What does it mean to do something in Jesus' name?

This is the second post I wrote on my week on the Valley Community Church Bible blog last month. It is reprinted in its entirety below. Please feel free to check out the other posts on that blog; a different church member writes about a different passage of Scripture every day!

Mark 9-10

Jesus tells his disciples, "For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us" (Mark 9:39). But consider the hypothetical false disciples Jesus rebukes in the Sermon on the Mount. "'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers"'" (Matthew 7: 21-23). What a disconcerting image! The central question, then, seems to be what does it mean to do something in Jesus' name?

First, let's consider what doing something in Jesus' name is not. For instance, it is possible to claim to be doing something on God's behalf when you are really seeking your own glory. The sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest, were caught doing this in Acts 19. They "tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed" (Acts 19:13) but were beaten badly by the demon-possessed man for their trouble. You see, when it comes to our heart and our motives, there is no fooling God. "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve" (Jeremiah 17:10).

 Contrast their example with the woman who touched Jesus' clothes and was healed. Matthew tells us she touched the "edge" of the garment (Matthew 9:20). Remember that God long ago commanded the Israelites "To make tassels on the corners of your garments" (Numbers 15:38), and it was this part of Jesus' cloak that the sick woman touched. Why is that important? Because the woman knew Malachi 4:2, "The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays." The word "rays," sometimes also translated "wings," is the same word rendered as "tassels" in Numbers 15:38. The woman believed that Jesus was who he said he was and this led her to claim God's promise of healing from Malachi 4:2 by touching Jesus' cloak. And healed she was; Jesus turned, sought her out from the crowd, and told her, "Take heart, daughter ... your faith has healed you" (Matthew 9:22). In this way God was glorified, that His Son was recognized and worshiped for who he really was.

When we do things in Jesus' name, therefore, we are claiming God's promises that He might be glorified. God makes promises as a way of showing His faithfulness and as a way of bringing glory to Himself. When we claim these promises, we are acknowledging and even praising Him as a faithful, trustworthy, and sovereign God.