Shall Call His Name Jesus
|
I celebrate the birth of Christ. I don’t apologize for saying this. I don’t hide my enthusiasm. I celebrate the true meaning of the season. I love true Christian Christmas cards. I love hearing Christmas hymns, especially in businesses that still allow them to be played.
I understand that Jesus was probably not born on Dec. 25. And …? It matters not the specific day that we choose to honor the birth of Christ. It matters that we celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the Saviour, the Redeemer, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.
THE DIVINE ANNOUNCEMENT
“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS” (Lk. 1:30-32).
What an announcement! What an honor to be the vessel God uses to bring forth the Messiah! This was the announcement that every young Jewish girl hoped to receive.
MARY WAS NOT THE MOTHER OF GOD
Jesus used the phrase “the Son of Man” when He spoke of His humanity. Mary was not the “mother of God.” She was the mother of the Son of Man (the human body). The distinction is important. Jesus as a human had a beginning. Jesus as God had no beginning.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1).
The term Word clearly speaks of Jesus. Jesus was in the beginning. He was with God in the beginning. He was God in the beginning. The Greek term ἀρχή (archē) is where we derive the word archaic. Whenever it is that you believe time began, Jesus was already with God and was already God. Mary therefore could not have been the “mother of God” as taught by the Roman Catholic Church; that would mean that she predated God. Mary was the mother of the Son of Man—the physical body Jesus used in His earthly ministry. For that, we honor her as a human vessel who yielded to God’s will, but we do not worship her as the mother of God.
SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS
Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua. Joshua is a shortened version of Jehoshuah (Num. 13:16; 1 Chron. 7:27), signifying in Hebrew, “Jehovah is Salvation” (Brown Driver Briggs).
“The name Jesus is the same as Savior. It is derived from the verb signifying to save” (Albert Barnes).
Jesus, or Joshua, was a common name, but only He would fulfill the meaning of that name. Only Jesus would save those who place their faith in the completed work of Calvary.
NO OTHER NAME BUT JESUS
Peter boldly proclaimed after the day of Pentecost, that “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
It is only through the name of Jesus Christ that we can have forgiveness of sins, joy unspeakable, peace in a time of trouble, and, of course, everlasting life. It is in the name of Jesus that we have answered prayers. To a true believer, that name is sweeter than honey yet stronger than tempered steel. He is my Redeemer, my Saviour, my Healer, my Deliverer, my peace, my joy, my help in the time of need, my righteousness. He is King of kings, Lord of lords, the one and only mediator between God and man, and much more. That is why I will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I hope you do too. Merry Christmas from Ana and me.
|
|
