Why did Joseph and Mary name Mary’s baby Jesus? It wasn’t a unique name in those days. In fact, there were probably a lot of Jewish men named Jesus. That’s because “Jesus” is the Greek way to say the Hebrew name “Joshua.” Joshua was one of the great heroes of the Old Testament. Just like there are a lot of Joshuas today, there would have been many little boys named “Jesus / Joshua” 2,000 years ago.
But Jesus wasn’t simply named after a hero of faith from the Old Testament. He was given his name because of what it means. The name Joshua—or Jesus—means “the Lord saves.” That’s the perfect name for Jesus, isn’t it? The angel explained it like this to Joseph: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
He is Jesus, because he saves us from our sins. What a great name! Every time you see your sins, every time you feel guilty for what you’ve done or thought or said, remember this name: Jesus—“the Lord saves.” In fact, he already has. Jesus saved you and me by dying for our sins and rising from the dead. To any sinner, “Jesus” is the most beautiful name in the world, because he has saved his people from our sins.
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