THE NAME

THE NAME

READ:
Matthew 1:18-25

You shall call His name JESUS,
for He will save His people from
their sins.  -Matthew 1:21

What is it about a name that makes it so special to us?  I began thinking about this after talking to a teenager as we stood outside her church in Black River, Jamaica, one Sunday morning.  She asked, "Would you mention my name in Our Daily Bread"?  I asked her if she had a story to tell, and she said, "No, just mention my name."

As I thought about her request-and her name-I wondered why her parents named her "Joyeth."  Seeing the happy nature of her personality led me to conclude that if their rationale was to urge her along toward "joy" in her life, they had succeeded.

Most parents have that choice when a new baby is coming.  But one baby received His name in a far different way.  It wasn't His parents' choice that led to His moniker, and His wasn't a name given to coax Him toward a personality trait.  I'm speaking of the One whose name was provided by an angel who told His parents to "call His name JESUS" (Matthew 1:21).  Why?  "For He will save His people from their sins."

No wonder His is the name above all names (Philippians 2:9).  It's a name that reveals His purpose-to provide salvation from the penalty of our sins.  Jesus is indeed the name worth mentioning. -Dave Branon

The name above all other names
Is Jesus Christ the Lord;
He came to save us from our sins
So we could be restored. -Sper
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Jesus:  His name and His mission
are one and the same.

INSIGHT
In today's reading, there are two names given to the Son of God.  The first, Jesus (the equivalent of the Hebrew for Joshua, meaning deliverer, v.21), is descriptive of His mission -to come as Savior of a lost race.  The second name also carries great significance, it describes His identity.  In verse 23, He is called Immanuel, declaring Him to be "Go with us."  Jesus Christ came to be Redeemer, Savior, Master, and Lord-but He also came as God in human flesh.
Have a blessed day.
God Our Creator's Love Always
Unity & Peace