The Humility of Being Named
Tags: Orthodoxy, Christmas, Christianity, Theology, Christian

The Incarnation of the great I AM

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I Am has sent me to you.’

The most universal thing among mankind is the process of naming and being named. And it’s a concept so common that it is overlooked. Once a child is born, he or she is named. Once a pet is adopted, it is named. The act of naming is sometimes a sign of authority over the object, animal, or person receiving the name. In fact, in Genesis, God brings all the living creatures to Adam “to see what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” This was a clear sign of Adam’s dominion and God’s invitation for Adam to join Him in subcreation.

God also participates in the naming of His servants, in instances of inexplicable sovereignty. Barren women were blessed with a child with divinely ordained names (like John the Baptist, or Isaac the son of Abraham and Sarah). God renamed people when given a new blessing or commission, signifying a fundamental change (like Abram to Abraham, and Simon to Peter), and many others. Naming is also an expression of affection and intimacy. Spouses and family members have certain names they call each other that are off-limits to outsiders. But in most cases, a name is accepted from those equal to or above the individual receiving the name. This all brings us to the pivotal moment, referenced above, of when Moses asked God, “what should I call You?” or “What is Your name?”.

“I AM WHO I AM”

God’s response is deeply significant. In some biblical translations, God responds “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE”, and in either sense, the ultimate transcendence and hierarchy of the One True God are revealed. He is not named because He is The Being above whom is nothing and no one, and none are equal to Him to give Him a name. Other gods like Baal, Chemosh, Dagon, or even Rah were beneath man in the hierarchy of creation and thus were subject to man naming them. It is only in the foolishness of man that we elevate the things we name above us to be our gods. But YHWH (Hebrew acronym of I AM WHO I AM) reveals that He is not subject to our conventions, He is far too grand to be fully named … and yet He allows us to in the right time.

In a cave not too far from where He first appeared to Moses, the Logos is manifested again, more tangible than ever before.

“although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted; but emptied Himself by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2 6:7

He gave mankind, His own creation, the ability to call Him by a particular name: Jesus, which means God saves. THE LOGOS, THE I AM WHO I AM, THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE BEING is finally named. He made Himself approachable enough to be called “son”, “brother”, and “rabboni”, allowing us such intimacy to join Him in calling The Father “Abba” and to distinguish the persons of The Trinity by title. The YHWH whose name would not be uttered by man for fear of sin, allowed some even to shout His name in disdain and ridicule.

And so, during this season of Advent, let us remember that it is The Great I AM who lay in that manger surrounded by animals and filth, making Himself known, allowing us to call Him Jesus.

“Christ is born, glorify Him. Christ from heaven, go to meet Him. Christ on earth, be lifted up, sing to the Lord, all the earth. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, because of Him who is of heaven and is now on earth.” St. Gregory of Nazianzen