His Name is Jesus!

The angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “begotten of the Holy Spirit,” and he was instructed to name the child ‘Jesus’ - “Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” This name pointed to the saving act of God for His people which He was about to reveal. The Salvation and Savior promised to Israel and the nations had arrived. “Good News” indeed!

The first paragraph of Matthew identifies the child as the “son of Abraham.” This was more than another name on a genealogical chart. Not only was he the biological descendant of Abraham, but he also came to fulfill the promises made to the Patriarch, and the Gospel of Matthew demonstrates this in several ways - (Matthew 1:20-21).

[Photo by Edwin Andrade on Unsplash]

The announcement to Joseph parallels the prediction made to Abraham about his firstborn son, which occurred when Sarah was ninety years old. She was well beyond childbearing age, making her pregnancy miraculous. And Abraham also received his son’s name by divine appointment - (Genesis 17:19 – “You will call his name Isaac”).

Just as the angel announced his name to Joseph, “Jesus,” the one who “saves his people from sin,” so likewise God commanded Abraham to name his son “Isaac” since through him He would establish His covenant “for his seed after him.”

The name ‘Jesus’ or ‘Joshua’ appears first in Exodus - “And Moses said to Joshua….” His original name was ‘Hoshea,’ the “son of Nun,” one of the twelve spies sent to investigate the land of Canaan. Moses changed his name from ‘Hoshea’ to ‘Joshua,’ or more correctly, ‘Ye-hoshua’ - (Numbers 13:1-8, Exodus 17:9).

The name ‘Hoshea’ means “salvation, deliverance, help.” It is derived from the Hebrew verb for “save, help, deliver,” or ‘yasha’ (Strong’s Concordance- #H3467). For example, “Yahweh saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians” - (Exodus 14:30. Compare Deuteronomy 20:4).

By prefixing the first syllable of the Hebrew name 'Yahweh' to 'Hoshea', it became ‘Ye-hoshua’. In the later books of the Hebrew Bible, the second syllable was dropped, and the name was contracted to ‘Yeshua’ - (Nehemiah 8:17, Ezra 2:2).

SALVATION of YAHWEH

The form ‘Jesus’ is the anglicized spelling of ‘Yeshua.’ It means more than “savior.” It combines the name ‘Yahweh' and the Hebrew word for “save” or “salvation.” It means “YAHWEH SAVES” or “salvation of Yahweh.”

The promised salvation of God came to fruition in Jesus of Nazareth. His people would be delivered from sin and its consequences through his Death and Resurrection.

The angel’s announcement that “he will save his people from their sins” echoes key themes from the ‘Servant’s Song’ in the Book of Isaiah. For example:

• (Isaiah 53:10-11) – “Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you will make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and the pleasure of Yahweh will prosper in his hand. He will see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by the knowledge of himself will my righteous servant justify many, and he will carry their sins.”

The genealogy of Jesus began with Abraham, the Great Patriarch and Progenitor of Israel. He was the “Son of Abraham,” the promised “Seed” who would fulfill the covenant promises. He also was the “Son of David,” the Messiah and King who would reign from David’s Throne on Mount Zion, and usher in the Reign of God over the Earth.

Jesus is the King and Savior of God’s people who delivers them from bondage to sin and Satan and guides them to the true ‘Promised Land,’ the Kingdom of God. In the truest sense, he is the one who “saves his people from their sins.”

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RELATED POSTS:

• Jesus Reveals God - (John’s Gospel contrasts Jesus with the old era. Ture light, life and truth are found in Jesus, the only one qualified to interpret the Father)

• Son of Abraham - (Jesus is the true Son of Abraham, the heir of the promises, the Anointed One who fulfills and implements the inheritance for his people)

• Son and Servant - (Jesus is the son of David and heir to the Messianic Throne, the beloved Son of God, and the Suffering Servant of Yahweh)