"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."
{Matthew 1:21} NIV 1984
My wife Wanda, has baby pictures of each of our six children on our living room wall. Under each of those pictures is a plaque with their first name and a phrase that tells us what that name is suppose to mean. Sarah means "princess"; Phoebe means "bright shining one", etc.
The name Jesus was a common name 2,000 years ago. The Greek word used here, is used in Luke 33:29 as the name of one of the ancestors of our Lord. The NIV translates it 'Joshua', simply because Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name, Joshua. The meaning of the name is "the LORD (YHWH) saves". Only in our Lord does this beautiful meaning of a common name becomes a reality.
This baby Jesus will the be the One through whom the LORD saves His people. This baby Jesus will be the One who speaks the Words of eternal life to the world. This baby Jesus will live His life in perfect obedience to His Father. This baby Jesus will go willing to the cross and be cursed by His Father for our sake. This baby Jesus will suffer an undeserved death, trusting in His Father's character and power to deliver Him. This baby Jesus will rise triumphant over death, paving the way to Life for all who follow Him. This baby Jesus will ascend to the Father's right hand, and intercedes for all who are His brothers and sisters. This baby Jesus will come back to earth and make everything right. He will establish a kingdom where God's people will live in holiness, safety and peace.
What a beautiful baby! What a beautiful Name! What a beautiful Saviour!
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