JESUS’ PRIMARY NAME
By Pastor Paulus Budiono
Johor, January 27, 2019
Shalom, Do you still remember that the Apostle Paul himself wrote the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians? How about the other epistles? 2 Thessalonians 3:17-18 write, “The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write.The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
Why did the Apostle Paul emphasize the significance of a signature and handwriting? How much do a name and a signature signify? In every letter he wrote under his name and signature, Paul wanted to stress the fact that he wrote it with care and that he was responsible for his writing. Besides, he had his own writing style. His typIcal way of writing included the phrase, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”
Apparently, the writer’s name as well as signature matter a lot to the readers. That’s why (university) students are assigned to write essays or thesis with references to books by celebrated authors. Unfortunately, it is now very easy for someone to scan a signature. Without feeling guilty, plagiarists copy and claim others’ works to be theirs. Pleease note that the more famous and important a person is, the more valuable his signature will be.
The Apostle Paul definitely found it important to write his letters under his name and signature, typical of his writings so as to personalize them. Without doubt, it had nothing to do with self-pride, but rather with responsibility. It is worth noting that he did not write his epistles in good times but mostly in difficult periods and in prisons.
What was the Apostle Paul’s interest in writing his name and signature in his epistles including the Epistle to the Thessalonians?
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 describe Jesus’ second coming (eschatology). Therefore, the Apostle Paul requested the congregation in Thessalonica (and also us) not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from them, as though the day of Christ had come. From this, we can learn that the Apostle Paul realized at the time that there were many fake letters under his name. Forgery is on the rise today. Lay people do not know how to tell the real and the false apart. This is happening in church too. There is a sect called Yahwism that denies the Triune God and acknowledges Jesus just as a prophet and God’s creation instead of God, not to mention numerous books written by doctors and professors adhering to liberal theology. Which teachings should we hold on to and admire? Which ones do we have to reject?
Let’s learn from this experience: When some members of the synod applied for the building permit for the construction of Salem School in Rajawali Street, Surabaya, the government officer asked them who had bought the plot and for whom. They mentioned my name: Paulus Budiono. The
officer asked, “Who is he?” Affter taking a glance at the great deliberation from the synod members, the officer said further, “Who is he? I don’t know him.”
Let’s think about this: Pastor Paulus Budiono has been chairman of the synod for 4 years and signed thousands of letters, yet he is not recognized by the government! The problem is not because they did not know him. Rather, they wanted to improve the system so that the government can admit the signature of the chairman.
The false letters bearing his name did bother the Apostle Paul. In reality, there are many books on false teachings available out there. After all, do we still believe in the Bible? Do we believe that the Epistle to Ephesians was truly written by the Apostle Paul? Do you know that many people nowadays believe and admire the books outside our canonized Bible (like the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Judas, the Gospel of Barnabas, etc.)? Now it is clear that the canonized epistles under Paul’s name and signature are the reliable Word of God.
How far can we trust the epistles of Paul? His writings were written on parchment (animal’s skin) and have been published since 2000 years ago. In case of writing errors, the parcament was discarded and the writers had to do the writing all over again. The Bible writers did their complicated writings meticulously. Do we on our part honor His Word?
The Thessalonian church certainly had a close relationship with the Apostle Paul. No wonder that they were familiar with his writings. Actually, the shepherded church must know their shepherd well. Sadly, some church members know another pastor well, rather than their own. Do we know Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and His voice as well (John 10:14, 16)?
Talking about writing and signature, we can identify a complicated or simple, upright or tilted, thin or thick, big, medium writer’s characters judging by their handwriting and signature –or small, etc. The Apostle Paul wrote large letters (Galatians 6:11). This had nothing to do with his blurry vision, but with his warning to the Galatian church. They no longer believed in the Gospel of Christ and had welcomed another perverted gospel.
The Apostle Paul harshly rebuked them, saying, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9). The curse once hovered over the Apostle Paul when he denied the cross of Christ. Therefore, beware of preachers who preach about another Jesus from the pulpit while the congregation has no serious interest in studying the Word of God.
If we take a closer look at the whole New Testament, we will find out that the name of the Apostle Paul appears 31 times, the name of Jesus 959 times, the name of Christ 570 times and the name of the Lord 684 times. Throughout the Apostle Paul’s writings, the name of Jesus occurs 248 times in total. Put simply, the name of Jesus is at the top of the list and worth magnifying. But in reality, we often adore a famous writer with many titles so much that we forget the Bible. Please remember that the Bible is everlasting and that no single writing or opinion excels the Bible. The Apostle John wrote that even the world could not contain the books recounting Jesus’ works in detail after His resurrection from the dead (John 21:25). What kinds of books do you have the most in your bookcase?
How often do we mention His name in a day? In the 27 books of the New Testament, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned 2,213 times. This means that we mention His name at least six times a day. Also, how much time do we spend worshipping Him? Don’t we often make up excuses like: working overtime, doing school projects, heavy rain falls and floods. We also often say that we have access to live streaming on YouTube to watch the church service, etc. This way, you take the church service for a religious or ritual practice, rather than for a need.
Introspection: The Director of the Guidance of the Christian Community gives a piece of their mind saying that the church has been growing only by 6%. The more Bible Schools, the fewer souls won for Christ. He critizies the way the chairman of the synod works. Respected, dressed up in a suit, wearing a tie and even a toga, he is supposed to bring Indonesians to Jesus. Instead, conflicts and divisions flare up creating a new synod. What else did the Apostle Paul say to the Galatian congregation? “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen” (Galatians 6:15-18).
The Apostle Paul’s epistles are marked with the Holy Spirit and authorized by the sacrifice of Jesus. The Apostle Paul was convinced that his life showed the ownership of Jesus. Isn’t the name of the Lord more beautiful than anything else? Besides, doesn’t His name provide everlasting peace? His name is to be engraved in our hearts to wipe away our sins and sorrows.
Reflection: Do we have the marks of Jesus in our hearts? Will the Owner recognize us by and by in heaven? That all depends on the mark in our bodies. What if He does not recognize us when He comes? Make sure it will never happen! We may have rallied evangelical revivals, conducted seminars in His name or mentioned His name tens of times on a daily basis, but He will not recognize us unless the name of Jesus is engraved in our hearts (cf. Matthew 7:21-23). The Apostle Paul says that we are the epistles of commendation written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God on tablets of our hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3). The Holy Spirit sealed the cross of Jesus that saved and freed us from the bondage of sin so that His name always clings to our hearts wherever we are.
When do we bear the name of Jesus and the mark of His ownership? When we believed in Him, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit and obtained the right to be children of God (Ephesians 1:13-14). Then, we are able to cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). So, we know the Father through Jesus, His only begotten son (John 14:6-7) and the Father pours out His blessings through Jesus (John 15:16).
Did you know that the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God the Father are one? The Holy Spirit helps us to put away all of our evil speech and actions. Moreover, He leads us to love Jesus, the Word of God. For that reason, we must not grief the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), let alone quench Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19). That way, the Word of God will radiate from our lives (as letters of Christ).
We must believe that the Lord knows His people. Therefore, depart from the iniquity, tell the truth, flee from youthful lust, stay away from quarrels, pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love and peace.
Also, we are to guide opponents with gentleness so that they may know the truth and repent (2 Timothy 2:14-26).
Now we understand why the Apostle Paul wrote his letters under his name and signature. It is for the sake of authenticity rather than self-pride. He wrote the name of Jesus much more often than his own. In doing so, he expected the readers, including us, to love the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Needless to say that only His name is worth glorifying way high above any man’s name, even the most famous name ever. Amen.