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Seth David Gruber

Finding my name, meaning, and calling

My Name…

Last: Gruber

The name Gruber refers to a person from a pit, mine, or depression.  Perhaps not so exciting and lovely as the meaning of my first and middle name, but I’d like to unpack my last name some and dig deeper, since we’re talking about pits and mines anyways.

Origin…

The Gruber name is of German origin and originally referred to someone who was from the German state of Bavaria, which is the ancestral home of the Gruber name.  It is interesting that Gruber refers to a person from a mine, because Bavaria is actually quite famous for their salt mines, the largest and most spectacular, being Berchtesgaden, located in the German Bavarian Alps.

Now how is this significant?

Well, the Berchtesgaden Salt Mines are described online as following:

Berchtesgaden Salt Mine has been in operation without interruption since 1517.  Salt has been proven up to 300 m (984 feet) below the bottom of the valley in the area of the salt mine.  Salt does not occur here in a pure form but is released from the mountain with the help of fresh water (emphasis own) in “wet mining”.

As I read this, I couldn’t help but draw biblical connections.  Consider the following verses and work with me as I draw the parallels:

• “You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?”  -Matthew 5:13
• “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word”  -Ephesians 5:25-26

In other words, as Christians, as the salt of the earth, we are all fallen, sinful and trapped in our own pit, but Jesus died so that we could be reconciled to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:18).  Just as the salt of Berchtesgaden does not occur in a pure form, neither do we, the salt of the earth start in a pure form.  We all have our mountains of sin that have separated us from the Father (Isaiah 59:2), but “‘Even though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:10).

Washed By The Water…

The salt of the earth is “released… with the help of fresh water”.  We are only released from our sin (Romans 6:18) when we allow Christ to “wash us with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:26), which is himself (John 1:1).  Then we are enabled to be the true, pure, salt of the earth, that won’t lose its saltiness.

So while the name “Gruber” may refer to a person from a pit, mine, or depression, it merely points to the fact that “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:2).  God is a redeeming God and while I may have stretched the parallel between my last name and the Gospel, anything that brings God glory is okay with Him![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

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