Every newborn needs a name, and when Jesus was born, the cultural expectation was that he would take his father’s name, Joseph. But the angel instructed otherwise. In Matthew 1:21, the angel said to Joseph, “you are to name him Jesus.” In the first century, the name, Jesus, was quite common. The Jewish historian Josephus refers to about twenty men during this time called Jesus.
Our Savior was given a common name. This helps us see that Jesus was human in every way, approachable, touchable. He was a friend that could be talked to. When as a young carpenter, he hit his thumb instead of a nail with his hammer, he felt real pain. When friends questioned and rejected him, he felt pain of a totally different kind. Jesus lived the full, ordinary human existence. That’s why the Hebrew writer says that Jesus, “understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testing we do, yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 NLT)
Yet while his name was common, his mission was anything but common. In Matthew 1:21, the angel expanded on the purpose of Jesus’ name, saying, “because He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus is the Greek form of a Hebrew name, Joshua or Jeshua. The full name is Jehoshua, which means, “Jehovah is our salvation.” His name might have been ordinary, but his name is His mission, and his name tells us why he came over 2,000 years ago. Jesus came to set us free from sin. He came to save us.
That is the greatest news in human history, and that is the good news we proclaim, not only at Christmas, but every day of our lives. Jesus saves!
Mike Johnson
Don’t forget to ‘Take 5’