Mark 3:16 And Simon he surnamed Peter.
Your Decisions Determine Your Name
I’m big on giving people nicknames. In fact, everyone in my immediate family has an affectionate nickname. When it comes to my children, I only use their given names when they are in trouble! Nicknames can be helpful, harmful, or useful, and they are certainly instructive.
Mark 3 tells us how Jesus gave nicknames to a couple of the disciples. Now when I say nickname, the word here is “surname.” Mark 3:14-17 says, “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him… and Simon he surnamed Peter; and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.”
If you look at the word “surname” in English, it basically means a family name. Primarily a family name was derived from the family occupation, whether that was the occupation of a baker, tanner, or even a smith. Many of these are family names that were given from the family occupation down through the centuries.
There is a similar but slightly different meaning in the word that is used here by the Lord Jesus. Here the word means “to impose in a friendly or hostile sense,” “to put or lay upon,” or “to add to.” Jesus surnamed Simon, Peter, and these brothers, James and John, He surnamed the sons of thunder. By surnaming them, Jesus gave them names appropriate to them.
What is your surname? I have often said that people have two names. They have the one their mom gave them and the one they give themselves every day by the character they exhibit and the decisions they make. That is true, but it is even deeper than that. The Bible says that a good name is to be chosen. A good name is something you can choose by the life that you live, but what name would the Lord Jesus Himself give to you?
There are two things in particular to which we should pay attention. First, you have the power to choose your actions. Second, Jesus has the authority and the discernment to know what your name should be.
Peter’s new name was perhaps an indication of the potential that Jesus saw in him. Jesus also surnamed these brothers, James and John. His naming them “sons of thunder” may have been because of their zeal. The text doesn’t tell us specifically, but the point is that the decisions you make determine the name you create.
Some people, like Judas, surname themselves. Who would ever name their child “Judas” today? No one would name their child “Judas.” The only thing the Bible says about Judas here is that Judas betrayed Jesus. If you knew nothing else about Judas, you would know that he betrayed Jesus. So Judas had given himself a name, but Jesus had given these other disciples a name.
Every day, you have the power to choose your actions, and Jesus has the discernment to know what that means. Let’s live our lives in such a way that the name we create, the name that the Lord Jesus might give us, is a name that reflects our love for Him, dependence upon Him, and the good character that goes with it.