New Thoughts (12/30/11)
Looking at these two passages, I find one theme coming through very strongly. It is quite unusual that I gather my thoughts for these studies and find such a singular focus come forth. However, there is so great a repetition of the ‘in the name of’ motif, and it is one that is seemingly so misunderstood in Christian circles, that I find all my consideration focusing on that phrase. Eis onoma, in the name of. We append it to our prayers almost as a nervous tic, particularly when praying in public. How else will they know we’re finished? Somewhere, we have got it in our minds that by doing so we are all but forcing God to answer. After all, Jesus promised, right? He said that whatever we asked in His name would be done. So, we’re pretty sure that plugging that formula in at the end is kind of like putting a stamp on the envelop to ensure delivery. However, that sort of thinking thoroughly twists the Gospel. It leaves God a puppet in our clever hands, as opposed to a Sovereign king whose word is Law to us.
Let me suggest to you that the fundamental understanding we ought to have can be found in the phrasing of John 13:20. “He who receives whomever I send receives Me.” There are many points worth noting in that simple statement. Most critical to my point is the primacy of the point that He sends. The initiative is with Him, and the one sent is but obeying His command. Likewise the one who receives. In both cases, it is the determined will of the Christ that controls. Both sent and receiving are but bondservants whose only proper role is obedience to Him.
Taking that thought across to Matthew 10:40-42, this understanding ought properly to color how we view the point Jesus is making. He who receives you receives Me. Why? Because I sent you. It is My authority that is recognized. It’s not about you. Then, we move on to specific examples. If they receive a prophet ‘in the name of’ a prophet… What is a prophet’s name? Is he famous because of his own illustrious powers? If he is a prophet in truth, he is a prophet solely because God has sovereignly chosen to put His words in that man’s mouth. If, then, you receive a prophet, it is because God has deigned to speak through that one, not because of a man’s fame.
I cannot stress that enough in the current climate. The prophet who is out making a name for himself is no prophet at all. The prophet who must insist upon his office, reminding one and all of how he speaks for God, and therefore ought to be accepted without question is almost assuredly no prophet at all, but only a profiteer. If we look across the prophetic record in Scripture, there are assuredly names that are well known to us. Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and so on: we know them all quite well. But, look at their record. None of these men, to the best of my recollection, display any tendency towards making a name for themselves. None of them are in it for the money or the fame. Indeed, for the most part, the prophets of God demonstrate a certain reluctance to take such responsibility upon themselves. It is only because a Sovereign Lord insists that they speak. It is only because the message He has implanted refuses to stay internal, must spring forth, must be delivered. Think of Jonah. The last thing he wanted to do was to speak the message God had given him to speak. Why, that would bring succor to his enemies. But, those enemies were God’s creation, too, and just as was true for him, it was true for them: God will have compassion on whom He chooses to have compassion. And nothing, not even the man of God, will stop that!
We move on to the righteous man. If we receive the righteous man in the name of a righteous man, we shall have the same wages as he (Mt 10:41b). But, what is the name of a righteous man? Well, to be sure, he has a reputation for being a righteous man, else how would we know him as such? But, what demarks a man as righteous? It is obedience to the Lord, it is compliance with the standards that God has set forth. And, of course, we well know the dictums of Scripture, that not one man in all of human history was ever found righteous, apart from the God-man, Jesus the Christ of God. So, then, if we have found a righteous man to receive, was it his own authority and character that recommended him to us? Only indirectly. In truth, it is the righteousness of the Christ Himself that we perceive in that man. It is Christ’s reputation that recommends this one who bears resemblance to the Christ.
Listen, the promise that applies to those whose prayers are in the name of Jesus is not based on having appended that phrase. Words, contrary to certain fantasies of the faith movement, do not have such power. We may as well assign salvific power to baptism or to communion. The rites are not the power. They are the emblems of the power invisible. Words, likewise, are only as strong as the reality that lies behind them. To pray in the name of Jesus is to pray in absolute accord with His own plans and purposes. It is to wield the authority He has delegated to our use. However, the moment our use deviates from His will, all authority is relinquished.
Jesus is very much the channel of authority for the Christian. We was sent, and obeyed in that sending. He sends. We must understand that He sends in obedience to having been sent. It is one and the same. He was appointed and He appoints. He delegates His authority to those of the Father’s choosing, for none can come to Him except the Father calls. In that sense, there is a particular aspect of eis that Thayer brings out that ought to be in our minds as we pray: “as far as”. The name of Jesus, when it comes to our prayers, ought be the bounding condition, the fence. It ought to demark not only the farthest extremes of our prayer, lest we ask for what is beyond our authority. It ought also to serve as a lower bound, that we would not ask less than is worthy of His authority.
Put differently, we are never, NEVER in position to demand God answer according to our whims. At the same time, we MUST pray with the confidence of being in His service. The prayers of righteous man availeth much (Jas 5:16), but the one who wavers in his faith need expect no answer. Ask without doubting, for the double-minded ought not expect anything from the Lord (Jas 1:6-7). I must note that this particular point is made pursuant to seeking wisdom, but the point applies more broadly. If we pray with no real expectation of answer, we are just mouthing empty words. We are worse than the worst politician. But, if we pray with confidence, that confidence must be founded on the certainty of seeking what is assured of furthering the cause of Christ. It is only a true confidence that can avail, and true confidence can only be found in certitude as to the plan and purpose of God in the situation. Such prayer must verge upon the prophetic, reflecting as it does the Word of God emanating from our own lips.
Prayer is a function of delegated authority. We are absolutely active and willing participants in the determination of what we pray for. But, we must recognize that God has the final say. He certainly hears. We have the conception that He certainly answers, and I suppose He does in one fashion or another. But, I do not hold that He is bound to answer. He is not bound to heed our frivolous suits at His throne. And He is most assuredly not required to answer according to the lines we may have fashioned. If we would pray with confidence, we must first ascertain that our prayers are truly in accord with God’s character and authority. We must second remain open to finding those prayers answered in most unexpected fashion. His ways, after all, are not our own, and He remains far and away higher than us.
Another aspect to be aware of is a particularly Hebraic formulation of this matter of name. The name recalls to mind all that is encompassed by that name. The rank and authority of the one named are considered. The interests and pleasures of the one named inform what is spoken of. The excellencies and deeds of the one named become matters of our contemplation. Like Mary, we treasure these things in our hearts when we speak of that name. This is, of course, particularly the case when we come to the name of God, and more still when we arrive at the name of Jesus. Consider that as you pray. Is this prayer authorized by my King? Do my prayers reflect His interests, pursue His pleasures? Are they worthy of One so excellent? Would He truly be seeking the same things my prayers are seeking in this instance? If ever there was a place for the ‘What would Jesus do’ question, it is in prayer. What would Jesus ask? Let that be my request: no more and certainly no less. “Thy will be done.” This must ever be our caveat in prayer. But, it also ought be our starting point. If it is not His will, why ask for it? If it is not His will, and we are not convinced of it, then how can we pray with confidence?
Understand, there is a place in prayer for simple conversation with God. Praise and thanks, adoration, and simple communication of the things that are on our hearts; these are all absolutely appropriate to prayer. But, these are not requests. I must apply this point, for it is just as significant as remaining ever mindful of His will: Be honest with God. Prayer that is not honest before Him is not prayer. It’s mouthing empty formulas. It’s trying to look righteous when we don’t feel righteous. It’s hypocrisy of the first order, putting on appearances for the One who sees right through it all. Don’t bother. David didn’t. Some of his prayers are startling to read. How can that be in Scripture? He’s so vindictive! Jesus, meek and mild, how are You represented in violent David? But if we were more honest we would have to admit that we often have those same feelings. We want nothing so much as retribution. But, we hide that from God, as we see the matter. We know better than to speak to Him like that. It is for this cause that such things fester within us. David got them out. And we find, as we read through his prayers, that there is a higher rule applied to those prayers. As he gets the venom out of his system, God pours His own compassion in. What begins as request for destruction and wrath ends in heartfelt desire for reconciliation and compassion.
Returning to this matter of receiving whom God sends, let me make a further point or two. First, returning to John 13:20, let me stress a different word: “He who receives whomever I send.” There can be no partiality, for there is no partiality in Him Whom we serve. He has sent, and that suffices. We need no further credential. It matters not whether the one sent appears well to do or comes to us clothed in rags. It matters not whether he be eloquent of speech or simple. What matters is that Jesus sent. That alone is reason to receive such a one. This is not to say we ought to accept every man who claims such authorization without question. No. We dare not, for to do so would run counter to the will of Him Who appoints. But, when once that appointing is made evident, we cannot make class distinctions or any other such filtering out of those He calls family. We may find them distasteful in some fashion. But, that must be understood as being solely the determination of the flesh. They are family. If we are family, then they are family, and whether they happen to suit our fancy or not, we should no more reject them than we would our own son. After all, God accepted far worse into the family when he accepted us!
This leads to the second point: Whom we accept, we accept not because of who they are, but because of Him Who appoints. The name (authority) of a prophet is not his own. It is God’s. The name (character) of a righteous man is not his own. It is God’s. The disciple is not significant because he chose to follow Christ’s teaching. He is significant because Christ chose him to be a follower. He belongs to Christ and this is reason enough for his fellow servant to serve him. Never for the man, always for God who chose the man and changed the man.
As John commends the recipient of his third letter, this point is made again. He is giving them due praise for their willingness to serve those who serve Christ, and in the course of doing so, he provides the greatest reason we have for doing likewise. “For they went out for His sake” (3Jn 7), at His order. They are on assignment from Him, and it is not only primarily for this reason that we are approved who support them, it is solely for this reason! It is because He sent that we are duty bound to support. It remains our bounden duty to discern the truth of their sending, for John also warns us not to even speak word of welcome to those imposters who preach a false gospel amongst the faithful (2Jn 10). There is a reason why we must study and meditate upon the word, and that reason goes beyond the shaping of our own character. It gets to the matter of protecting our beliefs, to the matter of clinging to what is true, honorable, right and pure (Php 4:8). How can we know the real if we have not taken the real description to heart? How can we parse truth from fiction if we have not made ourselves intimately familiar with Truth? But, having discerned, let there be no least hesitation in us to welcome, to support, to equip the one sent by Him Who was Sent.
