NAME FOR BABY

SERMON STORIES: LAUGH & LEARN
#12: NAME FOR BABY

A couple became parents to a baby boy. They could not agree on his name. They went to see their Rabbi. “What’s the problem?” he asked.

The wife said, “I want to name my son after my father, but he wants to name him after his father.” The Rabbi asked her, “What’s your father’s name?”

“Zachariah,” she replied. The Rabbi asked the husband, “And what’s your father’s name?”

“Zachariah,” he replied. The Rabbi was puzzled. “So what’s the problem? Your father and his father have the same name.”

“You don’t understand,” the wife explained, “his father was a crook, and spent time in prison. My father was a scholar, and distinguished himself in our community.”

The Rabbi gave his counsel, “Why don’t you call your son Zachariah. When he grows up, if he becomes a crook, you will know he is named after your husband’s father. If your son becomes a scholar, you will know he is named after your father.”

What name is given to a person is not as important as who the person becomes. A name does not make us; we make the name. Ultimately, when people remember our name, they remember who we are, whether esteemed or disdained.

“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1 NIV