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Day 10, The Twelve Days of Christmas – “The Name of Jesus”

When we think about Christmas we realize that God came down and the birth of Jesus was a divine, but also human birth.  In the birth we celebrate the Incarnation of Emmanuel – God is with us.  Today, we celebrate the name that God gave to both Mary and Joseph to give their new-born - Jesus. 

The Scripture background:

Matthew 1:20-21 
“… an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’"

 Luke 1:30-31
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.

The name “Jesus” means “Jehovah Saves”.  In Hebrew it would be Yehôshuaʿ, translated Joshua. 
I’m sure you’ve already noticed that the naming of Jesus was not left to Mary and Joseph to decide.  They were both told by the Angel to name him Jesus.  There’s a lot for us to consider in why the specific name Jesus was given. 

On the one hand, the name of Jesus is a reminder that he came to save us, to be the sacrifice for our sins, and the redeemer of our souls.  The heart of the believer is to remember the great cost and sacrifice of God the Father, who gave up his “one and only” Son for our sake.  The name of Jesus is to be revered and flow from our lips as worship.

In the Middle Ages, St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote extensively on the love of God in Jesus.  His most famous quote was of Jesus:
“The name of Jesus is light, and food, and medicine. It is light, when it is preached to us; it is food, when we think upon it; it is the medicine that soothes our pains when we invoke it… For when I pronounce this name, I bring before my mind the man, who, by excellence, is meek and humble of heart, benign, sober, chaste, merciful, and filled with everything that is good and holy, nay, who is the very God almighty—whose example heals me, and whose assistance strengthens me. I say all this, when I say Jesus.”

When we say the name of Jesus we are speaking of a person, not a religion.  Jesus is the name the Father gave to him because it speaks immediately of his Mission, his purpose for his Incarnation.  The name of Jesus should remind us of all that God intends to do in our lives – our mission.

 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Luke 24:47

 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. Acts 4:10

 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Philippians 2:9-10

 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." Matthew 18:20

 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, John 1:12

 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31

 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

 Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15

 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. Revelation 14:1

Today we honor the name of Jesus.

Peace

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