Call His Name Jesus

In the Gospel of Matthew, an angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “begotten of the Holy Spirit” and instructed him 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 to the world.

The first verse of Matthew identifies the child as the “Son of Abraham.” This is 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 Matthew demonstrates this in several ways - (Matthew 1:20-21).

[Jésus-Photo de Duncan Kidd sur Unsplash]

The announcement to Joseph 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, thus 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 from Hoshea to Joshua or ‘Ye-hoshua’ - (Numbers 13:1-8, Exodus 17:9).

Hoshea means “salvation, deliverance, help.” It is from the Hebrew verb meaning “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 (YHWH {יהוה}), his name became Ye-hoshua. In several of the later books of the Hebrew Bible, the second syllable is eliminated, and the name is shortened to Yeshua - (Nehemiah 8:17, Ezra 2:2).

The form ‘Jesus’ is the anglicized spelling of ‘Yeshua.’ It means more than “savior.” It combines the name Yahweh with the Hebrew verb for “save.” Thus, it means “YAHWEH SAVES” or “salvation of Yahweh.” The promised salvation of God arrived in the man, Jesus of Nazareth.

The angel’s announcement to Joseph 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 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.

Jesus is the Greater Joshua, the Ruler of God’s people who delivers them from bondage to Satan and shepherds them to the true Promised Land, namely, the Kingdom of God. In the truest sense, he is the one who “saves his people from their sins.”

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SEE ALSO:

• Salvation for All - (The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to men and women of every nation and people)

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

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