No One Knows His Name

Scripture: His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. Revelation 19:12

Observation: This is part of a majestic and terrifying description of Jesus, riding on a white horse, to lead the armies of heaven in a final battle with the forces of evil. Amidst this description is the line “he has a name that no one knows but himself.” Amazingly, a bible that has gone to great lengths to describe and share with us the names of Jesus withholds this one. We know many names of Jesus, each describing a different part of his character or role. He is the Christ, the Word of God, Faithful and True, Immanuel , Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and so much more. Yet John tells us this name is one no one knows. Why? Maybe this shows us that as much as we strive to know Jesus, to build a relationships with him, we must be reminded that Jesus is an infinite God, not merely a man. There are depths and mysteries to his transcendence we can never plumb. It may be this name will one day be revealed to us, or maybe not. But we know this: there is more to Christ than we could ever conceive with our limited minds.

Application: I must walk a balance of friendliness and godly fear around Jesus. He is my friend and he is my God. I can know him, and yet, there are things I will never know, at least down here. Strangely, this encouraged more than discourages me. There will always be more for me to know about the person of Jesus. Even after I have read the bible 100 times, I will have miles to go.

Prayer: Jesus, I honor you today. You are faithful and true, and yet you are also the only one in the universe who has a name no one knows. No one has power over you. Help me to come to you with a balance of intimacy and respect. Show me how to live in love with and in awe of you.