The Wednesday Word ~ 30 July, 2025 A.D.
The Wonderful Name of Jesus.
“…call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins." -Matthew 1:21 [KJV]
Matthew 1:21 is both a promise and a prophecy. It reads, “Thou shalt call His name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins.” Notice how Jesus was prophetically named. His name prophesied His future work. This child would grow up and, by one great redemptive act, save His people from their sins; therefore, a word of prophecy is bound up in the very name of Jesus.
But His name is not only a prophecy, it is also a promise to we who are so ruined outside of Christ that we know we cannot save ourselves. Listen again to the angel saying, “He shall save.” This is a magnificent promise. If He shall and will save us, then we should abandon all our silly and useless efforts to save ourselves!
Notice again how His parents were to, “Call His name Jesus.” This name is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua which means “Yahweh, our Saviour.” So once more we are confronted by another proof of His deity. He is Yahweh our Saviour! Of course, the name Jesus was a common name in those days. Obviously, people who bore that name were not the LORD incarnate. Evidently, for example, General Joshua of the Old Testament was not God incarnate nor was he Yahweh the Saviour. But when we read of the naming of Jesus, we are confronted immediately by the truth that He is Yahweh, God manifest in the flesh.
But why, even though they bear the same name, was Jesus God, but Joshua a mere man? Good question!
To answer it, let’s look at the text and ask why we are to call Him Jesus. As we read the text, we discover we are to call Him Jesus because He shall save His people from their sins! Now let me remind you, salvation is the work of Yahweh alone. Therefore, since Jesus accomplished salvation, we must conclude that by doing so, He declared His identity and demonstrates that He is Yahweh the Saviour!
Since it is the unique function of Yahweh to save His people and because the Lord Jesus equally has this same distinctive purpose, we again conclude that Christ and Yahweh are one and the same!
If, however, Jesus does not save His people, then He is not Yahweh.
But back to those other people called Jesus or Joshua in those ancient days. Were they also Yahweh in human flesh? No! They were called ‘Jesus’ by their parents. The difference between them and the Master was that Jesus was named by the Father. It was by God’s direct instructions that Christ was to be named Jesus.
Often in Scripture, when God names someone He identifies them as who they really are. For example, we see that God changed the name of Jacob, whose name meant ‘supplanter' but now he is to be called Israel, which means one who rules with God. This is who he had become, and God called him accordingly.
When God named a person, His naming of them decreed what they were and what they would do. Thus, the Savior was named Jesus.
Furthermore, it is interesting to note that our Lord was called by a Greek name, Jesus, and not a Hebrew one. I suspect that this is not merely a translation for our convenience. I suspect, although not all would agree, that He never was called Joshua or Jeheshua. Most likely He was always known as “Jesus” for this was the name put on the inscription attached to the cross: It read, “This is Jesus, (not Jeheshua) the king of the Jews.” It is not hard to believe that He was always called Jesus, a Gentile name, because it would indicate that “His People” had reference to much more than the Jewish people. His people would come from all the nations of the earth.
In conclusion, the Lord is named Jesus, which means Yahweh the Saviour. In Him alone, we see God and man in one person. Furthermore, this child will be not merely “Jesus a Saviour” for He is much more; He is “Jesus our Saviour”; He is Jesus our deliverer the one through whom our sins and iniquities have been taken away. So, remember, every time we call on this wonderful name of Jesus, we are affirming our belief that He is the mighty God!
And that`s the Gospel Truth!
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