For those of you who are parents, how did you choose the name of your child or children? There are many ways that people use to name children. Some are named after family members or friends. Some have heard names that they like and use them. Some look in books or online. Some try to find a name that is not common. There are all kinds of ways. In biblical times parents would name their children after family members, or based upon something about the child, or even a name that would express their hope for the child in the future. There are many examples of these.
But there are also stories in the Bible in which God gave a person a new name. They were given a name at birth and God later changed their name. One example was Abram which means “exalted father.” One day God called him to be the father of a great nation. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, which means “father of the multitudes.” There are other examples like Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter and Saul to Paul.
When it came time for the Messiah to be born, God sent the angel Gabriel to announce the birth of the Messiah. In this announcement God also gave instructions about what the name of the Messiah should be. In Luke 1.31-32, Gabriel said to Mary, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”
In Matthew 1.20-21, an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream. “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
God had a specific reason for having him named Jesus. The name “Jesus” is the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew name “Jeshua” or “Joshua,” which was the name he was actually named. Both of these names mean “to save.” The name “Jesus” was not just a name but it was a description of who Jesus is and what he would do for all people. He died on the cross to “save his people from their sins.” He is our savior. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins and died in our place. In so doing he saved us from the wrath of God so we can experience his love and have peace with him. He saved us from the judgement of God, so that we can experience a reconciled relationship with him. He saved us from the penalty of eternal death and has given us eternal life in him. In Acts 4 we have sermon by Peter in which he said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
And so, let us rejoice every time we hear and say the name Jesus in the salvation that we have in him. Let us thank God for his love that he would send Jesus to be born, to teach us about God the Father and then to provide the way to him though his death on the cross.
In Christ Alone
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