What's in a Name?
I love origins of names--people's names, names of towns, countries, historical places. It is so interesting to me that a name can contain so much information, especially if it the name of a place given in the Bible. Hebrew is a fascinating language and has so many layers of meanings even in the simplest of words. When we began our Bethany Community of Hope, I decided to do a word study on the name, Bethany. I knew a little about it--Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived there and Jesus ascended from there. But I was in for a surprise when I studied the Hebraic roots of the name, Bethany.
Bethany is probably Beit Anyah, or "house of affliction." Many historical authorities believe it was a place for caring for the poor, perhaps similar to a "hospital" or "almshouse". Temple rules disallowed the sick to be cared for within a three mile or so radius, so Bethany fit the bill as it is about 2 miles from the city of Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. It was also used as a stopping off place for those traveling who were sick and destitute. The compilation of the Hebrew letters to form Bethany actually means, "house of affliction where God has intervened."
Jesus was not offended or put off by the sick, destitute, poor, or afflicted, so he found himself at home at Bethany in the company of his good friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Luke tells us the story of Jesus spending his last week on this earth in Bethany. Our Bethany Community of women pray, worship, and welcome the presence of the living Lord Jesus. We do not turn away those who are afflicted or sick. Our main objective is to obtain a house for women coming from sex trafficking, prostitution, drug addiction, or the prison system. When we named our group Bethany, we were unaware of the meaning of it. But truly, we are offering a place of refuge for women who have lost their way and have become destitute--in body, soul, and spirit. We invite them to come and sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from him as Mary did. We desire that they may say one day, "We have chosen the good part" (Luke 10:42). And Jesus goes on to say, "it will not be taken away from her."
Sherry Poe
