On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. Luke 2:21
Names are important and identify a person. I remember when we were expecting our girls, we would look through a little book of names to help us decide. Back then, unlike now days with ultra sounds available, we were clueless as to whether our baby would be a boy or a girl. We thought hard and long before choosing their name.
Mary and Joseph had no discussion about her baby's name. The angel, who told them separately of the coming Christ Child, instructed them to name Him, Jesus (Matthew 1:21 & Luke 1:31). It is a Greek form of Joshua which means "Jehovah is salvation." His heavenly given name identifies his purpose in coming to earth. He brought salvation to all who would choose to call upon Him.
Throughout the New Testament there are stories of people calling out His name when they were desperate. Blind Bartimaeus shouted out for Jesus to have mercy on him, and the Messiah gave him his sight (Mark 10:46-52). The hurting, sick, and marginalized people who encountered the Savior knew that Jesus was no ordinary name. Even one of the thieves on the crosses nearby, called out to Jesus in the last moments of his life for forgiveness (Luke 23:42).
Isn't it amazing that we can still call upon the name of the Lord in our times of trouble as well? His powerful name is the source of our hope, because as Acts 4:12 states: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Written by: Lois Dahlstrom
Alleluia for the name - JESUS!