Magnifying His Name

Over the last month my wife and I have begun to think of possible names for the new little baby she is carrying. Names are important. There are many things to consider: what does it mean? Is it over used? Is it outdated? Is it too long? On and on…

Mary and Joseph never had to pick a name for the new little baby that would be born to them. An angel of the Lord came to Matthew and told him, “You are to give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua which means “Jehovah is salvation.” The name Jesus tells us what God does; He saves. What a name!

But Matthew goes on to tell us in his gospel writings that this took place to fulfill what the prophet Isaiah had foretold hundreds of years earlier, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us.’”

The name Immanuel is more of a title than a name. It tells us who this baby is, “God with us.” The promise that God would be with His disciples in every age as we obey the Great Commission is fulfilled in Immanuel. Jesus reaffirms this Himself at the end of Matthew’s gospel, “and surely I am with you always…”
May Jesus, our Immanuel, be the name that is at the heart of your Christmas celebration this year and always.