Give Him the Name Jesus

The theme of New Year's Day is the name of Jesus. Jewish boys were circumcised on the eighth day, that is, when they were one week old, and at that time they were given their name. Therefore, we celebrate the name of Jesus one week after His birthday. In biblical times a person's name had greater significance than it does today. A name was meant to express what its owner was like. Knowing the name of a thing or person meant knowing its true nature, which was revealed in the name. The meaning of the name Jesus is not insignificant either. The angel announced to Joseph (Matt. 1:21): "Mary will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." The Bible also uses several other names for Jesus. Each name sheds light on some characteristic of Jesus and thus enriches our understanding of His nature.

What, then, does the name Jesus mean? You may remember that God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and revealed His name as Yahweh, meaning "I am." In many Bibles, Yahweh is translated as "the Lord." In biblical Hebrew, the verb "to be" has a broader meaning than in our language. Its meanings include becoming something, appearing, remaining, and being with someone. Thus, "I am" as God's name does not merely refer to existence itself but to active existence. Jesus connected Himself with this name. He said:

• I am the way, the truth, and the life.
• I am the good shepherd.
• I am the bread of life.
• I am the light of the world.
• I am the resurrection and the life.

The original form of the name Jesus, Jehoshua, means: "The Lord saves," or "I am salvation." The latter part of the word, hoshua, meaning "save," is actually quite familiar to us, since the word "Hosanna" is derived from the same root. Other meanings of the Hebrew word for save include help, win in battle, and grant victory. Jesus won the battle against sin and gives His victory to us. He is our helper in all things. Jesus has atoned for the punishment of our sins and opened for us the way into fellowship with God and into eternal life. No other name has been given to us by which we can be saved. To confirm this, we have been baptized into the name of Jesus.

The most common use of the name of Jesus is in prayer in Jesus' name. God hears us even if we do not include Jesus' name in our prayers, but prayer in Jesus' name carries a promise. Jesus says (John 16:24): "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you." Praying in Jesus' name means praying with the authority of Jesus. This is illustrated by how Esther used the king's signet ring. The safety of the Jews was threatened, and King Xerxes gave Esther permission to write a decree according to her wishes and seal it with the king's signet (Est. 8:8).

However, the name of Jesus is not a magic word by which we can obtain money, fame, and success. James writes (James 4:3): "And when you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." Jesus further clarifies His promise in John 15:16: "My will is that you go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." Thus, this promise is fulfilled especially in missionary work. Praying in Jesus' name means praying according to God's will and praying for things that bring glory to Jesus.

Jesus is the name of our King. The Bible encourages us to thank and praise the name of Jesus. One day, in honor of the name of Jesus, every knee must bow and every tongue confess, to the glory of God the Father: "Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil. 2:10–11).