By name, He calls us

Jesus walked to the man sitting behind the old table, on another of those long skin-drying days in the sun. He crawled deeply into the man's eyes, flicking away the longing there that wanted to run away with the oldest of the man's enemies, and with no special effort called the tax-collector by his name -- Matthew -- and thus slathered on healing for his heart like a Spring poultice in Gilead..

Gospel writer John says Jesus does business this way: "When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing.  But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone."

He himself knew what was in everyone. He knew the inner workings, the outermost graces, the cries of the heart, the whispers of justice and loves of equality. Jesus knew, in the way no else one ever does, has ever done. Hey, we're the lost, the least, the last, but Jesus -- the big boss man, the guy in charge, the head-knocker, the most powerful in a world in which power counts -- knows us anyway.

We can dabble and babble about water being changed into wine at some rabble-rousing party, but the truth is the true sign of Jesus in this instance is changing uncaring hearts to loving ones. Tax-collector?

Jesus knows him by name, absorbs his being by heart. Matthew? Follow me and be loved. Don't worry about deductions, instead, function as a lover of all men and women and children and servant. Follow me and find. Follow me and fill in the gaps and mourn the poor in spirit and feed the 5,000 and walk a thousand steps to get to someone else's cross.

Follow me, he says. And Matthew, guest-host and moderator but no mistake, follows with a hope and a future that had never existed before.

A commentary of John 2:24 reads, "he knows the worst of them, the sin that dwells in them, their daily infirmities, their secret personal sins; their family sins, both of omission and commission; and their church sins, or which are committed in the house of God; and takes notice of them, so as to resent them, and chastise them for them; he knows the best of them, their graces, their faith, hope, love, patience, humility, self-denial, &c; he knows their good works, and all their weaknesses and their wants: and he knows all nominal professors, on what basis they take up their profession, and what trust they place in it; he can distinguish between grace and mere profession, and discern the secret lusts which such indulge ...:

Jesus knew. He knows. He has always known. Love unchangeable and unmeasurable and un-freaking believable.

The power of this knowledge is this: We come to him with secrets littered in our lives like kitty litter on a wood floor, scattered hither and yon and plain as April showers and May sun. The truth, which Jesus is, is we can't hide what we can't hide. Jesus knows, so kill the guilt with hunks of love and chunks of joy. He knows us, our name, our background, our foreground, our future, his plans.

Get over it and get er' done.

In 2 Chronicles God says that if his people, who he says are called by my name, will pray and practice humility He will bring healing to their land and forgive their sins.  The Lord says to Moses, "And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."

There's great, great comfort in knowing that God knows my name, calls me by name, registers my name in the great book of life. When I was born, rejected by birth parents and given away right after birth, it affected me emotionally down the road. Still does, I guess.  Till I understand just who names me "for real."

Singer/songwriter Matthew West puts it this way in his latest single:
Hello, my name is regret
I'm pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your lifeI
'm the whisper inside
That won't let you forget
Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I'll drag you right back down again
'Til you've lost all belief
These are the voices, these are the lies
And I have believed them, for the very last time
Hello, my name is child of the one true King.

Knowing someone by name, not just knowing their name, gives us identity I think. Look, the Jews in concentration camps in World War II were giving numbers as names at least in part because it took away from who they were was a person.

 

Remember the strength in Moses asking and being told God's name in the book of Exodus?

 

But knowing who we are is greatly more important than knowing our name, as important and vital as name-dropping/calling is.

 

That's what Jesus brought to the tax-collector's table. He knows us, all of us. Run with that thought this morning and be free.