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Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.
A Name, a Song, and a Message
The angel said, "Don't be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over Jacob's house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom."
Luke 1:30-33 (CEB)
Luke 1:30-33 (CEB)
You came from heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord, I lift Your name on high
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord, I lift Your name on high
From "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High" by Rick Founds
In the Nativity stories we read in the Gospels, both Mary and Joseph are instructed to name their child Jesus.1 The Greek name Iēsous, from which we get the name Jesus, is equivalent to the Hebrew name Yeshua, which is similar to a Hebrew verb meaning "to rescue" or "to deliver."2 In the Gospel of Matthew, a heavenly messenger says to Joseph, "Joseph son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."3
Jesus was given His name because it is associated with salvation.
The Letter to the Philippians contains what is thought to be an early Christian hymn. This hymn, which is commonly called the Christ Hymn, tells of the descent and ascent of the Son of God. It begins,
Though he was in the form of God,
he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.
But he emptied himself
by taking the form of a slave
and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself in the form of a human,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.4
he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.
But he emptied himself
by taking the form of a slave
and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself in the form of a human,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.4
Christ descended from Heaven to walk among us on Earth.
He descended from divine power to join us in human frailty.
He descended from equality with God to live His life on Earth as a servant.
He descended from divine glory to suffer a painful and degrading death by crucifixion.
The Christ Hymn continues,
Therefore, God highly honored him
and gave him a name above all names,
so that at the name of Jesus everyone
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.5
and gave him a name above all names,
so that at the name of Jesus everyone
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.5
Christ ascended from the grave when He was resurrected.
He ascended from Earth to Heaven to receive a seat of authority at the Father's right hand side.
He ascended from servanthood to sovereignty as the true Lord of this world.
When Christ entered this world, He was given the name Jesus because it is associated with salvation. Because of who Jesus is and what He did, His name is also associated with sovereignty. In the days of the Roman Empire, when people were expected to say that Caesar is lord, the early Christians boldly proclaimed that Jesus Christ is Lord.
It has been said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."6 Only someone who demonstrated ultimate humility, as Christ did when He left behind the power and glory of divinity to become human, and is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, as Christ was when He gave His life on the Cross for the sake of humanity, can be trusted with ultimate sovereignty, as Christ was when He was raised to Heaven and given a place of authority at the right hand of the Father.
The Gospel message can be summarized in five words: "The Risen Christ is Lord." Because Jesus is the true Lord of this world, the evils we fear are not truly in control, and, because Jesus defeated death, the worst thing they could possibly do to us would not be the end of the story. This message has the power to save.
Notes:
- Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38
- Wikipedia: "Yeshua"
- Matthew 1:20-21 (CEB)
- Philippians 2:6-8 (CEB)
- Philippians 2:9-11 (CEB)
- This quote is attributed to John Dalberg-Acton.
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