Before God we have to be particularly clear about one thing: the name of the Lord Jesus. No one on earth can be saved without the name of the Lord Jesus, and no one can be useful in the hand of God without knowing the name of the Lord Jesus. We must know the meaning of the name of the Lord Jesus. What a pity that the name of the Lord has become so common in man’s conversation! Many times, the phrase in the name of the Lord Jesus has become something meaningless! Man often hears and reads this expression repeatedly to the point that he does not know what it means to be in the name of Jesus Christ. We have to ask God to help us understand afresh the significance of the familiar name of the Lord Jesus.
The name of the Lord Jesus is something special. It is something that the Lord did not have while He was on earth. Matthew 1 tells us that when the Lord Jesus was on earth, His name was Jesus. But Philippians 2 says that He became obedient even unto death and that the death of a cross, and therefore, God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. What is this name? Philippians 2:10-11 says, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” This name is “the name of Jesus.” He did not receive this name when He was on earth. After He ascended to heaven He received this name. He was already called Jesus when He was on earth. Through His obedience unto death on the cross, God exalted Him. In His exaltation, the name which is above every name was bestowed upon Him. The name which is above every name is “the name of Jesus.”
Not only did Paul receive the revelation of such a change in the Lord’s name, but also the Lord Jesus Himself spoke of a great change in His own name in the Gospel of John. He said, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you shall receive....In that day you will ask in My name” (John 16:24, 26). “In that day” we will ask in His name. On the day the Lord spoke this word, He had not yet received the name which is above every name. It was not until that day that He received the name above every name. It was not until that day that we could ask the Father in His name.
May the Lord open our eyes to see the great change in the Lord’s name after His ascension. We cannot fathom this change in our mind. This name is the name given by God, and it is a name that is above every name.
What does this name signify? This name signifies authority and power. Why does this name signify authority and power? Philippians 2:10-11 says, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” This is authority. Every knee has to bow to the name of Jesus, and everyone has to call Jesus the Lord because of His name. Hence, the name of Jesus denotes the fact that God has given Him the all-transcending authority and power.
In Luke 10:17 the disciples said to the Lord, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” It was a great thing for the disciples to cast out demons in the name of the Lord. The demons may not be afraid of many names on earth. But when the disciples did anything in the name of the Lord Jesus, the demons were subject to them. Later the Lord explained why His name made the demons subject to them. He said, “I have given you the authority to tread...over all the power of the enemy” (v. 19). Hence, the name equals authority. Where the name is, there is authority.
This is not all. Even the rulers among the Jews knew this. After Peter raised the lame man, the rulers called the apostles before them the next day and asked, “By what power or in what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7). In other words, what authority did they have in telling the man to stand up and walk? They knew that with every name there was authority. Hence, the name of Jesus denotes all the authority that God has committed to Him. We are not saying that the name itself is the authority; the effect of the name is authority.
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