A husband and wife are driving back home after a wonderful romantic evening.
The husband turns down the radio and asks, “Would you like to know my real name?
The wife suddenly sits up, “What do you mean, your real name? Alarmed, “Do I not know your real name? Have you been lying to me all these years? What is this? Are you some kind of person in witness protection? Are you a conman? Do you have wives and children somewhere else? What are you saying right now?
Husband, defending himself: “Woah! Now, now, hold on and don’t freak out on me. Settle down, now. No, no, I am none of those things. Please hear me out before you overreact. It’s just that I have my original family name, the name my father and mother used to call me. It’s my ethnic name. But then I have another name, the name you know that people started calling me.”
Wife, inquiring, “How did I not know this? Why would people do that? Why did they start calling you a different name? Is your original name weird or offensive? Did they give you a nickname?
Husband: “Truthfully, they didn’t like where I come from, you know, my family heritage. They didn’t like the association. They didn’t want the connection, so they gave me a name from their own language. They wanted separation. Then they commandeered My movement and adopted and imported everything into their culture to make it their own.
Wife: “That’s sad and that is wrong! Isn’t that stealing? Boy, people these days! So racially biased and bitter towards one another! How did they think they could just take over like that?
(pause) You know, you need to stand up for yourself more. You shouldn’t have let them push you around like that and relabel you to something else. You can’t just take over someone else’s movement like that, right?”
Husband: “Well, once I left, I wasn’t there to defend myself or force them to be corrected. That is what happens when people who see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe, takeover.”
Wife/Bride: So, Jesus, what do you want to do? I mean, whatever your name is… Tell me your real name. I can’t believe I didn’t know this. I’m your wife and I want to know and I want to call you by your real name. What name did your family call you?
Husband/Messiah: “They called me, Yeshua. My name is Yeshua. It means God is salvation.”
Wife/Bride: Stunned silent for a moment, she then responded, “That’s Jewish, right?”
Husband/Messiah: “Yes, of course I am Jewish. You knew this, right? My family was Jewish. I was born from the tribe of Judah. I lived in Israel. You didn’t know this?”
Wife/Bride: “Yes, I know what it says in the Bible. The Bible says, Jesus. I have always known you as Jesus. Jesus, I have always called you Jesus. It is all I have ever known. You always answer me when I call you Jesus.”
Husband/Messiah: “Yes, of course I do. I understand that. I know who you mean. People all over the world have their own name for me. Many people have more than one name.”
Wife/Bride: “So, what do you want me to do? Why did you bring this up? Can I still call you Jesus or do you want me to change?
Husband/Messiah: “What does your heart tell you to do?
Wife/Bride: “Jesus!” It is what I’ve always known!
Husband/Messiah: There is a big part of my family out there around the world who was severely persecuted by others who used the name ‘Jesus.’ They shudder when they hear that name and don’t want anything to do with it. It is like poison to them. It is a very sad thing this has happened.”
Wife/Bride: “Oh my, I never knew that. That is awful!! People can be so hateful and mean. (Pause, wife thinking and pondering) So, what happens when they hear your Jewish name?
Yeshua Messiah: “They hear the Hebrew words, “God is salvation.” They lift their curiosity and wonder why people are speaking Hebrew words. It begins to open their hearts because it is their heart language. My name gives them hope.”
Wife/Bride: “Wow, I see. That makes so much sense! I can see how that would open the door for conversation. It’s beautiful!” If it is ok, I would love to start calling You by Your real name. It will take me some time to adjust because I have always called you Jesus.”
Yeshua: “Yes, of course! That would be a step towards reconciliation of our peoples. Perhaps some will find salvation because it is My name!”
Acts 4 (ESV) 12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Revelation 19 (ESV) 6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
Revelation 21 (ESV) 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—
HalleluYah!