peace with God through the blood of our Risen Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Throughout Lent, we were on a wilderness walk. Now, in the season of Easter, we have arrived at our destination of the Promised Land. We have arrived at our destination by means of Jesus’ resurrection from death to life.
The focus of our walk has changed from walking in the wilderness of life with all its dangers and hard-to-swallow lessons regarding our sin.
It has changed, transformed, into a walk in the Garden of Eden, Paradise restored, walking at peace with God and neighbour. You and I are at peace with God through Jesus’ name.
Jesus’ name. Name. Name?
Wait, we’re at peace through Jesus’ name? The Gospel this morning mentions ‘name’ too. The doubting Thomas account, where Jesus come-back-to-life is showing and proving Himself to be alive again to His disciples, it ends this way and mentions “Jesus’ name”. Verses 30-31 say:
“30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
Did you hear it? “…by believing, you may have life in his name.”
How does someone have life in a name? It’s just a name, right? It’s just a word.
Let’s ask the Romeo and Juliette, question. What is in a name?
The great scene of Juliette one evening on her balcony after having discovered her beloved Romeo is of the wrong ‘family name.’ She ponders out loud and begs the great question.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;”
Do you get Shakespeare’s point here?
For our pondering this morning, our takeaway point is that a name is far more than a word.
The name of Jesus is far more than the label “Jesus.” A name has tied up into many different things beyond the letters. It is a connection to family. It is a reputation. It is a whole record of actions that have been done, a life that has been lived, which go with that name.
The name of “Jesus” that we have life in, it has attached to it Jesus’s connection to the Father. It has with it His conception by the Holy Spirit, miraculous birth by the virgin Mary, His perfect spotless life, His teaching of God’s love and rescue mission for all. His commands to us to forgive sins on His behalf, eat and drink His body and blood for our forgiveness, to baptise for the forgiveness of sins and make disciples of all nations. The name of Jesus means His suffering death and resurrection from the dead for us! The name of “Jesus” which saves us, is His actions taken on our behalf to save and deliver us from a world of sin and bring us back home to Himself to walk in the Garden in peace.
How could so much be in a simple name? Yet, it is. All Jesus’ actions which have saved us and have given us life are in the name of Jesus. We have life in His Name. We have life even in the fact that the name “Jesus” in Hebrew literally means “God Saves.”
We do have life in His name. We have life in the fact that we are baptized into His name – we are baptised into His actions for us. We have life that in our baptism we are adopted into the family of God and bestowed – given – the name “Jesus.” In fact, not just the name of Jesus, but the whole name of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are baptised into, given the reputation and action God has done and will continue to do for all time.
We are baptised. We walk in the new life God has given through His name right now. We have peace by His name. We have patience, endurance, hope, joy, love by His actions for us.
What’s a good summary of what we believe is His name? What’s a good summary of all He has done for us?
We speak it every week – we spoke that summary earlier – and for good reason.
We confessed with our mouth so we do not forget. So we always remember the eternal life we have in His name – what He has done for you, me, and our neighbour.
“I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord…and I believe in the Holy Spirit…”