Jesus

 

“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)

 

Jesus

“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there’s just something about that name.” So the gospel song proclaims. And, indeed, the statement is true for those who follow our Lord. It is a “beautiful name,” and a “name above all others.”

Yet in Jesus’ own day, His name was one of the most common male names. History records at least five Jewish high priests with the name Jesus, and the historian Josephus references some twenty other men by that name living in Palestine in the first century.

Many who met Jesus didn’t seem particularly impressed by either His name or His person. Note the tone of this response of those in His hometown: “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” (Mark 6:3). The implication is clear. “He’s just one of us,” they thought, “no better, no worse. He’s nothing special.” Indeed, Jesus was just a man among men, fully human in every way.

And yet, there was something different about Him, something more. Until the time of Jesus, the Bible records only a few other instances when God named a child (Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Solomon, Josiah). In each case, the name was either an explanation of the child’s coming or a statement of the child’s mission. So it was with Jesus.

The Greek name Jesus is linked with its Hebrew predecessor, which is variously translated Joshua (Ex. 17:10), Jehoshua (Zech. 3:1), and Jeshua (Neh. 7:7). In the Old Testament, the name always pointed to the one from whom we find our help, Jehovah. The name is often interpreted as “Jehovah is my help” or “Jehovah is my rescuer,” referring to a divinely appointed rescuer or savior. As we utter the name of Jesus, we should be aware that He has come to us under the divine appointment of His Father to rescue and save us from our sinful selves. And He will be our deliverer!                —Mari Gonlag