In The Name of Jesus?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 8:50PM Open Sesame, Abra Cadabra, Shazam, Alakazam, Presto Chango ... Jesus Christ.
What do all these names have in common? All have been used as magic words—words that are said to give their users power over the gods—or God! Power to force God to do the user’s will. Is this what is meant when we use the Biblical phrase—“In the name of Jesus”?
Noted medieval Catholic magician Henry Agrippa wrote that “the proper names of things are very necessary in Magical Operations.” (The Philosophy of Natural Magic, University Books, Seacaucus, New Jersey, 1974, Page 212) Sir James Frazier in his book on ancient religions (The Golden Bough) wrote: “Thus it assumes that all personal beings, whether human or divine, are in the last resort subject to those impersonal forces ... by anyone who knows how to manipulate them by the appropriate ceremonies and spells.” (MacMillan Publishing, New York, 1978, page 59)
Do these concepts have anything in common with what Jesus said?: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do {it}.” (John 14:13-14) “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and {that} your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” (John 15:16) “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give {it} you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23-24)
Is God your slave? Will He obey your every whim? Is that what these scriptures mean? Can you “name it and claim it”? Can someone come saying they are doing things “in the name of Jesus,” and yet not be converted? “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:5)
So it is not coming saying the words “in the name of Jesus” alone that is really important. Instead these scriptures must mean something else.
The story is told of the women who went to church and “got saved.” She was a regular in attendance for weeks. Then, suddenly, she quit attending. The Pastor, concerned about her welfare, went to visit her. She told him that she did not believe in God anymore since she had prayed “in the name of Jesus” for a Cadillac, and did not get it!
How very much are we like that lady. How very much I am like that lady. Some years ago I wanted to marry a particular young lady. Naturally I prayed about it often. I even thought about the verses we just read. I also thought about: “Ask and you shall receive!” and “Shall a father give his child a stone when he wants bread?” So I thought that God would give me what I wanted. And yes, I even used the name of Jesus. (To make sure I covered all my bases I even sometimes used the Hebrew name Yahshua!) Can you guess what happened? That’s right, nothing! Why didn’t I get what I wanted?
Since the prayer I mentioned had not been answered, I thought and prayed some more on the same subject. Was what I wanted best for me? I knew it was not God’s will for my life. I had known all along that it was not God’s will, but I wanted it anyway! Finally, I decided to pray for what I knew was God’s will—even though it was the last thing in the world I wanted and the exact opposite of what I had been praying. I prayed that the young man I knew she wanted would marry her. Can you guess what happened? Yes, and it happened quickly.
Figure of Speech
If I told you that my project was “tied up in red tape,” immediately you would picture that the government paperwork was delaying me. However, someone from another country might picture someone strangling on red tape. Just as in the case of “red tape”, so “in the name” is also a figure of speech. They should not be taken literally. In English we also use “in the name of” in a similar way. If one of our Ambassadors goes to a foreign country “in the name of Barack Obama,” does he mumble “Barack Obama, Barack Obama” over and over again?
Just as an ambassador comes “with the authority of” our president, so do we when we pray to our Heavenly Father. We come in the authority of Jesus Christ, our elder brother. As His younger brother or sister we have the right to call upon him to intercede for us in heaven. Since He is our Elder Brother, we can rely on him to grant our request. But we must always remember that only He has perfect knowledge and knows what is best. If my daughter asks for a candy bar one hour before dinner, she won’t get it. God will not answer our prayers and give us something that is bad for us no matter how much we want it. Thinking that God is our slave is a part of the false doctrines taught by Babylon the Great. We need to leave these kind of false doctrines behind.
So, is it wrong to pray “in the name of Jesus”? No, but when we do, remember that it is not the group of sounds that says “Jesus” that is important. Neither is the exact pronunciation important. Instead it is important that we should know who He was, who He is, and who we are in relation to Him. That is what gives the “name of Jesus” power. There is no magic involved in “the name of Jesus,” whether in English or Hebrew. But if we ask in His name great and wonderful things will happen!
Reader Comments (2)
There are lots of magical items in Christianity that people attribute mystical powers to.
Magic Clothes, or religious costuming,
Magic Wine
Magic Water
Magic Food
Magic Crosses and Symbols,
Magic Rituals
Magic Leaders
Et Al and Etc.
In the end, true Christianity requires NONE OF THESE. In fact, any of the "magic things" just get in the way of God and a relationship with him.
Eddie H. Nessul
Amboy, CA
Holy Places as well. Jesus prophesied that this kind of thing was limited, and due to pass away. It did, although it exists again today. Jerusalem, Rome, and Pasadena are all Holy places.
John 4:21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.