In Hawaii, the elders of the indigenous people have explained why the giving of names is so significant within the extended family tradition of the islands:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cSome children were named for their ancestors,\u201d it is said, \u201csome for events, some for or by chiefs, and some were named by the gods. To name a child for a deceased relative was to make the name live again\u2026 The type of name given by the gods is called a night name [so called because it is revealed in the night, perhaps because of a dream]. There are Hawaiians today who believe in the night names but make no mention of it, lest they be laughed at and called superstitious.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
These people remember the story of a pregnant woman who:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cDreamed of a red-headed woman who rose from a deep pool of water and asked that [her child who was] about to be born be named Water-dweller.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The dreamer was a member of a Christian church and feared following old beliefs, so when her own daughter was born, she named her Clara, for a favorite sister-in-law. In a few days, the baby\u2019s neck began to swell on both sides. The doctor said it was some kind of glandular trouble, but in spite of the best medical care, the swelling grew worse, until the baby\u2019s neck looked like that of a lizard. The aunt for whom the baby was named guessed that a water spirit [like a lizard] was offended by the choice of name for the baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She asked, \u201cHave you ever heard from your grandfolk whether one of your ancestors was a water spirit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes,\u201d the worried mother replied, \u201cbut I do not want anything to do with the old beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aunt Clara persisted, \u201cHas this baby been given a name in a dream?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes,\u201d the mother replied, \u201cbut I refuse to give her the name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat was the name?\u201d Clara asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWater-dweller,\u201d the mother replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Picking up the baby, the aunt said to it, \u201cI will take back my name of Clara. Henceforth, your name is Water-dweller.\u201d The swelling went down and, in a short time, was gone completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe dilemma faced by Elizabeth, Zechariah, and their kinfolk in naming their son John is one that we are all too familiar with these days, especially when birth records must be completed within days of a child\u2019s birth. And although in Hawaii, as elsewhere, giving a name to many young families has devolved to the point of choosing the name of a current celebrity\u2014names that are nicer sounding or less common\u2014there are still parents who seek out the indigenous names of the Hawaiian people. As their ancestors did before them, some native Hawaiians still reflect, fast, pray, and dream for that special name for that special child. So the story of Elizabeth\u2019s boy, John, is more familiar to native Hawaiians because it could well be their story, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hawaiians take special care in giving a name, not just because that is the way it has always been done, but because they understand and know that a name is special and important to the life of the child and his or her extended family. What is in that name imbues the child with the qualities, hopes, and wishes of the parents, the extended family, and the community\u2014qualities good and bad, known and unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zechariah knew all about the importance of a name and, to the astonishment of his kin and neighbors (who wanted the boy to be named after him), he agreed with his wife\u2019s emphatic choice of \u201cJohn.\u201d John means \u201cGod is merciful,\u201d and we must go back to the rarely read beginning of the Gospel of Luke to discover Zechariah\u2019s revelation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are told in Luke that while conducting the rite of incensing, an angel\u2014specifically Gabriel\u2014appeared to Zechariah and revealed to him the miracle birth of a son to his aged wife, Elizabeth. Gabriel proclaims to Zechariah a description of who that son shall be, and that he must never use wine or other such drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the time he is born. He will bring many of Israel\u2019s people back to the Lord their God. And he will prepare the way for the Lord. He will have the same spirit and power that Elijah had. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children. He will also turn people who disobey to the wisdom of those who do right. In this way, he will prepare a people who are ready for the Lord (Luke 1:16\u201317).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since he doubted the possibility of Gabriel\u2019s words, Zechariah must keep these words to himself, for he is made mute. He reveals what has been hidden from everyone at the circumcision of their son, when Elizabeth intervenes at the name-giving. Then, Luke wrote, she said, \u201cHis name is John\u201d (Luke 1:63).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight away Zechariah could speak again,\u201d Luke immediately adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zechariah, the patriarch priest, concurred with his wife\u2019s choice of \u201cGod is merciful\u201d as a name for their son over his own name because he knew the answer to the question that people \u201call through Judea\u2019s hill country\u201d would later ask: \u201cWhat is this child going to be?\u201d It now all makes sense to Zechariah. In iconography, John is characterized as the forerunner, someone \u201cwho goes before another to give notice of the approach of others,\u201d indicating the fulfillment of Zechariah\u2019s vision that his son \u201cwould prepare the way of the Lord.\u201d John\u2019s ministry is indicative of the fulfillment of Gabriel\u2019s pronouncement, and what John\u2019s name means, for John\u2019s ministry is one that is quite different from that of his cousin, Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John, in his ministry, does not use wine. Jesus does. John\u2019s ministry is to \u201cturn the hearts of parents to their children\u201d (Luke 1:17). Jesus said, \u201cThose who come to me must hate their father and mother\u201d (Luke 14:26). John is a solitary figure, while Jesus socializes. John eats locusts and honey, while Jesus attends feasts and dines. John\u2019s mission is different, after all, because it was to \u201cprepare a people who are ready for the Lord\u201d (Luke 1:17), and that can only be God\u2019s mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These differences in ministry between John and Jesus should not be taken merely as historical footnotes to our understanding of the Gospels. It is a preeminent component to the way of our Lord that we remember with baptism by water, to be followed in life by the remembrance of Jesus through the drinking of wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On this eve of Christmas, we are all quite likely surrounded by the trappings of a magnificent birthday celebration. And we can easily be distracted during the Sundays leading up to the birth of Jesus and jump prematurely into the spirit of celebration. But the name of \u201cJohn,\u201d this everyday, too common and popular name, calls out to us to remember, to be prepared and ready for the way of the Lord\u2014on every level and in every way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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