3 Nephi 12 [RE] says,
The disciples were gathered together and were united in mighty prayer and fasting. And Jesus again shewed himself unto them for they were praying unto the Father in his name, and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them and saith unto them, What will ye that I shall give unto you? And they said unto him, Lord, we will that thou wouldst tell us the name whereby we shall call this church, for there are disputations among the people concerning this matter.
I always assumed that the disciples were asking for a label. I figured they just wanted to know what they should call the organization they were building through their preaching and baptizing. “What should we write on the sign in front of the synagogue, Jesus?” However, I no longer believe that’s what they were asking for. Just a few sentences before the scripture quoted above, it says, “And it came to pass that they did do all things even as Jesus had commanded them. And they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ.” The record explicitly tells us that the people already had a name for their church. It was called the church of Christ. And they were being obedient to Jesus by calling it that. So then, if they already had a name for their church, what were the disciples asking Jesus about?
They wanted to know “the name whereby [they should] call this church” and they wanted to know it because people were arguing about it and they knew how important it was to Jesus to get rid of contentions. I believe that defining the words “name,” “call,” and “whereby” is critical for understanding exactly what the disciples wanted. Let’s attempt to do that in a way that allows the record to make sense, so it doesn’t seem like the disciples were asking about something they already knew about. In Webster’s 1828 dictionary, there are many definitions for “name” that don’t involve simply a label for something or someone:
Reputation; character; that which is commonly said of a person; as a good name; a bad name
Remembrance; memory.
Authority; behalf; part; as in the name of the people. When a man speaks or acts in the name of another, he does it by their authority or in their behalf, as their representative.
Assumed character of another.
In Scripture, the name of God signifies his titles, his attributes, his will or purpose, , his honor and glory, his word, his grace, his wisdom, power and goodness, his worship or service, or God himself.
So it appears that we have some options when trying to figure out what “name” meant when the disciples were asking for one. Now let’s see about the word “call.” The first thing Webster says about the word “call” is “[Heb. To hold or restrain.] In a general sense, to drive.” I thought that was rather curious. Webster’s first two definitions for “drive” are,
1. To impel or urge forward by force; to force; to move by physical force. We drive a nail into wood with a hammer; the wind or a current drive a ship on the ocean.
2. To compel or urge forward by other means than absolute physical force, or by means that compel the will; as, to drive cattle to market. A smoke drives company from the room. A man may be drive by the necessities of the times, to abandon his country.
Going back to “call,” other definitions by Webster include,
To convoke; to summon; to direct or order to meet; to assemble by order or public notice; often with together; as, the king called his council together; the president called together the congress.
To request to meet or come.
To invite.
To invite or summon to come or be present; to invite, or collect.
To give notice to come by authority; to command to come; as, call a servant.
To appoint or designate, as for an office, duty or employment.
To invite; to warn; to exhort.
To invite or draw into union with Christ; to bring to know, believe and obey the gospel.
To invoke or appeal to.
Just like the previous word we looked at, we have some wiggle room when trying to define the word “call” when the disciples used it. Finally, let’s look at the word “whereby.” Another way of saying “whereby” is “by which.” The word’s usage in the disciples request seems to imply more than just a label for a group. The disciples wanted a name by which they could call the church. They wanted something they could use as a tool in order to call the church. Now that we have looked at all three words, allow me to employ everything we have found to try to come up with some alternate translations of the disciples request.
“We will that thou wouldst tell us what we need to remember in order to invite the church to come to you.”
“We will that thou wouldst tell us exactly what we should represent as we warn and exhort the church.”
“We will that thou wouldst tell us the kind of reputation people ought to have if we are to urge them forward.”
It’s almost as if the disciples wanted to know what principles they were to put forward in their efforts to govern and guide the church of Christ. It’s noteworthy that the very first thing Jesus expressed in His reply was disappointment that there would be contention on this topic. Immediately after that, He (unsurprisingly) referred to the scriptures to show the answer which should have been obvious. Below is the beginning of the Lord’s reply. As you read it, try to see if the alternative definitions of “name” and “call” can apply so that it’s not talking about simply an organizational title. I believe that keeping an open mind about the definitions of those terms can give us a better understanding of what He was trying to teach.
And the Lord said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, Why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing? Have they not read the scriptures which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day. And whoso taketh upon him my name and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day. Therefore whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name. Therefore ye shall call the church in my name, and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake. And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses' name, then it be Moses' church; or if it be called in the name of a man, then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name, then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. Verily, I say unto you that ye are built upon my gospel. Therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call in my name. Therefore if ye call upon the Father for the church, if it be in my name, the Father will hear you. And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel, then will the Father shew forth his own works in it.
Once again Dan, a post that helps me have greater understanding. Motivates me to ponder more.
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