Salvation of Yahweh

Jesus means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In the man from Nazareth, the Salvation promised by the God of Israel has arrived for the Nations in all its glory.

The angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “begotten of the Holy Spirit,” and he instructed Joseph 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 humanity that He was about to reveal. The world would behold the long-promised “Salvation of Yahweh” in Jesus of Nazareth, and especially in his Death and Resurrection.

[Sun - Photo by Faith McDonald on Unsplash]

Naming him ‘Jesus’ or “Salvation of Yahweh” does not mean Christ is identical to his Father, but that the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” has acted decisively in His Son to bring salvation to humanity. According to the Apostle Paul, this is the very foundation of the Apostolic Faith:

• “For I delivered to you first of all that which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried; and that he has been raised on the third day” – (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

• “Now, it was not written for his sake alone that it was reckoned to him, but for our sake also for whom it will be reckoned, who believe on Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification” – (Romans 4:23-25).

The first verse of the Gospel of Matthew identifies the child as the “Son of Abraham.” However, not only was he the biological descendant of Abraham, but he came also to fulfill the promises made to the Patriarch. Christ was the “Seed of Abraham” in whom “all the Nations of the Earth are blessed”.

It was thus no coincidence that the Nazarene began proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God in “Galilee of the Nations” rather than Jerusalem. His act of redemption would reach far beyond the Nation of Israel and the small territory of Palestine (“All authority has been given to me in Heaven and on Earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations” - Matthew 28:18).

• “The people that sat in darkness Saw a great light, and to them that sat in the region and shadow of death” - (Genesis 12:3, 22:18, Isaiah 9:1-3, Matthew 4:16, Galatians 3:16-29).

• “I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation to the ends of the Earth” - (Isaiah 49:6, Acts 13:47).

• “For, behold, darkness will cover the Earth, and gross darkness the peoples, but Yahweh will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” – (Isaiah 60:2-3).

The angel’s announcement parallels the prediction made to Abraham about his firstborn son, which occurred when Sarah was ninety years old and beyond childbearing age, making her pregnancy miraculous. Abraham also received his son’s name through Divine appointment, for God commanded Abraham to name his son ‘Isaac’ - (Genesis 17:19).

The name ‘Jesus’ or ‘Joshua’ first appears in the Book of Exodus. Joshua’s name originally was ‘Hoshea’, the Son of Nun. Moses changed it to ‘Joshua’ or ‘Ye-hoshua’ - (Numbers 13:1-8, Exodus 17:9).

‘Hoshea’ means “salvation, deliverance, help.” It is from the Hebrew verb for “save, help, deliver,” that is, ‘yasha’. 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’ (YHWH {יהוה}), the name became ‘Ye-hoshua’. In several of the later books of the Hebrew Bible, the second syllable is dropped, and the name is shortened to ‘Yeshua’ - (e.g., Nehemiah 8:17, Ezra 2:2).

‘Jesus’ is the anglicized spelling of ‘Yeshua.’ It means more than “savior.” It combines the name ‘Yahweh’ with the Hebrew verb for “save.” Thus, ‘Jesus’ means “Yahweh saves” or ‘Salvation of Yahweh’. The promised salvation of God has arrived in the man from the insignificant village of Nazareth, Jesus.

Furthermore, the angel’s announcement to Joseph echoed key themes from the ‘Servant’s Song’ of the Book of Isaiah. Jesus was the ‘Servant of Yahweh’ who came to “bear the sins of many.” For example:

• (Isaiah 53:10-11) – “Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him; he has put him to grief <…> 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.”

• (Matthew 20:28) - “Even as the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

The genealogy of Jesus recorded in Matthew begins with Abraham, the Great Patriarch, and the Progenitor of Israel. Jesus is the “Son of Abraham,” the promised “Seed” who fulfills the covenant promises. He is also the “Son of David,” the Messiah and King who reigns from David’s Throne and inaugurates the Kingdom of God. The glorious reign of the God of Israel began on Calvary, and through his Death and Resurrection, salvation is now available to all men and women.

• “And in no other is there salvation, for neither is there any other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” - *(Acts 4:12).

• “For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” – (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

• “That they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” – (2 Timothy 2:10).

• “For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings” – (Hebrews 2:10).

Like Joshua, Jesus Christ is the Leader of God’s people who delivers them from bondage to Satan and shepherds them to the Promised Land, namely, the Kingdom of God. He inaugurated the salvation that now saves us; therefore, he is JESUS, the one who “saves his people from their sins.”

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SEE ALSO:

• To the Ends of the Earth - (The Gospel of the Kingdom of God announced by Jesus is a message of life for men and women of every nation and people)

• One Message for All - (Jesus commanded his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his salvation and kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth)

• The Covenant - (The promises to Abraham are fulfilled through Jesus in the New Covenant inaugurated by his Death and Resurrection)

• The Light of the World - (Jesus is the only true light in the world, a light that shines all the brighter in the darkness, and this light means life for men and women)