“They
Will Call Him Immanuel”
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came
about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they
came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph
her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to
public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from
the Holy Spirit. 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.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had
said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the
Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not
consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the
name Jesus.
Matthew
1:18-25
In the Bible, people were often given names –
sometimes at birth, sometimes later – that made statement about them or their
character. Barnabas, whose name means “son of encouragement,” continually
encouraged those he encountered. Jacob, whose name means “schemer,” repeatedly
manipulated people and situations for his own selfish ends.
And no one has ever been more appropriately named than
Jesus. When the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph about Mary’s soon-to-be-born
Son, he told Joseph, “You shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His
people from their sins.”
Jesus
means “the Lord saves” and defines both who Jesus is and why He came. He was
also called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” His name reveals our eternal
hope!
The
name of Jesus is at the heart of our faith and our hope.
Our
Daily Bread – May 24, 2014