“You are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” —Matthew 1:21
It’s not common in our culture to name boys Jesus. However, Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, still popular today. It was also popular in Mary and Joseph’s time. Parents remembered Joshua, the Old Testament military hero. God used him as a brave, courageous deliverer against enemy nations.
The Old Testament Joshua was a foreshadowing of the ultimate deliverer. The angel who told Mary and Joseph to name their child after this hero explained that this baby would save His people from their sins.
So, the name Jesus tells us who this baby was, why He came to earth, and what He came to do. He came to deliver us, though not in a military sense, like Joshua. This baby came to provide ultimate deliverance from the power of sin and death.
Jesus came to offer salvation to those of us who need a Savior—that’s all of us. He was God’s lifeline, the Deliverer and Savior, the One who came to save us from our sins.
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Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, Seeking Him daily program
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
What has Jesus saved you from? Make a list and spend time thanking Him for everything He’s done for you.