“And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not [so]; but he shall be called John.” (Lu 1:59-60 AV)
This has always intrigued me because I assumed John to be a unique name of a different origin than Hebrew. It sounds a bit more Greek than Hebrew. So, the thought came as to why the LORD would give John a name that did not sound particularly Hebrew. This is partially correct. The name John is a Greek derivative of the Hebrew name, Johanan. If we look back in scripture, we can find only one man named John. That would be Saul’s son, Jonathan. There are seven or eight other men with similar names that have the same Hebrew meaning. The name John means “God is a gracious giver”. Zacharias is an equally noble name. His name means, “remembered of Jehovah”. It was the normal custom to name the firstborn son after his father. Yet, because God chose the child’s name, John was named “God is a gracious giver”. Obviously, the name could refer to John being born to such an old couple as Elizabeth and Zacharias. John would naturally have been a gift from a gracious God. But the name has to do with his calling. He was the preacher who declared the coming of the Messiah. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets who declared the coming of the Messiah. He prepared the people to meet their God. He was not the gift. Rather, John revealed the gift.
What is interesting to note is the friends and relatives of Elizabeth and Zacharias presumed to know what John’s life purpose was. They assumed John would follow in the family business. They assumed John would serve in the temple just as his father had done. This is particularly true of a Levite. Levites served in the temple. That was all that they did. They were not landowners. They were not farmers. They were not tradesmen. They did not serve in the military. They did not serve in government. Levites did not practice medicine. They were priests, and that was all they did. Being born into a home of a Levite meant your future was already determined. No wonder his aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends wanted to name him after his father. However, Zacharias would soon be out of a job. When Jesus rose from the grave and the curtain in the temple was rent in two, the job of the Hebrew priest was eliminated. No need for John to be raised in the house of Levi and the priesthood when that job would become obsolete. When the angel Gabrial told Elizabeth and Zacharias their son’s name was to be John, they gave these parents direction and purpose for John’s life. His name was God’s command for his life.
Regardless of what our parents may have named us, we have a unique purpose given from our divine Creator. The ‘Johns’ are one in a million. Not too many people are called to change a nation. There is not too many Abrahams that begin a nation. There are not too many Davids, Solomons, or Hezekiahs who lead a nation into godliness. Our calling in life is not determined by how large an impact we might have. We all have distinct personalities, gifts, and abilities. No two people are the same. The nature of our calling does not determine the worth of our calling. Whether we have one, three, five, or ten talents, all the LORD expects is for us to be good stewards of what God gives. All He expects is for us to do as we are called to do. The friends and relatives of John felt they knew better. They thought they knew what John should be. What they had not as yet realized is that if he pursued their opinions, John would not have served as a priest for very long. John was given a name that reflected his unique calling. We all have a calling unique to us. Find what that might be and do it with all your might!
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