Do you have a nickname? Many of us as we grew up picked up a name or names that were thrown our direction by someone and for some reason they stuck. Often they are shortened forms of our name. Sometimes they represent a particular moment in time or an attribute of our character. Sometimes they are positive, but often they have a negative connotation.
As we read a list of the Twelve disciples we can read several nicknames. As I read them I have hope for myself and those around me. The Twelve had flaws just like us. They also had the possibility of greatness, just like us.
Simon received the nickname “Little Stone” by the Rock of Ages. You might start to chuckle if you were called Little Stone, but at least it wasn’t Cotton Ball, or Marshmallow! It spoke of strength and a continuity with Jesus’ strength. It might have also spoken of his stubbornness and hardheaded nature.
James and John become the Sons of Thunder. Did they have loud voices? Could they preach without the use of a PA System? That could be a pretty handy attribute in a day and age when delivering a message to a crowd required either a silent crowd or a very loud voice. Of course their name might also indicate that they were unpredictable in their ability to strike the same place twice. Maybe they weren’t as consistent as they could have been. Maybe when their power was unleashed, it had the tendency to burn things up.
We also have Simon the Zealot. It could be that Simon was a political radical before meeting Jesus. He might have advocated the overthrow of Roman rule. I can imagine that he had lots of energy, and he wasn’t afraid of dying in the process. But making political change is a very different mission from becoming a servant of Jesus and others. Even those who are misguided in thinking that political change is the primary mission of the Gospel, or even a forceful means to an end, can get off course. Maybe his name reminded him to stay on course.
The final name I want to briefly mention is Judas Iscariot. He is the one who handed Jesus over to the authorities for thirty silver coins. He committed suicide after he realized his mistake. If he did anything else in life, it became lost under the shadow of his betrayal.
Each of us has the potential to become a positive force, to gain a positive nickname. But we also have the potential to go down in history for some pretty horrible things. Jack the Ripper. Billy the Kid. Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski. Only history will tell the lasting effects of our nicknames.
The Arnold Journey 