John Mark Joshua Wuethrich

Formation by naming?

Born on August 6th, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana

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Our second-born, and our first son. A little brother to his big sister, Carter. The 15th grandchild to my parents, the 5th grandchild to Caitlin’s parents.

Welcome to the world, little buddy!

Naming another human being is a big responsibility. Our name is something that can define us and shape us, and is something that we didn’t even choose ourselves. I didn’t choose to be named Maxwell, yet it’s something that I hear several times a day and it’s what I identify with. My name is so principle to who I am that to remove my name or change it, I think that my whole being might change as well.

In John Steinbeck’s epic novel East of Eden, a heavy theme in the book is what a name can mean for a person and if that person has any power, control, or free will over whether or not they “live up” to that name, either for good or bad. The book mirrors many biblical stories, but the most prevalent one is the Cain and Abel story. Multiple characters in the story play out the feud between the brothers, and Steinbeck makes this callback explicit when he names his first two main characters Adam and Charles (“A” and “C”) and then later another set of brothers, Adam’s sons, Aaron and Caleb (another “A” and “C” pairing - mirroring Abel and Cain).

When Adam is naming the two twin boys, after putting the responsibility off, he searched the Bible for names. For a moment, he suggests Cain and Abel, to which his servant strongly condemns him for even the thought. When he first says the name “Aaron”, one of the boys starts to laugh and smile, and he was given that name. When the next name “Caleb” was suggested, it was met with crying and whining from the other child, and he was assigned that name.

What Steinbeck is making the audience, and his own characters, question is whether or not we are assigned our destiny, who we will become, predestined, if you will, or if we are capable of choosing our own path. Wherever you land on that philosophical and theological question, one thing I know to be true is that we cannot dismiss the power of naming someone. I believe it can be used as tool of formation and a way of showing someone what they can aspire to be. This is what we’ve done with our son, John Mark Joshua Wuethrich.

John Mark

John Mark was the author of the Gospel of Mark. His gospel is believed to be the earliest of the four canonical gospels. The Gospel of Mark is a fast-paced narrative, where he documented Jesus’ teachings and miracles. His Gospel gets to the point of Jesus’ ministry quick. In the first chapter we already have Jesus on the scene declaring,

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

John Mark was a friend and companion in the Gospel to many like Peter, Paul and Barnabas. It is my greatest hope that my John Mark would be a man who is unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that he would make it his life’s mission to spread the good news of God’s Kingdom to his neighbors and the nations. If all he becomes is that, then I will be proud of him.

Joshua

John Mark’s middle name, Joshua (“Josh”), is given to him because of his uncle on his mom’s side, whose name is Joshua. Josh means a great deal to my wife, obviously, but he also means a great deal to me. He is a man of great integrity who values the truth. He also has a very big heart. His gift giving ability is second-to-none. He is also someone who understands and lives out the Gospel as clearly as anyone else I know. Josh understands that at the heart of the Gospel is a perfect and innocent man dying for his betterment of his enemies, willing to take on injustice in order to bless others.

The summer after Josh graduated high school, I experienced this Gospel firsthand, perhaps truly for the first time — at least it was the clearest I had ever seen.

Josh was out for a run in his neighborhood when a truck was speeding and ran through a stop sign. The truck ran over Josh, sending him flying across the road. He had broken ribs, major road rash, potentially internal bleeding, and was left incapacitated. The driver offered no help or comfort to Josh, but an ambulance was on the way because of a witness. Later the driver would not admit to any wrongdoing, even blaming Josh for the accident.

While he was waiting to be loaded into the ambulance, paramedics were assessing the situation. He was in so much pain and had no idea whether or not he would be able to make it to the emergency room alive let alone withstand any operations that would be needed. Not knowing how much time he had left, he wanted to make sure the driver got a message. He told the paramedic, “Tell the driver that I forgive him.”

Living out the Gospel means that we are called to bless our enemies,

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44)

By God’s grace, the doctors were able to allow Josh to make a full recovery from the accident. Josh gave us all a reminder that day that the Gospel truly is not of this world. Forgiving one another, even our enemies, in the face of death is not an ideal that can be found in our world. For John Mark, his middle name is a reminder and an ideal to strive towards, that we can always love and always bless those around us, no matter who it is. By God’s Spirit we can live out the Gospel and that is what I desire for my son.

I don’t believe that just because I have named my son this that it will come to pass. I know that it takes years of purposeful formation, but I want the formation to start now, from the moment I hold him for the first time and say,

“Hello, John Mark Joshua Wuethrich.”

(bonus) Wuethrich (from Caitlin!)

The same last name as ours, of course. Our son.

A huge part of my story is that I didn’t know if I could have children. I’ll never forget the way a doctor, so plainly and callously, broke my heart with the words: “Pregnancy may not happen for you, and if it does, it will be really hard.” And it was. The road to having our children has been nothing short of miraculous and stretching. This pregnancy especially held some really scary days. There were moments I’d faint out of nowhere or suddenly lose my vision. And the doctors’ response? “We’ve never seen anything like this… we don’t know why it’s happening.” I’ve heard that so many times over the years from medical providers: “We just don’t know.”

But I do know this. God is faithful. Holding this baby in my arms reminds me that what “shouldn’t have been” was never too far for Him. Being called “Mama” is my favorite title, not just because I love my kids (though I do, so much), but because it reflects something even deeper. I’m Christ’s daughter. This never should have been. But God, in His kindness, showed up and changed my story.

(p.s. his nickname is “J.J.”)

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