There’s a story behind every name.
I bet there’s a story behind your name. Maybe you’re named after someone or your parents selected that name for you because of it’s meaning. Maybe you took your spouse’s last name on the day you were married. But there’s probably a story behind the name.
My parents went back and forth on a few different names before I was born. I’m told that, for a while at least, my Dad really wanted to name me “Wesley Xavier Bybee.” No offense to any Wesley Xaviers who might be reading this, but I’m really thankful my Mom vetoed that idea. In the end, they settled on “Jason” as a first name and for my middle name, they chose “Al.” Sometimes when people see my middle name, they are a little surprised. They’ll say, “Is that short for something? Alan? Alexander?” And I’ll have to say, “No, it’s just Al.” My Dad was named James Alton but he went by his middle name — or “Al” for short. So I’m named after him. And that’s the story behind my name.
I read a story years ago about a couple in Pennsylvania who named their daughter “Atheist Evolution.” They said this was their answer to other parents who chose biblical names for their children. “Atheist Evolution” is much more than a name, isn’t it? It’s a statement of conviction. Obviously, there’s a story behind that name.
It should come as no surprise, then, to learn that there is a story behind the name of Jesus.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:18-21
Joseph and Mary were betrothed — we might say engaged. In Jewish culture, that meant they were kind of married — but also not fully married. Dowry money might have been exchanged, but the marriage hadn’t been physically consummated. And that’s when God does something extraordinary. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary to announce that she will give birth to the son of God. (You can read about that story in Luke’s Gospel.) And an angel also appears to Joseph to tell him the same thing. And in both of these accounts, the angels specify that the child is to be named “Jesus.”
That’s really fascinating. When the time came for God to send His Son into the world, the naming of the child wasn’t left up to anyone else. All the way back in the Garden of Eden, God gave naming privileges over to man, but not when it comes to the naming of this child. God intentionally selected the name “Jesus” for His Son. He chose a name that would perfectly express His mission to save us. There’s certainly a story behind this name.
In one way, there was nothing unusual about the name “Jesus.” It was a really common Hebrew name in the ancient world. It was actually pronounced “Yeshua” in Hebrew; our English version is “Joshua.” The word “Jesus” is the English transliteration of the Greek translation of that word. At any rate, this was a very common name for Hebrew boys. The name has been found on numerous grave markers and tombs in and around Jerusalem.
But in another way, the name “Jesus” points to something extraordinary, the unique work God will accomplish through this child. The angel tells Joseph, you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. The name “Jesus” means “God saves” or “God delivers.”
Now we can see why God chose this name for His Son. The name is a statement, a resolute conviction. There is certainly a story behind this name.
From the first pages of our Bibles, God is very clear that sin is a problem, THE PROBLEM. If you want to know what’s wrong with the world, the Bible says it’s sin. God made a world that was good — exceedingly good, actually — but that goodness has been corrupted by human pride and rebellion. And the Bible reiterates this point over and over: sin was not just the problem of our ancestors, a problem confined to the ancient past that we have somehow evolved beyond. No, every person shares in sin. We are all culpable. No matter when or where we live, we’re all sinners.
But in Jesus, God is doing something holy and redemptive. He is addressing the problem, making right all that has been wrong for so long. Jesus has come to save us from our sins.
And this name — the name of Jesus — is the name that is above all names (according to the Scriptures, Philippians 2:9) because it is the name that saves. Acts 4:12, And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Jesus. Yeshua. This is the same name in different languages. But it always means the same thing: God saves. This name points to God’s mission: to save us from our sins. And there is no other name like His name. It may have been a common name but we should not treat it commonly. The name of Jesus is to be revered, for it is the name above all names.
That is the story behind His name.
already & not yet 