What’s in a name? It’s more than just a word; it’s a source of peace, joy, and salvation. As the beautiful song suggests, when we speak His name, chains of fear and doubts are broken.
While Christ has many titles—Immanuel (His person: God with us), Christ (His office: Anointed One), Lord (His headship), and King (His rank)—His only given name is Jesus. This name encapsulates His entire work and purpose. As we turn to Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 2, we find the significance of this special name.
The Special Name and Great Errand
In Matthew chapter 1, an angel appears to Joseph, who was struggling with the shocking news that his betrothed, Mary, was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Joseph, a just man, planned to put her away privately, but God intervened.
The angel’s instruction in Matthew 1:21 was precise:
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
The name Jesus literally means “God is salvation.” His name defines His entire mission, His great business in this world: to make atonement for sin, deliver us from sin’s effects, and destroy the penalty of sin we are all condemned to. He came to save His people from their sin, not in their sin.
This public decree was reiterated at His public naming and dedication. In Luke 2:21, eight days after His birth: “his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” Forty days later, Joseph and Mary brought Him to the temple to present Him to the Lord, fulfilling the Law (Luke 2:22–24). This was a public display of obedience and dedication, where they openly declared His name to people like the prophet Simeon and the prophetess Anna.
Today, we must cherish His name. While some curse, excuse, or abuse the name of Jesus, believers must hold it in the highest regard, placing it at the top of every list—our Christmas list, our wish list, and our life’s priorities.
The Power of Jesus’ Name
1. Your Soul is Cleansed from Sin in Jesus’ Name
Christ came to deliver His people from a greater tyranny than the Roman government: the tyranny of sin. He came for more than temporal relief; He came to give eternal life.
- Sin needed a penalty executed. Every baby, as the Minnesota Crime Commission report noted, is born “completely selfish and self-centered,” a “little savage” who, if left unchecked, would “grow up a criminal.” The Bible confirms this: “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Without Jesus, we are helpless and hopeless. The path of sin ends in death (James 1:15).
- Salvation needed a payment exacted. That payment was the shed blood of Jesus Christ. God accepts no other sacrifice. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). Only the life of Christ, given as a blood sacrifice (Leviticus 17:11), could show the seriousness of sin and make us right with God.
- Sinners needed a pardon extended. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound! “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20–21).
2. Your Life is Delivered from Destruction in Jesus’ Name
People can and do self-destruct—through drugs, alcohol, or simply wasting their lives on temporal things (pride, money, fame, cheap relationships). Joseph, a respectable young man who did everything right, suddenly faced a monumental problem when Mary was found with child. He was confronted with something tragic and beyond his control.
Joseph could have self-destructed—he could have succumbed to anger, bitterness, or simply running away. Instead of embracing a life of wasted time or tempered anger, Joseph did the right thing. He obeyed God’s instruction, fulfilling the role of an earthly father to God’s Son.
Your life is delivered from destruction because of Jesus! You don’t have to self-destruct; you can fulfill the things God has for you. For the Jewish people, the name Jesus (Joshua) was one of great hope, reminding them of the great general who led them into the Promised Land. The name of Christ carries the expectation of deliverance from life’s destruction, giving us no reason to be discouraged or depressed.
3. Your Obedience to God Honors the Name of Jesus
Joseph’s response is our model. After the angel gave him clear instruction in a dream—to marry Mary and to name the child Jesus—Joseph did not hesitate (Matthew 1:24–25).
- Joseph married and remained married. His first act of obedience was to take Mary as his wife, thus staying married. For us, if we are married, the commandment is clear: stay married (though we acknowledge the gift of singleness, 1 Corinthians 7).
- Joseph parented the Son of God. He took responsibility for the Christ Child, naming Him and taking care of all the things a normal Jewish child would require, fulfilling God’s will.
Your obedience to God and God’s Word honors the name of Jesus.
Show Him to Others
If you know Jesus, your third obligation is to show Him to others. Joseph and Mary took Him to the temple to present Him to the priests and to fellow believers like Simeon and Anna. They did not hide the Christ Child.
Friends, we have the same calling: to present Jesus to other people and to never be ashamed of His name. Let everyone know the name of Jesus! Is Christ at the center of your life? As one little girl was making a Christmas gift list, she discovered, a name was missing. Sometimes we make a long Christmas list and leave our best friend, the one who died for us, off the list.
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