What's In A Name

Abram becomes Abraham at the age of ninety-nine, and Sarai becomes Sarah at the likely age of eighty-nine (from Genesis 17). God makes known God's intention to do something new in the lives of these two flawed people. These two, who had been barren, would become the father and mother of three faiths: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

In Mark 8 Jesus asks who the disciples say he is, and Simon Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah. More details are found in Matthew 16 where Jesus responds by making "Peter" (which means "rock" in Greek) Simon's primary name.

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (Matt. 16:17-18)

However, when Peter questions Jesus prediction about how he must suffer and die, Jesus calls Peter "Satan" before explaining that God is, again, doing a new thing.

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:34-36)

In the upside down reality of God's kingdom where the first become last and last become first; where the founders of our faith could not imagine that twelve tribes would come from their barrenness; where the illegitimate son of a carpenter becomes the Savior of the world, we must leave behind who we were and become who we are meant to be.

So, who are you?