The pastor read Matthew 1:23: “‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).” A sweet voice whispered in my ear, “Daddy, if Immanuel means ‘God is with us,’ what does Jesus mean?”
Hmm, maybe I should know this. “I’m not sure. Let’s google it.”
Turns out Jesus is generally thought to mean “the Lord saves” or “salvation.”
Maybe you grew up in a church that taught such news. Maybe I missed it in new member classes. OK, I probably missed it, but consider these: “At the name of [The Lord Saves] every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10). “They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with [Salvation] leading the way” (Mark 10:32).
Can you imagine the legal scholars of Jesus’ day and the challenge that acknowledging the meaning of Jesus’ name would have presented? Upset over Jesus’ compassion, would they whine: “Salvation is healing on the Sabbath!”? Upset about his hanging out with people of low social status, can you just hear them talking amongst themselves: “The Lord Saves is again with tax collectors and prostitutes!” You have to imagine it, because generally these men who were opposed to Jesus’ ministry referred to him as a teacher, a fellow, “this” man, and more.
What’s our challenge? Maybe as loud as possible … better yet, as softly as necessary, when you find a willing ear, ask, “What do you think of the name of Jesus?”
