SHOCKING! Meaning Of Cecil's Name And His Bond With Lion Named Jericho!

Three days ago, I felt this strong persistant urge to look up the meaning of the name, Cecil, and what I discovered truly rocked my world! Was Cecil's death a wake up call for all of us? And what are the odds, that there would be a lion, named Cecil, with a close relationship to another male lion, named Jericho, in the world news during this time in history? Keep those questions in mind as I share the meanings and connections. By the way, Jericho the lion, according to National Geographic, is alive and well. He is not the actual brother of Cecil, but the two of them had a strong bond and special type of brotherhood, as the link above shares. There is also reason to believe that Jericho will lead Cecil's cubs as well as his own.

                                          Photo by Christina Myers, circa August 1991, from Republic of Kenya, Nairobi Animal Orphanage.

So I visited several sites and the Latin, English and American meanings for the name, Cecil, are blind and sixth. The blind meaning really struck me, because Cecil was reportedly lured away and then killed. He was not aware of the danger lying before him. Many of us have been mislead and blinded over the years and have also witnessed family, friends and strangers going down a dangerous, deceptive path. In regards to the meaning of sixth, it is interesting that the number of man is six and relates to human weakness. The meaning of the name, Cecil, reveals that man is blind.

Then I looked up the meaning of the name, Jericho, and this was the moment I realized something bigger was being revealed. Jericho's name means place of fragrance or moon. When I saw fragrance, I thought of Jesus and when I saw moon, I thought of the four blood moons, three of which have already happened. Then . . . just below the meanings listed, was a small commentary on how Jesus visited Jericho on his last journey to Jerusalem before his crucifixion and healed two blind men. WOW! When Jesus returns, He will be coming back to Jerusalem. Is He giving those who do not recognize Him now, the opportunity to see Who He is before His return? Yes, I believe so. This site said he healed two blind men. These accounts can be found in Matthew 20:29-34, of the men together, in Mark 10:46-52, giving the name of one man as Bartimaeus and also in Luke 18: 35-43, giving no name for the other man.

Mark 10:46-52 English Standard Version (ESV) Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

Luke 18:35-43 New International Version (NIV) A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. 38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Also, interesting is that the name, Jesus, is the Greek version of the Hebrew name, Joshua, who is famously associated with marching seven days around the city of Jericho, in the Old Testament. (Jericho is now referred to as the City of Palms.) In my research, the number seven represents perfection and completion. Man's number was six since he was created on the sixth day and God's number is considered to be one. God's number plus the number of man equals seven, which is also considered the number of God and completion.  All this on top of the fact that lions are mentioned many times in the Bible and so is the state of being blind. God is revealing the condition of our hearts, calling out to us, through two lions named, Cecil and Jericho, because He loves us and He wants to show us the condition of our own hearts. We don't have to stay spiritually blind. We can call out to God for mercy and ask Him to remove our blindness!

The photo used above, is to illustrate that in life and in the Bible, sometimes things look black and white and the truth seems very obvious. When looking at the first picture, one might think it is of a deceased Cecil, but it actually is of a sleeping lion with a dark mane, just like Cecil's, but whose photo was taken in 1991, while being cared for by an animal orphanage in Nairobi.  Just like in the photo below, after humbling ourselves and asking God, He suddenly gives us vibrant sight and a revelation to see in a way we never before could.  I love this picture, for it always reminds me of the character, Aslan, from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, who was a picture of Jesus, The Lion of Judah.

                                                        Photo by Christina Myers, circa August 1991, from Republic of Kenya, Nairobi Animal Orphanage.

So maybe you made it all the way down to here and are thinking, why Jesus? What is it about Him that people love or hate? I hope you ask Him. He will answer if you sincerely call out to Him.

With Love,

Christina

To find my facebook page, click on humble & bold.

Stay humble & be BOLD!