What’s in a Name?

Today’s Thought

I’ll never forget the joy and intrigue of sitting together with Callie, my wife, amid her pregnancies pondering names for our children. We would pray and ask for guidance for we sincerely desired each of their names to carry meaning, life, and blessing. As we deliberated both boy and girl names (we never found out our kids gender beforehand), we also took into account the many nicknames they might pick up at school with kids they befriended along the way. We had a blast naming our kids!

Names are important, especially in the Jewish world of Mary and Joseph. They weren’t just a term one was called, for the followers of Yahweh believed that both nature and destiny lay within the name you gave your child, and oh, did this Little One that Mary carried within her get a name. In fact, he was given two by the majestic angel who stood in the very presence of the Father.

“Jesus, you shall call Him Jesus.” Jesus, Yeshua, was not unique in any sense of the word but was a very common name among young Jewish boys of Israel. Wouldn’t you choose something utterly unique and spectacular for your son if you were the almighty? Not our Father, for this one who was the culmination and fulfillment of heaven’s desire and promise would blend seamlessly into the world he was born into in such a way that if you didn’t have eyes to see and a heart to perceive, you might just miss the son of heaven because he was just too normal—too human.

But on the other hand, this simple, common name packed a mighty punch, for the name Jesus means Yahweh saves. Jesus had come to save his people from their sins! Every time someone shouted “Jesus,” they were declaring his mission and his nature–he will save us from our sins! Jesus is our Savior, for he has saved us from our sins. As we celebrate this Christmas, let’s turn our hearts to his name, Jesus, and let’s celebrate the Father’s great gift of forgiveness in his son, for he has saved us from our sins. We are not guilty anymore.

But the writer chose to pull another text into the storyline, giving us one other name of this little baby that Mary would give birth to, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” He is Immanuel, God with us. The message of Christmas is the Immanuel miracle, God has come, he is with us, he is not far away any longer, he is here! Fear has swept our world, and anxiety seems to rule so many of us, but here is the message of Christmas, “Fear not, for I am here, I am with you, I am Immanuel!” Let’s worship him as Jesus this Christmas, our Savior. Let’s celebrate him as our Immanuel, God with us. This is Christmas; this is Jesus!

Think It Over

• How can you deeply and genuinely embrace and celebrate the name Jesus, God has come to save us?
• How can you this season celebrate him as Immanuel, God with us?
• What is one thing you can do next year incorporating the Immanuel principle into your everyday life?

Let’s Pray

Father, thank you for Jesus. He is the gift that never stops giving. I thank you for that name, so simple, so common, so powerful. Jesus, I worship, I remember, I adore you as my Savior. Daily, please save me from my sins! I worship you as Immanuel. You are God with me. I release all fear, all anxiety, all worry for you are my Immanuel; you are God with me! Amen.