What's in a name Pentecost 14A Proper 17A 30th August 2026

2026 08  30   Pentecost 14a   Proper 17A

Exodus 3.1-15   Psalm 105.1-6, 23-26     Romans 12.9-21     Matthew 16.21-28

It seems appropriate to explore the theme of names through this week’s readings, and for many of our Biblical characters names were incredibly significant, and often specifically given by God.

What’s in a name?  Names are sometimes labels we hang on each other… On Boston Blue the officer, Jonah, had graffiti drawn on his desk to call him a snitch, as he had arrested another officer for drunk driver – an officer with an alcoholic problem.  He was therefore labelled a snitch by the other officers.  Officer Jonah stood up to the main bully and told him that he knew it was him who drew the picture, and he wasn’t going to rub the picture off, because it was a reminder to the others of who they are, but regardless of what anyone thought or did, he -Jonah- was going to still have that officer’s and every other officer’s back and do his very best to protect and guard them because that is who he is.  He met bullying, unkindness and intimidation with a courageous, public declaration of integrity, and it turned the situation around.

What’s in a name?  According to T.S. Elliot, cats have 3 distinct names; one common one that the family know the cat by, a distinguished name that only one cat ever has, and a secret name known only to the cat itself.  Well, I suspected T.S. Elliot, may have read the Bible, and my quick research confirmed this to be the case.   The first name is aligned with the name we are given and known by in society, such as Jacob.  The second name is the unique name to mark a transformation or higher purpose, such as how Jacob became Israel, and also how Simon became Peter.  The final secret name is referred to in the book of revelation. 

 

We have had some momentous readings in the last few weeks.  They are fundamental to our faith.  Last week was Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, and in response to this, Peter was told that on that rock the church would be built.  The church is nothing unless we understand that it is built on Christ himself.   This was somewhat like a revelation of the secret name of God.  It was climatic, but following straight on from this, in our readings today, Christ reveals aspects about this Kingdom and Peter fails to comprehend, leading to the humiliating record of Jesus saying to Peter, “get behind me Satan”.

 

What is in a name?  This is also the topic of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”.  The idea put forward was that it is just a tag and can be changed, but the reality in the play shows the gravity of the situation.  In our Old Testament reading, Moses asks God His name.  Why did he do this?  In all our encounters with God up to this point in history, God had not revealed His name… Genesis records him as Elohim, simply translated as “God”, and then “El Shaddai”, God almighty.   One called him, “The God who sees”, and God often announced himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. … the God of your ancestors.  Jacob had wrestled with God and then asked him his name, but God answered, “why do you ask my name?”  Moses’ asking God for his name, was something significant.

 

Knowing a god’s name in those ancient lands meant gaining access to that deity's specific power, character, and presence.  What God did with His answer was to show that he was greater and would not be manipulated.  “I am who I am” – or “I will be who I will be”… However, also in this answer was a revelation that God is ever existent, self-existent and eternal.  In this revelation was also the understanding that what God is today, He also is the same tomorrow.  There was also the implication of a covenant promise…. The promise to always be….  Therefore, if he is the God who loves you today and promises to be with you for always, He is faithful to that covenant promise today and tomorrow. 

 

Jewish scholars have also commented that the four Hebrew consonants of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) act as the sound of breathing.  YH is the sound of breathing in and WH is the sound of breathing out and therefore the name of God is on our lips from our first cry to our final breath.   And yet the name of God is so sacred that the Jewish people will not even write it.  Often in the Bible you might see LORD written in capitol letters, this is how it was recorded rather than writing God’s name and also in some commentary you might find that they will write G dash D (G-D).  I would always point this out to school children who were in the habit of saying, “Oh my God”…  They didn’t mean anything by it, but for me, at least this seems to be disrespectful, so I would let them know the Jewish perspective, then let them make up their own mind, not forgetting that the 3^rd of the 10 Commandments is to not disrespect God’s name.

 

Moses encountered God through observing a burning bush.  It was a bush on fire but not consumed.  Everything in Moses’ encounter served to show something about God’s nature.  The text says that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses.  Many theologians say that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, and they also say that the burning bush is a symbol of the incarnation, with the physical existing with the divine without being consumed by the divine.

 

Peter, glimpsed the reality, but still didn’t get it.  He had declared Jesus as the Messiah, and for this declaration Jesus had given him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, but there is something about Jesus’ nature that Peter missed.  The interesting thing is that Peter “got it”… and then he didn’t….  many times.  And that is good news for us, because we are the same.  We glimpse something of God and who he is and then we miss it.  And that is exactly what happened to Peter.

 

Peter saw the divine and then missed it.  He saw the fire that didn’t consume the bush and then he just saw the bush… or did he just see the fire…?  I’m not sure, but he got it, then missed it… and so do we.

 

At one point in the Gospel stories, we hear of his followers asking if he wanted them to call down fire from heaven to destroy those who rejected him.  Of course he did not want that.  They too, only saw the fire of the divine at that time and failed to understand.  Jesus tells us that if any wish to come after him they must deny themselves and take up their cross.  Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for his sake will find it.  It is another contradiction just like a burning bush that is not consumed.

 

The church is built on that which Peter glimpsed last week.  It is built on the fact that Jesus is the saviour… the Messiah.  And since that time so many have come misunderstanding and even twisting that revelation.  Surely the saviour should not suffer and die?  Surely, He and his followers should rule the earth.  But instead the saviour IS one who suffered.  The saviour IS one who laid down his life for the good of those who didn’t deserve him.  Satan is still twisting the revelation of the Messiah today.  That is what is behind those who say that Jesus was just a good man – a prophet… sent from God… or some may even call him the son of God and the messiah… but not God.  Some even try to deny that he ever existed even though there is more than ample historical evidence.

 

God’s sacred name that was revealed to Moses is “I am who I am” and in the language of those people it is often stated as “YAWEH” – He is who he is….  Not some controllable god who we can make into our own image or manipulate and make into the image that we prefer… the image that makes us comfortable.  Make no mistake… Jesus was crucified because he stated, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58) – Everyone there knew what he meant.   “YAWEH” .  In fact Jesus name literally means. “YAWEH saves”.  Christ is the visible expression of the unseen God.  He is… who HE is!

 

This fact is what the church is built on, but the people of the church are to take up their cross also and follow, emulating the characteristics of our faithful and loving God.  We can try to do this in our own strength, but we will probably fail.  Instead, there is a better way!   We strive to do this relying on God’s strength…  In fact, we simply allow God to live through us.  We are so used to our earthly nature that we often fail to realize that we, as Christians, have been transformed…. We who are baptised and belong to Jesus have that divine fire within us.  Jesus sent us his Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is God dwelling in us.  Each Christian is yet another burning bush.  The physical, carnal nature, something somewhat ordinary made absolutely extraordinary by the Spirit of God.  May we all grow in the understanding of who we are in God, who calls us to be who He created us to be….