There is a lot you can know about someone from their name. In the news this week, because of the high birth rate among Muslim families, the name Mohammed is on track to become the most popular boy’s name in England and Wales by next year. Muhammad is regularly cited as the most common name in the world. It means “one who is praiseworthy,” and is often given to boys as an honorary prefix and is followed by the name by which they are commonly known. Muhammad Anwar, professor of ethnic relations at Warwick University, said: “Muslim parents like to have something that shows a link with their religion or with the Prophet.” The name was second only to Jack in 2007, which has been top for the past 13 years. (Source: National Post. Thursday December 20th 2007. A2)
Naming children in biblical times was important business. Names were not given to children just because they sounded good or was a popular name of the day. Names for children in past days had great significance and strong meaning. The names placed upon children had power to set a child’s character or even his future. Some names were a result of explanation of an event at the time of the child’s birth. For Example, the name Ichabod signified God’s Spirit had departed. Jacob meant deceiver and a prophecy of his deceiving personality. Later, his name was changed to Israel meaning prince of God.
God chose the name Jesus for His Son because its basic meaning defined the fundamental, overarching purpose for the Son’s coming to earth. Understanding the name Jesus helps us understand Christmas and why He came.
We can see this in : 1) THE GIVER OF THE NAME (Matthew 1:18-20) 2) THE MEANING OF THE NAME (Matthew 1:21a) 3) THE FOCUS OF THE NAME (Matthew 1:21b-23)
1) THE GIVER OF THE NAME (Matthew 1:18-20)
Matthew 1:18-20 [18]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. [19]And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. [20]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. (ESV)
It is possible that both Joseph and Mary were quite young when they were betrothed. Girls were often betrothed as young as twelve or thirteen, and boys when they were several years older than that.
By Jewish custom, a betrothal signified more than an engagement in the modern sense. A Hebrew marriage involved two stages, the kiddushin (betrothal) and the huppah (marriage ceremony). The marriage was almost always arranged by the families of the bride and groom, often without consulting them. A contract was made and was sealed by payment of the mohar, the dowry or bride price, which was paid by the groom or his family to the bride’s father. The mohar served to compensate the father for wedding expenses and to provide a type of insurance for the bride in the event the groom became dissatisfied and divorced her. The contract was considered binding as soon as it was made, and the man and woman were considered legally married, even though the marriage ceremony (huppah) and consummation often did not occur until as much as a year later. That is why for all intensive purposes Joseph was called her husband (v.19) and Mary is called Joseph’s wife (V. 20). The betrothal period served as a time of probation and testing of fidelity. During that period the bride and groom usually had little, if any, social contact with each other.
Joseph and Mary had experienced no sexual contact with each other, as the phrase before they came together indicates. Mary’s reason for questioning Gabriel’s announcement of her conception was the fact that she knew she was a virgin (Luke 1:34). This testimony protects from accusation that Jesus was born of some other man.
But Mary’s virginity protected a great deal more than her own moral character, reputation, and the legitimacy of Jesus’ birth. It protected the nature of the divine Son of God. The child is never called the son of Joseph; Joseph is never called Jesus’ father.
This is exactly as prophesied:
Genesis 3:15 [15]I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
In a technical sense the seed belongs to the man, and Mary’s impregnation by the Holy Spirit is the only instance in human history that a woman had a seed within her that did not come from a man.
Please turn to Deuteronomy 22
As already mentioned, although Joseph and Mary were only betrothed at this time (v. 18), he was considered her husband and she was considered his wife. For the very reason that he was a just/righteous man, Joseph had a double problem, at least in his own mind. First, because of his righteous moral standards, he knew that he should not go through with the marriage because of Mary’s pregnancy. He knew that he was not the father and assumed, quite naturally, that Mary had had relations with another man. But second, because of his righteous love and kindness, he could not bear the thought of shaming her publicly (a common practice of his day in regard to such an offense), much less of demanding her death, as provided by the law (Deut. 22:23-24).
Deuteronomy 22:23-24 [23]"If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, [24]then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. (ESV)
Amazingly enough, there is no evidence that Joseph felt anger, resentment, or bitterness. He had been shamed (if what he assumed had been true), but his concern was not for his own shame but for Mary’s. He was unwilling to put her to shame /not wanting to disgrace her by public exposure of her supposed sin. Because he loved her so deeply he determined simply to divorce her quietly. Joseph’s plan was to divorce her quietly/secretly, though before long everyone would have guessed it when the marriage never materialized. But for a while, at least, she would be protected (from scorn), and she would live (not be stoned).
While he considered this, however, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and allayed his fears. “Joseph, son of David, do not fear [stop being afraid] to take Mary as your wife; for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit This verse emphasizes the supernatural character of the whole event. To reinforce the encouraging words, as well as to verify Jesus’ royal lineage, the angel addressed Joseph as son of David. Even though He was not the real son of Joseph, Jesus was his legal son. His Father, in actuality, was God, who conceived Him by the Holy Spirit. But Jesus’ royal right in the Davidic line came by Joseph.
Someone once said about receiving a name:
Illustration: Guard Your Name
You got it from your father,
it was all he had to give
So it’s yours to use and cherish,
for as long as you may live.
If you lose the watch he gave you,
it can always be replaced.
But a black mark on your name, son,
can never be erased.
It was clean the day you took it,
and a worthy name to bear.
When he got it from his father,
there was no dishonor there.
So make sure you guard it wisely,
after all is said and done.
You’ll be glad the name is spotless,
when you give it to your son.
(Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.)
We have seen: 1) THE GIVER OF THE NAME (Matthew 1:18-20) and now:
2) THE MEANING OF THE NAME (Matthew 1:21a)
Matthew 1:21a [21]She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, (for he will save his people from their sins)." (ESV)
Now then, in regards to the specific naming, of the 2400 individuals named in the Old Testament in some 46 cases, the OT mentions the part the parents played in naming the child. In 28 of those instances, the child received its name from the mother, and in 18 of the cases the father participated. There are only isolated cases where someone other than the parents gave the name to a child. Therefore, obviously in the Jewish culture as well as in our culture today, it is parents who have the right to name their child.
As if to reinforce the truth of Jesus’ divine conception, the angel tells Joseph that she will bear a Son. Joseph would act as Jesus’ earthly father, but he would only be a foster father.
Joseph was told to name the Son ... Jesus, just as Zacharias was told to name his son John (Luke 1:13). We are not told the purpose or significance of John’s name, but that of Jesus was made clear even before His birth. Jesus is a form of the Hebrew Joshua, Jeshua (Josh. 1:1; Zech 3:1), or Jehoshua, the basic meaning of which is “Jehovah (Yahweh) will save.” Jehovah/Yahweh was the personal name of God to His people.
That Joseph was to name the child (“you shall call” is second person singular) is significant. If the father named the child it meant he was claiming the baby as a member of his family. This gave the Lord Jesus legal rights to the line of David.
(Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Mt 1:21-22). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
The importance of the specific naming of Jesus is repeatedly emphasized in Scripture:
Philippians 2:9-11 [9]Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10]so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11]and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV)
Please turn to Ephesians 1
All other men who had those names testified by their names to the Lord’s salvation. But this One who would be born to Mary not only would testify of God’s salvation, but would Himself be that salvation.
Ephesians 1:19-21 [19]and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20]that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21]far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (ESV)
Did you notice in the preceding passage the reference to Christ? This is not Jesus’ last name but His title.
Luke 2:11 [11]For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (ESV)
To the personal name Jesus is added the official title Christos (Christ). This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah. It indicated that the One to whom it refers was by the Holy Spirit anointed (hence, ordained, set apart) to carry out the task of saving his people (Isa 61:1; Luke 4:18; Heb. 1:9). This leads us to our final point.
We have seen: 1) THE GIVER OF THE NAME (Matthew 1:18-20) 2) THE MEANING OF THE NAME (Matthew 1:21a) and finally:
3) THE FOCUS OF THE NAME (Matthew 1:21b-23)
Matthew 1:21b-23 [21](She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus), for he will save his people from their sins." [22]All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: [23]"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). (ESV)
By His own work He would save His people from their sins.
The present problem reflects another reality that Isaiah spoke of:
Isaiah 59:2 [2]but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
This originally came about by Adam as our Federal Head:
Romans 5:12 [12]Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-- (ESV)
This is the need. What did God do? Look at Matthew 1:21 save his people from their sins (John 10:11).
God came to His people to redeem them from the bondage to sin. This is the greatest gift of Christmas:
Romans 6:23 [23]For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)
This is what the name Jesus and only Jesus embodies:
Acts 4:12 [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." (ESV)
Acts 10:43 [43]To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (ESV)
Romans 10:13 [13]For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (ESV)
At this point in verse 22, Matthew explains that Jesus’ virgin birth was predicted by God in the Old Testament. The Lord clearly identifies the birth of Christ as a fulfillment of prophecy. All this refers to the facts about the divine birth of Jesus Christ. Matthew repeatedly uses the phrase to fulfill (2:15, 17, 23; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:54; etc.) to indicate ways in which Jesus, and events related to His earthly ministry, were fulfillments of Old Testament prophecy. Twelve times in his Gospel Matthew identifies O.T. prophecies as being fulfilled in the life of Jesus (cf. also 2:15, 23; 3:15; 4:14; 5:17; 8:17; 12:17; 13:14, 35; 21:4; 27:9)(Believer’s Study Bible. 1997, c1995. C1991 Criswell Center for Biblical Studies. (electronic ed.) (Mt 1:22). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.) The basic truths and happenings of the New Testament were culminations, completions, or fulfillments of revelation God had already made-though often the revelation had been in veiled and partial form.
Illustration: Probability of Prophecies Fulfilled
In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ. He says, “The chance that any man might have ...fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.” (one hundred quadrillion). Stoner suggests that “we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly... Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up [that one marked silver dollar.] What chance would he have of getting the right one?” Stoner concludes, “Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man,...providing they wrote them in their own wisdom.”
The great miracle of His birth was the fulfillment of what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: That phrase gives a simple, straightforward definition of biblical inspiration as the Word of the Lord coming through human instruments. God does the saying; the human instrument is only a means to bring the divine Word to men. Based on these words of the Lord given through Matthew, the Old Testament text of Isaiah must be interpreted as predicting the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
Matthew claims divine inspiration for the words of Isaiah—the Lord had spoken by the prophet at least 700 years before Christ.
The scene in Isaiah 7 is the reign of King Ahaz in Judah. Though son of the great Uzziah, he was a wicked king. He filled Jerusalem with idols, reinstated the worship of Molech, and burned his own son as a sacrifice to that god. Rezin, king of Syria (Aram), and Pekah, king of Israel (also called Samaria at that time), decided to remove Ahaz and replace him with a king who would do their bidding. In the face of such a threat to the people of Israel and to the royal line of David, Ahaz, instead of turning to God for help, sought the help of Tiglath-pileser, the evil king of the Assyrians. He even plundered and sent to Tiglath-pileser the gold and silver from the Temple.
Isaiah came to Ahaz and reported that God would deliver the people from the two enemy kings. When Ahaz refused to listen, Isaiah responded with the remarkable messianic prophecy of 7:14.
Isaiah 7:14 [14]Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (ESV)
How did a prediction of the virgin birth of Messiah fit that ancient scene? Isaiah was telling the wicked king that no one would destroy the people of God or the royal line of David. When the prophet said, “The Lord shall give you a sign,” he used a plural you, indicating that Isaiah was also speaking to the entire nation, telling them that God would not allow Rezin and Pekah, or anyone else, to destroy them and the line of David (cf. Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:13).
We can see now from this prophecy of Isaiah 7: The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 included the foretelling of a unique birth (“Behold, the virgin shall conceive”), the sex of the Child (“and bear a Son”), and the name of the child (“and [she] shall call His name Immanuel”). (MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Mt 1:23). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
Even though the people came into the hands of Tiglath-pileser, who destroyed the northern kingdom and overran Judah on four occasions, God preserved them just as He promised.
The greatest sign was as indicated in Matthew 1:23, that Immanuel, which means/translated means, “God with us,” would come. The point that the angel emphasizes is not that He was to have this for a proper name (like “Jesus”), but that He should come to be known in this character, as God manifested in the flesh.
That name was used more as a title or description than as a proper name. In His incarnation Jesus was, in the most literal sense, God with us.
Finally, please turn to John 1
There is no record of Christ ever being called “Immanuel” while on earth; He was always called “Jesus.”
However, the meaning of the name Jesus (see above on v. 21) implies the presence of God with us. He can’t be Immanuel, God with us, unless He is virgin born. That’s the only way! And notice, unless He is Immanuel, He cannot be Jesus, the Savior.
The Old Testament repeatedly promises that God is present with His people, to secure their destiny in His covenant. The Tabernacle and Temple were intended to be symbols of that divine presence. The term for tabernacle is mishkân, which comes from shâkan, meaning to dwell rest, or abide. From that root the term shekinah has also come, referring to the presence of God’s glory. The child born was to be the Shekinah, the true Tabernacle of God (cf. John 1:14).
John 1:12-14 [12]But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, [13]who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. [14]And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (ESV)
Isaiah was the instrument through which the Word of the Lord announced that God would dwell among men in visible flesh and blood incarnation-more intimate and personal than the Tabernacle or Temple in which Israel had worshiped.
What then is the significance of the name Jesus at Christmas?
Illustration: Can This Be Christmas?
What’s all this hectic rush and worry?
Where go these crowds who run and hurry?
Why all the lights—the Christmas trees?
The jolly “fat man,” tell me please!
Why, don’t you know? This is the day
For parties and for fun and play;
Why this is Christmas!
So this is Christmas, do you say?
But where is Christ this Christmas day?
Has He been lost among the throng?
His voice drowned out by empty song?
No. He’s not here—you’ll find Him where
Some humble soul now kneels in prayer,
Who knows the Christ of Christmas.
But see the many aimless thousands
Who gather on this Christmas Day,
Whose hearts have never yet been opened,
Or said to Him, “Come in to stay.”
In countless homes the candles burning,
In countless hearts expectant yearning
For gifts and presents, food and fun,
And laughter till the day is done.
But not a tear of grief or sorrow
For Him so poor He had to borrow
A crib, a colt, a boat, a bed
Where He could lay His weary head.
I’m tired of all this empty celebration,
Of feasting, drinking, recreation;
I’ll go instead to Calvary.
And there I’ll kneel with those who know
The meaning of that manger low,
And find the Christ—this Christmas.
I leap by faith across the years
To that great day when He appears
The second time, to rule and reign,
To end all sorrow, death, and pain.
In endless bliss we then shall dwell
With Him who saved our souls from hell,
And worship Christ—not Christmas!
(M.R. DeHaan, M.D., Founder, Radio Bible Class: Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002).)
