2 Peter 1:1

Names are really interesting aren’t they? My own father was called Linley when he was born but people only ever knew him as Bob. The only time anybody tried to use his birth name was when he went into hospital as an old man, and it sounded ridiculous. Some people have names that have been passed down in the family or were given because of the day on which they were born. In the New Testament we often hear the writer being called Simon or Peter and occasionally Simon Peter, but in the Greek for this verse he is called Simeon. Only on one other occasion in the New Testament is he referred to as Simeon and that is in Acts 15:14, which records the Council of Jerusalem. Simeon came from a strong Jewish background but in that crucial meeting he declared that God had visited the Gentiles and made them a people for himself. This was incredibly radical language. Gentiles used to be the outsiders. They were excluded from the citizenship that the Jews enjoyed. They lived without hope. But now, in Christ, they had been given a new identity and Simeon was wanting to persuade the Council that the doors should be fully thrown open to include them.

Peter wrote this letter to people from a Gentile, that is to say non-Jewish, background and he wanted to celebrate the new status that they had acquired in Christ. His own name expressed that miracle. Yes, he had been born as Simeon, a Jew, but now, as a follower of Christ, he had been named Peter, meaning ‘rock’.

Whatever the story may be behind your name thank God that, in Christ, we have each been given a new identity and sense of direction as we build our lives on the rock of our faith in Jesus.

Question
In what way has becoming a Christian changed the way you look at yourself and those around you?

Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you that you know me by name. Give me your strength as I seek to help others to understand your love for them. Amen

Released on 1 Dec 2023