Call His Name Jesus

Joseph, who was engaged to Mary, discovered “before they came together [that] she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:18b-19 ESV). This was quite a predicament in their culture, and Joseph did a lot of thinking about the best way forward.

According to Robertson’s Word Pictures, “Jesus is the same as Joshua, a contraction of Jeoshuah (Numbers 13:16; 1Chronicles 7:27), signifying in Hebrew, ‘Jehovah is helper,’ or ‘Help of Jehovah’ (Broadus). Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua. “But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins‘” (Matthew 1:20-21). 

So this baby boy was given the name “Jesus” by heavenly decree! That in itself is an amazing legacy from the Father. Paul was later inspired to write, “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, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). 

The reason given in Matthew for the name Jesus was that he was destined to be the Savior of the people of God. In Acts 4:12 this is reinforced by Peter in his sermon, “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.”

There are hundreds of songs and choruses about the Name of Jesus. Gaithers’ wrote about “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, There’s just something about that Name…” I grew up in a church that constantly sang about The Name in many songs and choruses like “Jesus is the sweetest Name I know,” and always tacked on the phrase “in the Name of Jesus” at the end of prayers. Yet I never recall a teaching from the pulpit about how important His Name is to the believer today.

I was probably around twenty years old when I first read the book that opened my heart to the truth about The Name. It was “The Wonderful Name of Jesus” by E.W. Kenyon, written in 1927, and it is still in print! [http://www.kenyons.org/TheWonderfulNameofJesusBook.html and MP3, CD, eBook formats.]

All four gospels and the Book of Acts make many statements about The Name. The word “name” itself appears in Matthew 22 times, Mark 13 times, Luke 29 times, John 24 times, and Acts 39 times, but I will just mention a few from Matthew’s gospel. In his commission to the twelve disciples Jesus said, “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22).  So you see he knew the authority and power of His Name would divide people; some who loved The Name would give their lives for it, and many who hated it would murder because of it.

Matthew 12:21 quotes Isaiah, “and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” The citizens of non-Jewish nations (often called Gentiles) had no hope under the Jewish religion, but God’s intention was that no one should perish for their sins. Therefore the Name of Jesus had to be universally applicable to all people as a source of joy, liberty, love, life and light. Note how often the preposition “in” is used, indicating “in his authority.”

In Matthew 18:5 the importance of little children in society was emphasized by the statement, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.”

In verse 20 Jesus commends those who meet together in his name: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” His presence is guaranteed if only two people show up at church. (I’ve been there!) Jesus also warned his disciples about imposters and false preachers when he said, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray” (Matthew 24:4-5). 

I conclude with the Great Commission, given in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples [learners] of all nations, baptizing them [mark] in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them [mature] to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Notice that the church universal is commissioned to make, mark, and mature the “learners.” It says nothing about getting decisions for Christ, but everything about making learners committed enough to make a public statement of their faith in His Name, and to learn from the Word who they are and what they can do.