What's In a Name?
WHEN THE NAME IS THAT OF THE SON OF GOD,
THE ANSWER IS: "VERY MUCH!"
by Clifford Denton, D. Phil.
When the Gospel went out to the Greek speaking world our Saviour
was called Jesus. This is a modification of Yeshua, the Hebraic
form of his name. A growing number of believers are using the name
Yeshua again. This is linked to the growth of a movement to restore
the Hebraic foundations of the Christian faith. The name is rich in
meaning, being associated with the Hebrew word for salvation.
Indeed, if we look closely at the Hebrew letters which make up the
name, we will discover even greater significance.
The name Yeshua is made up of four consonents, Reading from right
to left these are yud, shin, vav, ayin. It is interesting to
compare the letters which form the word with the letters, known as
the tetragrammaton, which make up the name of Yahweh, God the
Father. These are yud, hay, vav, hay. If we put the letters for the
Sons name under the letters for the Fathers name, we can compare
them more easily:
Both names have yud and vav. There are meanings attached to Hebrew
letters. To some extent they are like hieroglyphics, conveying
meaning through pictures. One Jewish tradition is that the vav
symbolises the power that binds together the souls of Israel. We
will return to this point later. The hay is symbolic of a window.
It looks as though the Sons name is derived from the Fathers name
by changing the two symbols of the window for the shin and ayin .
Perhaps something happened when the windows of heaven opened to
reveal the Son. Obviously we can stretch these ideas too far, but
there would seem to be something important to consider if we go a
little further.
First, we can consider the yud and the vav which are in both the
names of the Father and the Son. The letter yud is the symbol for
handthe Hebrew word for hand, yad, comes from this. The letter vav
is the symbol for a nail or a hook and the word vav itself is the
Hebrew for the kind of nail that is used to pin something down
while it is being stretched. Now we can see the power of the
message behind the letters. The hands (yud) of Yeshua (Jesus) were
pierced by nails (vav) as his body was stretched on the cross. This
was the means by which those saved from Israel may be bound
together with the Father, fulfilling the Jewish tradition in a
remarkable way. It cannot be by chance that the names of the Father
and the Son both contain the symbols of the suffering that took
place for the salvation of Israel.
Now we should look at the other two letters that make up the name
of Yeshua. These also have clear meaning. The shin is the symbol of
teeth, and the word shin also means tooth in Hebrew. The ayin is
the symbol of eyes, and the word ayin also means eyes in Hebrew.
This is a mystery until we read the messianic promise given by
Jacob to Judah in Genesis 49:8-12 where there is reference to the
eyes and teeth of the Messiah. Among the things that were said, we
have, "His eyes shall be red with wine and his teeth white with
milk." But what else does the symbolism of eyes and teeth mean? If
we put the ayin with the shin, we form the word which is associated
with the word delight. But what of this delight? Like the psalmist,
surely Yeshua delighted in the Torah (law) of God. Indeed, this is
so when we recall that eyes and teeth are symbolic of the
righteousness of the justice of God, eye for eye and tooth for
tooth (Exodus 21:24).
The name Yeshua contains justice and perffect balance. While ayin
and shin symbolise jus-tice of the law of God, yud and vav
symbolise the extent of Gods mercy. There is a way of restoration
for those who have broken the laws of God whatever they have done,
and this principle is all bound up into the name of Yeshua, which
means salvation. Those who believe in him can be saved from their
sins, whatever they have done. It is important to remember this
when we consider the next point, which is deeply relevant to
millions of people today.
Continued...
