S160P7 – A man by any other name: Jesus
Mt. 1:18-21
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
The Greek name here translated to Jesus is the same as Joshua. In its earliest form, the name was Yehoshua (later Yeshua), which means “God is salvation.” The name has a clear message that God was sending his Son to save lost people. The picture of the character of the Son mirrored that of his Father. In fact, the angel appearing to Joseph in a dream referenced this purpose, and the language was pretty specific. Jesus was coming to save his people from their sins. The object of this mission of salvation was Israel. They were the people waiting for Messiah to come and fulfill their prophecies. They were the people who should have recognized him at his arrival. They were the people whose rejection would allow the rest of us to be grafted in.
Paul spoke about the rejection of Jesus by the Jews as the mechanism by which reconciliation came to the whole world. He also talked about his ministry to the Gentiles being a way of provoking jealousy among the Jews and leading more of them to salvation. [Rom. 11:13-16] This idea of others being grafted into the vine is about taking those who were not God’s people and allowing them to become part of that group. Jesus was the Jews’ Messiah, but now He has become Messiah to anyone who would accept the salvation He offers. This is an invitation to be counted among the chosen. Those who would not have been considered to be his people can become just that.
There will come a day when every voice will declare that Christ is Lord and bow to him. Even just declaring his name Jesus or Joshua or Yeshua is declaring the fact that God is salvation. That single name is a proclamation of a truth about the character of God. No matter what anyone thinks of him, no matter what anyone says of him, each of us one day will utter the truth about the Lord. Those who try to shame him now will proclaim him then. Those who try to curse him now will bless him then. The name above all names will fall from all lips in honor and respect in the end. Father, thank You for the opportunity that Jesus has made available to all, and we cannot wait until the day when all will proclaim his name in reverence.