The strangest thing happened to me the other day.
So here we were, four of us students, this particular Tuesday, congregated in the hall in front of Prof. Francis Watson’s room, waiting for it to strike 4:00 before barging in for our weekly Hermeneutics Seminar. David joins us, bringing with him a fellow-Irishman, a childhood friend of his.
“Guys, this is Mark; he’s looking into doing a Ph.D. here in Aberdeen,” announces David.
The rest of us respond in amiable fashion, welcoming the new “chap.” “I’m Rich.” “Tom.” “Jake.” And, I too, declare my identity: “I’m Abe.”
There was a sudden flash of recognition in Mark’s eyes; he pointed at me and said, “Abe, I know your brother, A.K.”
I was stunned, to say the least. I hadn’t realized I was famous (or was it infamous?). Here in another continent, where I knew no one and no one knew me (or so I thought)! And, at least as far as I could tell, until now, I didn’t know anyone here who knew my brother!
It was 4:00. On to Augustine’s De doctrina Christiana. But I ... I am perplexed and flummoxed. “He knows my brother?”
It was not until an hour-and-a-half later that the wraps were taken off Mark’s sphinxian and enigmatic proclamation.
Mark, though Irish, had moved to the U.S. with his family several years ago … to Greenville, S.C.! Where he had been attending North Hills Community Church! Where my brother, A.K., is an elder! And it also so “happened” that A.K. and his family were among the first ones Mark met there. Mark had since moved to Chicago but, apparently, he had heard of my planned move to Aberdeen, and upon my being introduced to him now, he had made the connection. “Wonderful family,” Mark gushed about them, several times. (They must have fed him, I thought: good Indian home-cooking can do that to you!)
Seriously, he had a lot of good things to say about my sibling, my sister-in-law, and their two boys. They had clearly made an impression upon Mark, in the few years he lived in Greenville. It was evident he thought much of them. Their magnanimity, generosity, and hospitality had had a striking impact upon this young man.
A good name, they had made for themselves.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 tells us A good name is better than a good ointment (and I could tell you a thing or two about ointments!). The Book of Proverbs adds its voice, extolling the value of a good name, urging us to seek it.
So here we were, four of us students, this particular Tuesday, congregated in the hall in front of Prof. Francis Watson’s room, waiting for it to strike 4:00 before barging in for our weekly Hermeneutics Seminar. David joins us, bringing with him a fellow-Irishman, a childhood friend of his.
“Guys, this is Mark; he’s looking into doing a Ph.D. here in Aberdeen,” announces David.
The rest of us respond in amiable fashion, welcoming the new “chap.” “I’m Rich.” “Tom.” “Jake.” And, I too, declare my identity: “I’m Abe.”
There was a sudden flash of recognition in Mark’s eyes; he pointed at me and said, “Abe, I know your brother, A.K.”
I was stunned, to say the least. I hadn’t realized I was famous (or was it infamous?). Here in another continent, where I knew no one and no one knew me (or so I thought)! And, at least as far as I could tell, until now, I didn’t know anyone here who knew my brother!
It was 4:00. On to Augustine’s De doctrina Christiana. But I ... I am perplexed and flummoxed. “He knows my brother?”
It was not until an hour-and-a-half later that the wraps were taken off Mark’s sphinxian and enigmatic proclamation.
Mark, though Irish, had moved to the U.S. with his family several years ago … to Greenville, S.C.! Where he had been attending North Hills Community Church! Where my brother, A.K., is an elder! And it also so “happened” that A.K. and his family were among the first ones Mark met there. Mark had since moved to Chicago but, apparently, he had heard of my planned move to Aberdeen, and upon my being introduced to him now, he had made the connection. “Wonderful family,” Mark gushed about them, several times. (They must have fed him, I thought: good Indian home-cooking can do that to you!)
Seriously, he had a lot of good things to say about my sibling, my sister-in-law, and their two boys. They had clearly made an impression upon Mark, in the few years he lived in Greenville. It was evident he thought much of them. Their magnanimity, generosity, and hospitality had had a striking impact upon this young man.
A good name, they had made for themselves.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 tells us A good name is better than a good ointment (and I could tell you a thing or two about ointments!). The Book of Proverbs adds its voice, extolling the value of a good name, urging us to seek it.
A good name
is more to be desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1 is more to be desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold.
I wondered why the Sage would exhort his readers to aim for something so “secular” and “worldly” as a good reputation.
A cursory search in the Bible for “good” and its juxtaposition to “name” revealed that God was the only one who possessed a “good” Name.
A cursory search in the Bible for “good” and its juxtaposition to “name” revealed that God was the only one who possessed a “good” Name.
I will give thanks to your name,
O LORD, for it is good.
O LORD, for it is good.
Psalm 54:6
And I will wait on Your name, for it is good....
Psalm 52:9
No wonder Solomon was challenging us to develop honor and esteem. This was not some people-pleasing endeavor to title, fame, popularity, and credit. Not at all. To have a “good name” was to be like the One who alone, bless His Name, is GOOD!
To be like God and adopt His goodness. To have “a good name.” Not only in God’s eyes, but also in the eyes of our fellowmen, as we seek to live in the will of the only one with the Good Name.
Let’s be good … and be called “good”! Like Him!
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4 comments:
To be the Jesus to others,where they may not have any other insight into what believing in Him is all about....that is the goal I would like to attain always....
Missed you tonight in Rockwall. Everybody was asking about you. They are putting together a Christmas care package for you. You may end up with a three years supply of Jiff!
I keep trying to tell you that you are famous & soon will be even more famous. It is not only your brother who has made a good name for himself. Keep on bloggin' (read this in your best Texas accent)
Loved the good name insights. What is with those shrinking fonts, must be a test to see if we perservere til the end. Thanks for the creative musings.
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