“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet,” says Shakespeare’s Juliet about her Romeo when she finds out he is from a family that her family hates. She wants what she says to be true, but in the end, the name very much matters. They both die.

From the start of Scripture, God makes it clear that names matter. Adam’s first assignment is to name the animals. God reveals his nature through his names. He renames people throughout the Bible. So when he declares that Jesus’ name will be the hope of the world, he means it.

Names have meaning and shape and purpose. They do more than identify. They embody truths.