We're all very familiar with the Palm Sunday epistle. Jesus emptied Himself. He took on human flesh to save us. He suffered the death of the cross. Therefore the Father has exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.
Therefore?
Wait a second here.
Now, this is how I tend to look at time. Jesus left His heavenly throne. Then we have Christmas, which is, y'know, when we hear that this little boy was named Jesus. Then we have the little boy grow up, being called Jesus all the while. Then He is put on trial, beaten, mocked, crucified, dies, is buried. Then He's raised and ascends. He had the name "Jesus" from the time He was 8 days old.
So what is this "therefore"?
God gave Him the name Jesus because He emptied Himself and was incarnate and died to redeem us.
This doesn't make any sense whatsoever if we're constrained by time. Either Jesus got His name after He died, or else He got it when He was still in diapers (and Paul is in error here as He writes to the Philippians).
The Lord's gracious redemption of His sinful people is not constrained by time. It's too big. Too great. Too ... eternal. Too ... uh ... foundational to the structure of the entire world.
Mary and Joseph were told to name Him "Jesus" because of what He did [not "would do"] on the cross. That's just kind of mind-boggling.
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No beginning, no ending . . . effects happening before their causes . . . circularity of time . . . suddenly I'm feeling like I'm in an episode of Lost. :-)
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