He Came to Change the World: 7 Day Advent GuideSample

Mary and Joseph didn’t get to choose the name of their baby. The angel told Joseph that Mary would give birth to a son, and then commanded, “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). There is a unique way to write emphasis in the Greek language that is hard to translate. The verse above literally says, “you will call his name Jesus.” The tense used is called “future imperatival force” in the Greek. In other words, naming Jesus was not a choice that Mary and Joseph would have. The angel explained to Joseph why the name of the baby would be Jesus, the Greek form of Joshua. The name means “Yahweh is salvation” or “Yahweh saves.” The angel commanded Joseph to name the baby Jesus “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). And when Jesus was born, Joseph “gave him the name Jesus” (v. 25). The people of Jesus’ day were looking for their Messiah. Scripture had promised them the Messiah would restore the Kingdom of David, and they were anxious for that to happen. When David was king, the Jewish nation owned their promised land and the people were governed by a king of God’s choosing. The people of Jesus’ day hoped for that kind of life, but they had never experienced it. Jesus came to change the world. His name indicates that he would “save” the world—but not in the way people believed it would happen. Jesus came to save his people “from their sins.” Most of the Jewish nation were not satisfied with their Messiah and refused to believe. Most of the people who celebrate Christmas this year will not be celebrating their Messiah. Why did Jesus come to save people from their sins instead of saving them from an abusive government? Why does Jesus save us from our sins but not from all the difficulties in our lives? Why don’t you and I live in the Garden of Eden? Because of sin. Jesus came to change the way we think. Do you think of Jesus as the One who came to save you from your sin or the One you want to save you from your troubles? We all want to live in a sinless, perfect world. Jesus was born to provide us that world . . . after we no longer live in this one. This Christmas, focus on the name of the baby in the manger. No other name was possible, and no other name was necessary. Pray you will be able to use his name this Christmas in powerful ways.