My daughter asked me the other day why we don't just call Jesus by his Hebrew name. Good question. Yeshua means 'God saves'—it's not just a title, it's his function, his identity. Matthew emphasizes this when the angel tells Joseph to name him Jesus 'because he will save his people from their sins.' The name does what it says.
In ancient understanding, a name wasn't just a label. It revealed character and destiny. When God renamed Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul, God was realigning their entire purpose. Same here. Before Jesus was even born, his purpose was written into his name. I've been meditating on what it means that salvation isn't something Jesus does on the side—it's who he fundamentally is. The Savior wasn't appointed to his role at the resurrection or at Pentecost. He was named for it before his first breath.
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