In Matthew, an angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “begotten of the Holy Spirit” and instructed him 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 His people which He was about to reveal.
The first verse of Matthew identifies
the child as the “Son of Abraham.” This is more than one name on a
genealogical chart. Not only was he the biological descendant of Abraham, but he
also came to fulfill the promises made to the Patriarch, and Matthew
demonstrates this in several ways - (Matthew 1:20-21).
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For example, the announcement to Joseph 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. Moreover, Abraham also received his son's name through Divine appointment, thus God commanded Abraham to name his son “Isaac” since through him He established His covenant - (Genesis 17:19).
The name ‘Jesus’ or Joshua first appears
in the Book of Exodus. His name originally was Hoshea, the Son
of Nun. Moses changed his name from Hoshea to Joshua or ‘Ye-hoshua’
- (Numbers 13:1-8, Exodus 17:9).
Hoshea means “salvation, deliverance, help.” It was derived from the
Hebrew verb meaning “save, help, deliver,” or yasha (Strong’s
Concordance - #H3467). 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}
– Strong’s Concordance – H3068), and thus became Ye-hoshua. In several
of the later books of the Hebrew Bible, the second syllable is eliminated, and
the name is shortened to Yeshua - (Nehemiah 8:17, Ezra 2:2).
The form ‘Jesus’ is the anglicized spelling of ‘Yeshua.’ It means more than “savior.” It is a combination of the name Yahweh and the Hebrew verb for “save,” and it means “YAHWEH SAVES” or “salvation of Yahweh.” The promised salvation of God arrived in Jesus of Nazareth.
The angel’s announcement to Joseph echoed
key themes from the ‘Servant’s Song’ in 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.”
In Matthew, the genealogy of Jesus begins
with Abraham, the Great Patriarch, and the Progenitor of Israel. He 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 inaugurates the Kingdom of God.
Jesus is the Greater Joshua, the Ruler of
God’s people who delivers them from bondage to Satan and shepherds them to the true
Promised Land, namely, the Kingdom of God. Hence, in the truest sense, he is
the one who “saves his people from their sins.”
SEE ALSO:
- Salvation for All - (The Gospel of the Kingdom announced by Jesus Christ offers Salvation and life to men and women of every nation and people)