Yahweh Saves

Jesus means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In the man from Nazareth, the Salvation promised by the God of Israel has arrived in all its glory. The angel informed Joseph that the child carried by betrothed, Mary, was “begotten of the Holy Spirit.” He instructed Joseph to name the child ‘Jesus’ - “Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” This name pointed to the saving act of God for humanity that He was about to reveal to the world. The world would behold the “Salvation of Yahweh” in Jesus of Nazareth.

His name does not mean that Jesus was identical to his Father, but that the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” has acted decisively in His Son to bring salvation to humanity, especially through Christ’s Death and Resurrection. According to the Apostle Paul, this is the foundation of the Apostolic Faith:

• “For I delivered to you first of all that which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he has been raised on the third day” – (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

[Photo by Mark Fletcher-Brown on Unsplash]

The first verse of the Gospel of Matthew identifies the child as the “Son of Abraham.” This was more than another name on a genealogical list. Not only was he the biological descendant of Abraham, but he also came to fulfill the promises made to the Patriarch, and Matthew - (Matthew 1:20-21).

The angel’s announcement parallels the prediction made to Abraham about his firstborn son, which occurred when Sarah was ninety years old and beyond childbearing age, making her pregnancy miraculous. Abraham also received his son’s name through Divine appointment, for God commanded Abraham to name his son ‘Isaac’ - (Genesis 17:19).

The name ‘Jesus’ or ‘Joshua’ first appears in the Book of Exodus. Joshua’s name originally was ‘Hoshea’, the Son of Nun. Moses changed it from ‘Hoshea’ to ‘Joshua’ or ‘Ye-hoshua’ - (Numbers 13:1-8, Exodus 17:9).

‘Hoshea’ means “salvation, deliverance, help.” It is from the Hebrew verb meaning “save, help, deliver,” or ‘yasha’. For example, “Yahweh saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians” - (Exodus 14:30. Compare Deuteronomy 20:4).

By prefixing the first syllable of the Hebrew name ‘Yahweh’ to ‘Hoshea’ (YHWH {יהוה}), his name became ‘Ye-hoshua’. In several of the later books of the Hebrew Bible, the second syllable was eliminated, and the name was shortened to ‘Yeshua’ - (e.g., Nehemiah 8:17, Ezra 2:2).

The form ‘Jesus’ is the anglicized spelling of ‘Yeshua.’ It means more than “savior.” It combines the name ‘Yahweh’ with the Hebrew verb for “save.”

Thus, ‘Jesus’ means “Yahweh saves” or “Salvation of Yahweh.” The promised salvation of God had arrived in the man from the insignificant village of Nazareth, Jesus, the son of Joseph.

Furthermore, the angel’s announcement echoed key themes from the ‘Servant’s Song’ of the Book of Isaiah. For example:

• (Isaiah 53:10-11) – “Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you will make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and the pleasure of Yahweh will prosper in his hand. He will see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by the knowledge of himself will my Righteous Servant justify many, and he will carry their sins.”

The genealogy of Jesus recorded by Matthew begins with Abraham, the Great Patriarch, and the Progenitor of Israel. Jesus is the “Son of Abraham,” the promised “Seed” who fulfills the covenant promises. He is also the “Son of David,” the Messiah and King who reigns from David’s Throne and inaugurated the Kingdom of God. The glorious reign of the God of Israel began on Calvary.

Like Joshua, Jesus is the Ruler of God’s people who delivers them from bondage to Satan and shepherds them to the Promised Land, namely, the Kingdom of God. In the truest sense, he is the one who “saves his people from their sins.”

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SEE ALSO:

• Mysteries Revealed - (God’s mysteries are unveiled in Jesus, especially in his Death and Resurrection. Are we looking for revelation and insight in the right places? - Romans 16:25)

• Recognizing Jesus - (In Mark, only at his death did the Roman centurion who was present at his execution recognize who Jesus was – Mark 10:45)

• Lamb and King - (Jesus as the Lamb reigns supreme over the Kings of the Earth, and he is shepherding the nations to the city of New Jerusalem)