“The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.”

Counselor, king, judge, soldier, beggar, healer, teacher - - scripture describes the Messiah in so many ways it is easy to see how the Jews might have become confused. Also, down through the centuries, a number of pretenders had claimed to be the Messiah only to dash the hopes of the people. So some skepticism was bound to greet anyone claiming to be the Messiah.

When Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem, the chief priests, scribes and elders, immediately challenged His authority. Three times, He stood His ground, parrying their questions with questions of His own.

Having silenced His critics, Jesus turned the tables on them and challenged their knowledge of scripture in front of an amazed throng of onlookers, He said the Messiah was greater than David, something the scribes did not believe. They taught that the Messiah would be a descendant of David and, therefore, subordinate to him. In fact, the crowds that had greeted Jesus on His triumphal entry into Jerusalem had hailed Him as “Son of David.” 

But, Jesus was not content to be named “son of David.” As the Messiah, He was greater than David, a mere man. To prove His point, Jesus quoted David himself as saying in Psalm 110:1 that he sat at the right hand of the Messiah, his Lord.

Dumbfounded and embarrassed, the pompous scribes could marshal no response. Jesus had revealed the true meaning of His name - - the Messiah was the Lord.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that names are important, not only our given names, but also our nicknames. What does your name mean?

In the Old Testament, God changed Abram’s name to "Abraham;” He changed Jacob's name to “Israel.” In the New Testament, Jesus called Simon “Peter,” which meant “rock” and James and John, were called the “sons of thunder.”

Traditionally, we are given the names of saints at christening, confirmation and upon entering a religious order. But those names are so commonplace that they don’t really reveal much about us. On the other hand, during the course of our lives, we are also given nicknames by our family and friends. Those nicknames come closer to revealing something about us. What nicknames have you been given? Do they bring a smile to your face? What spiritual nickname would you like Jesus to have for you? What does your name mean to Him?