Name Above All Names

Devotional by Durell Comedy

Read Matthew 28:1-20

Matthew 28:1-20

The Resurrection

28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

The Report of the Guard

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

The Great Commission

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Devotional

I’ve always been fascinated by names and try my best to remember, spell, and pronounce them correctly. A name is someone’s identity. You can’t help but think that when parents give their baby a name, there’s intent and motive behind it. In some ways, naming a child is, dare I say, a form of prophecy, speaking one’s destiny into existence. The meaning of my name, Durell, comes from a French name “Dureau” which means “strong.” I’m not sure if my parents even knew that they were speaking “strength” over my future. But can you imagine how Joseph must have felt when he heard from the angel, Gabriel, in Matthew 1:21 that Mary would give birth to a son and “…you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” In that moment, did he really know that Jesus would be a savior? 

Yet here we are in our final Holy Week devotional, reading about an event that changed the course of history. And out of everything we’ve read over the last 7 days, allow me to shed light on this one thing: The name of Jesus provokes, even demands, a response. When people hear his name, similar to the disciples in v.17, some will worship him or be filled with doubt. Some will curse his name, while others repent of their sin. Some will adore his name. But a day is coming when Philippians 2:9-11 will be fulfilled:

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This Holy Week, we’ve discovered Jesus to be many things: King of Zion, Son of David, Son of Man, Messiah, Man of Sorrows, Lamb of God, a Friend of Sinners and Sufferers. Yet the sum of all those titles comes to this: He is the Name Above All Names. And this is the best part about it all: to those who acknowledge and surrender to Jesus, his name becomes their new identity. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 

I hope that as you reflect on Jesus’ names and titles, and all that they carry, your heart will be filled with gratitude and praise, singing “Hallelujah, every voice will proclaim there is no higher name!”

Now knowing that your identity is found in the name of Jesus, how will you live up to your identity as a follower of Christ? What in your life needs to be altered so that your life can be an example of the character of Jesus?

17 thoughts on “Day Eight | Holy Week 2024”

  1. He is risen! He is risen indeed! What else can you say today about Jesus? He is indeed King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Eternal God! He is Jehovah! He is the Son of God Who takes away our sins through His death, burial, and resurrection! Thank You Jesus for conquering Death and the grave and coming forth with new life for all of us! Hallelujah what a Savior!

  4. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous man runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10

  5. Thank you Lord for your ultimate sacrifice to save us . What a name; so much power and hope for a prosperous life. I am thankful to see another Easter holiday where I get to honor God for all He has done and still doing. This Holy week was even more special getting to witness my 3 children get baptized on Good Friday. Thank you God for this church. THANK YOU FOR MY FAMILY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SACRIFICE! I am free in the name of Jesus.

  6. Matt 16:15 “But who do you say I am?” You are the one, the only one who was found worthy to give His own life-blood to save a lost world… You are the light of my life… You are my all… The chosen One… My Messiah! You alone deserve our praise! Worthy is your name!

  7. Thank you Lord Jesus for these devotions in which we can read Your Word together and be blessed. We praise Your Holy Name Jesus. Salvation has come for all men. Thank you Amen.
    l:)

  8. Thank you Jesus for being what I needed- a Risen Savior! Jehovah Jireh- He Himself provided the Lamb for me!!

  9. Jesus is the name above all names. I bow in reverence to all that He is in my life. Praise Him now and forever. Happy Easter🙏🏾❤️

  10. HALLELUJAH!! PRAISE His Holy Name. Lord, may every aspect of my life bring HONOR to your name. Amen🙏🏾❤️

  11. So many ways to be grateful…
    For my Saviour, Jesus Christ
    For my church, Champion Forest Baptist Church
    For my salvation…promised and eternal
    For His Word
    For my Christian family
    For Christian frieds……and on and on
    Thank you, Jesus

  12. Enlighten me Spirit to fulfill the purposes you saved me for by being sensitive to you, courageous, bold, perseverant, patient, faithful, and exercise the self-control to obey you because I believe you have chosen me to do great things for the glory of the Father, in Jesus’ name.

  13. Thank you JESUS that when I put my faith & trust in YOU, YOU gave me a new name & identity to match the new me. You gave me the name of “Christian,” & took away the penalty of sin & death. When I was born in New Orleans, my auntie named me, Carol. My name in the secular world means; “song of joy” because of Christmas Carols; in the biblical sense it means, “woman of the LORD.” I like them both.
    I’ve sang in the choir for many years,& served in other positions in the Church. I’m still serving but not as much anymore. I’m still HIS servant & I’m happy to do it.
    For HIS glory,

  14. I believe in the importance of living a life that is pleasing to God, because when we are showing the importance of how we view life in Gods image we are to make the tradition in pleasing god for all generations.

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