Wait Until She Finds Out That “Jesus” Is Just A Transliteration Of “Joshua”

This happened about fifteen years ago. The name Jesus (pronounced “Hey Zeus”) is a fairly common name in the Spanish-speaking community. Yes, it is spelled like Jesus Christ, but it’s pronounced differently. This is also how Jesus is pronounced in Spanish.

I’m a shift supervisor for a retail drug store chain. At the store, we have an employee named Jesus. At the top of our receipts, there is a little phrase that says, “Hi, my name is [Employee’s Name]. Thank you for letting me serve you today.”

One day, a woman storms in after her purchase, yelling at us.

Customer: “How dare you insult our Lord and Savior?!”

First, we’re all a little puzzled, and then we realize Jesus is at the register.

Me: “Ma’am, Jesus is a very common name in the Spanish community. Although it’s spelled the same as Jesus Christ, it’s pronounced ‘Hey Zeus’.”

Customer: “I am a devout Christian. I will not take this insult.”

Me: “Ma’am, that is his name — the name he was given at birth. He can’t just change it.”

Customer: “Yes, you can, and you will. I will not take this insult to the man who died for our sins.”

Me: “Ma’am, his name is ‘Hey Zeus’, not ‘Gee Zus’, and this is a common name in the Spanish community.”

Customer: “I have never felt so insulted! I’m never shopping here again!”

She stormed out. The funny part is that there is a pretty high Mexican population in this area. I’m surprised this is the first Jesus she has come across.